sailing vessel with drawn sails; trolling in calm water towards viewer; at L, rock face shoreline crested with pine trees; gold frame

Off the Coast (Lake Superior), 1886

Oil on canvasexpand_more

Gift of Sheila and John Morganexpand_more  2012.45

Not on Viewexpand_more

Alexis Jean Fournier was born in St. Paul. As a young artist working in Minneapolis, he at first painted signs and stage sets—which perhaps gave him a taste for the arresting and dramatic. He painted Off the Coast after visiting the North Shore of Lake Superior. At that time, boats were the sole means of access, and steamships plied the waters with passengers and supplies destined for the small communities along the lake. The burgeoning timber industry had not yet devastated the vast pine stands near the shore. Re-creating the drama of his visit, Fournier depicted massive cliffs receding into a towering cloud bank as a steamship belching black smoke advances toward the viewer.

Details
Title
Off the Coast (Lake Superior)
Artist Life
1865 - 1948
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2012.45
Curator Approved

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sailing vessel with drawn sails; trolling in calm water towards viewer; at L, rock face shoreline crested with pine trees; gold frame