Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
"Inspired by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, Porter was a Realist working in the midst of the American Abstract Expressionist movement. His subjects included the landscape, still-life and portraiture. Porter was also a writer,
publishing art reviews and a book throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
Porter was born in Winnetka, lllinois in 1907. A graduate of Harvard University, he augmented his Ivy League education with formal art training from 1928 to 1930. He studied for a time with Boardman Robinson and Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League in New York City.
In 1949, Porter moved to Southampton, Long Island, where he painted works which reflected the calm amiability of his life as a country dweller. Described as a modernized American impressionist, Porter combined a soft, pastel palette with a broad, placid brushstroke.
Characteristic of his work are light dappled forms, composed of both small and large planes of color which are volumetric, yet arranged in shallow space. Although known as a realist, Porter’s work reflects the influence of abstract expressionism as well as French impressionism.
This work is the artist’s impression of the surf at Southampton Beach, very near his home, where he walked every day."