Martin J. Murray (Rhode Island, 1908–1997) Waterfront #2, Oil on Canvas, 1960

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Martin J. Murray (Rhode Island, 1908–1997) Waterfront #2, Oil On Canvas, 1960

Dated 1960, Waterfront #2 is a compact oil … Read more Martin J. Murray (Rhode Island, 1908–1997) Waterfront #2, Oil On Canvas, 1960

Dated 1960, Waterfront #2 is a compact oil on canvas in which Martin J. Murray translates a harborfront skyline into an abstracted orchestration of verticals, softened edges, and mirrored reflections. The upper half is built from a dense band of attenuated forms—suggestive of towers, masts, and industrial or commercial structures—rising from a darker horizontal seam that implies a quay or shoreline. Below, the same forms are echoed as a tremulous reflection, with pigment dragged and feathered downward to evoke water’s movement and the slight distortions of surface ripple. Murray’s palette leans toward pale celadon, misted blue-gray, and warm sand and ochre notes, producing the effect of humid coastal air and diffused light; darker accents punctuate the skyline like pilings or moored vessels, while intermittent, rectilinear blocks hint at facades and windows without fully resolving into literal description. The painting is signed and dated in the lower right, and the verso bears the artist’s handwritten identifier “Waterfront No. II,” linking the work to a numbered series and confirming its intended title as recorded by Murray.


Measures: 17.75" h x 24" w See less