JOHN FREDERICK KENSETT (1816-1872)

This painting was reviewed by Dr. John Driscoll for the John Frederick Kensett catalogue raisonné.

During the late 1860s, John Frederick Kensett purchased property in Connecticut near Darien and Rowayton on Contentment Island and subsequently built a studio there. Inspired by his surroundings, he composed several sketches and paintings from various points around the island. As seen in the present work, Kensett developed sparer, more open compositions that explored the passage of light and time and the overall mood of the place. In Study on Long Island Sound at Darien, Connecticut, the scene's strong diagonal leads the viewer in from the closest point in the foreground to the farthest distance on the horizon to emphasize nature's great depth and scale.