Fitz Hugh Lane

The two most striking features of most of Lane’s paintings are the wonderful effect of light and the wealth of detail. There is no doubt that his life by the sea made him particularly well suited to depicting every aspect of seafaring life with extraordinary accuracy, from the bustling commercial harbour to the intricate rigging of a sailing ship. Through his love of the sea, his handling of light effects and elegant composition, he conjures lyrical visions in his paintings. From the early 1840s Lane found many enthusiastic patrons among the seafarers of Boston, New York and his home town of Gloucester, and he painted the entire east coast. He died at his home in August 1865. The imposing granite house overlooking Gloucester harbour from on high (pictured), which he built for himself, still stands today and can be visited.

From the page of Boston Harbor