Seconnet Point, Rhode Island

Worthington Whittredge traveled to Newport, Rhode Island, in the fall of 1877. He was inspired by the French painter Charles-François Daubigny. One of the forerunners of impressionism, Daubigny emphasized the effects of light and color on the landscape (Janson, Worthington Whittredge, 1989). In this painting, Whittredge used bright, clean colors and expressive brushstrokes to evoke the fresh atmosphere of a coastal scene. The curved road in the foreground invites us to follow the couple, who are walking through the fields to the deserted beach.