Coast Scene, Isles of Shoals

The remote Isles of Shoals, a group of islands off the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine, was a favorite retreat of Hassam’s from 1884 until about 1915. Around the turn of the century, he undertook a series of views showing the rocky cliffs and coves and the expanse of ocean that surrounds them. Reminiscent of coastal scenes painted by Claude Monet at Pourville and Étretat in the early 1880s, "Coast Scene, Isles of Shoals" was painted in clear, luminous colors and patterned brushstrokes.