Sunset off Newport

Even in the artist's early career, John F. Kensett achieved considerable acclaim for his depictions of the American landscape. Following seven years of study abroad, Kensett returned to America and immediately embarked on a career grounded in the close study of nature. Newport, Rhode Island, was the natural choice for Kensett to develop his Luminist theories, for "the shores and headlands of New England naturally lent themselves to his heightened preoccupation with light, color, and reflective surfaces. Such scenery also met his compelling desire to reduce compositions to nature's basic components—earth, water, and sky—which in their inherent emotional and philosophical content expressed the artist's convictions concerning nature's tranquil sublimity." (J.P. Driscoll, John Frederick Kensett: An American Master, exhibition catalogue, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1985, p. 99) Indeed, Sunset off Newport demonstrates Kensett's mastery of the effects of light, with its luminous reflections in the water and careful highlights on the craggy cliffs.

The present work was dedicated by the artist to Amelia Sturges, daughter of notable patron Jonathan Sturges, and the first wife of J.P. Morgan.