Gloucester Harbor at Sunset

“I become a transparent eye-ball . . . I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature (1836) Lane’s late-career maritime compositions are taut, harmonious orchestrations. Minute details, a low horizon, repetitive orthogonal and vertical forms, and a luminous atmosphere structure these unequalled scenes where water and sky meet in a meticulous, almost sublime accord of reflected color. In this emblematic image, the setting sun illuminates the waters off Ten Pound Island in Gloucester Harbor. At mid-century, the village of Gloucester served as the busiest port of exchange for New England’s fishing and logging industries. Two fishing vessels, or “pinkies,” maneuver around a bark and a schooner anchored in what locals call the “Pancake Ground” (calm, shallow seabed). Much is still uncertain about Lane’s life. However, we know Lane worked as a shoemaker and lithographer before painting scenes expressive of an Emersonian view of witness.