Images of Contentment: John Frederick Kensett & the CT Shore

The Mattatuck Museum presents artist John Fredrick Kensett painting’s that were created from his home along the Connecticut shoreline. These artworks were done between 1868-1872. This is the first project to focus on Connecticut painting of the shoreline.

The paintings record the features of the Connecticut shoreline at a critical moment, as the agriculture and maritime activities of an earlier generation were being replaced by developments that served the interests of an increasingly urban America.

The painting also mark a critical transition in John Kensett’s work, as he experimented with new ways of painting nature, creating bold new compositions with unexpected palettes.