Off the Coast (Lake Superior)

Alexis Jean Fournier was born in St. Paul. As a young artist working in Minneapolis, he painted stage sets and signs for businesses before turning to fine art. He painted Off the Coast after visiting the North Shore of Lake Superior. At that time, boats were still the primary means of access, shuttling passengers and supplies to small communities along the lake. In this picture, Fournier re-creates the drama of his visit. He portrays a steamship belching black smoke as it advances toward the viewer. Massive cliffs and even taller trees tower in the background, rising to meet a vast cloud bank.