66

EDWARD MITCHELL BANNISTER

American, 1828-1901

Untitled (Summer, Rhode Island Shore)

oil on canvas
unsigned
17 1/4 x 26 3/4 in. (43.8 x 67.9 cm.), Frame: 26 3/4 x 35 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. (67.9 x 90.2 x 10.8 cm.)

  • Provenance: Private Collection, Rhode Island, acquired at auction in Providence in the late 1920s;
    Private Collection, Rhode Island, by descent from the above; Private Collection, New York
  • Notes: A letter of authenticity from Anne Louise Avery accompanies this lot.
    Edward Mitchell Bannister is one of the most celebrated African-American painters of the 19th century. He achieved national recognition through both his skill and determination. Undeterred by opinions, including an 1867 article in the New York Herald stating "the Negro seems to have an appreciation for art while being manifestly unable to produce it." Challenged and fueled to prove critics wrong, Bannister achieved notable success in a short period of time. By 1876, he became the first African-American artist to receive a national award.

    Born in Canada, he became an orphan at a young age. Like many young men from St. Andrews, he took a job at sea. In 1848, Bannister moved to Boston where he worked odd jobs before learning to paint. He enrolled in several evening classes and was introduced to the Barbizon School artists and contemporary American landscape painters.

    He married in 1857 and the couple moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 1870. Within only five years of establishing his studio in Providence, his painting Under the Oaks won a first-prize bronze medal at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. The judges wanted to "reconsider" Bannister's award after discovering his racial identity, however, white competitor artists upheld the decision and he was awarded the medal.

    Following his success at the Centennial Exposition, Bannister was able to become a full-time painter earning numerous commissions and painting landscapes. Initially influenced by the Barbizon painters, his style became increasingly idiosyncratic by the 1870s.

    Bannister scholar Anne Louise Avery dates the present composition to the late 1880/1890s, during the artist's mature period stating, "It incorporates many of the motifs and thematic concerns which distinguish his oeuvre and has a strong and convincing stylistic resonance with his works in oil." Avery notes that the scene is likely Narragansett Bay around Newport, or Prudence Island seen from the Portsmouth shoreline around Coggeshall Point.

    This painting includes many elements typical of late 19th-century Rhode Island and relates to other artists working at the time. For instance, Martin Johnson Heade and Thomas Worthington Whittredge both painted haymaking on the Narragansett shore. In this composition, Bannister paints this common theme. He adds figures to the landscape, juxtaposing laboring figures with a young girl, her dog, and her mother out for a leisurely walk. In the distance, a side-wheel steamer and sailboats are visible on the water, further suggesting a Narragansett Bay landscape.
  • Condition: in very good overall condition; unlined canvas; scattered crazing with corresponding in-paint particularly in the grassy areas and sky

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    We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Shannon's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Frames on all paintings are sold "As Is". Frames may need some conservation. 
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