Sunset Gowanus Bay, NY by Henry Farrer

This is a dramatic etching by English-American artist Henry Farrer. It is titled Sunset Gowanus Bay, NY. It was published by the American Art Review in 1880. Gowanus Bay is in Brooklyn. Farrer produced much of his art in the harbors in the New York City area. He was a Tonalist and much of his work is dark and moody. He particularly liked sunset for its dramatic lighting. Here a large ship is docked and silhouetted by the setting sun. The light and shadows are dramatic, but also contain many subtle features. A close inspection of the wharf reveals and incredible amount of detail that speaks to how skilled an etcher he was. This is one of his most recognizable images and it is in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The piece is unframed and is in reasonable condition given its age. The sheet is 11.75 x 9.25 inches. The plate mark is 9.5 x 6.5 inches. There is no pencil signature, which is expected for this piece. It is signed and dated in the plate lower left H. Farrer 1880. There are some condition issues. There is some paper loss to the right corner and the upper margin well away from the image. There is a small area of loss in the image at the upper right. There is some mat burn that is away from the image, but also some very mild plate toning. The price reflects the condition.

Henry Farrer (1844 – 1903) Henry Farrer was born in London. He had no formal artistic training, although his brother studied with the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, so he may have had some informal instruction. He moved to America and opened a studio in New York City. He became a member of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art (which was co-founded by his brother), but fell away from there philosophy and aligned himself with the Tonalist school. He co-founded the American Watercolor Society and most of his painting was done in watercolor. Late in his career he was one of the artists that led the etching revival initiated by Whistler. He was a founding member of the New York Etching Club in 1877. His etchings were mostly in and around New York and he was especially fond of the harbor. His scenes frequently are cloudy or mist-shrouded and he was fond of sunset, all consistent with his Tonalist roots.