Misty Morning, New York Harbor

Francis Augustus Silva’s tranquil paintings are among the most successful forays in the Luminist idiom, characterized by an emphasis on openness, clarity and a sense of preternatural calm. Silva's talent in transposing the light of the changing times of day is evident in Misty Morning, New York Harbor in the gradation of the warm crepuscular palette, suggestive of the rising sun. The artist's refined use of color, deliberately applied nuances of tinted light and crystalline surfaces of calm waters in this stunning work define Silva's unique and celebrated pictorial vision.

An untrained artist, Silva set up his studio in New York in 1867 following a brief tour in the military during the Civil War. Possessed by a certain wanderlust that led him to travel extensively, Silva traversed the coast in search of subject matter. The Hudson River and New York Harbor became significant subjects for the artist, where the collision of nature and industry provided ample subject matter, as evidenced by the present example.

Gliding along the horizon at left is a skillfully portrayed steamship, a significant advancement of the early 19th century pioneered by John Stevens, whose steam propellers were the first to navigate the waters of any country, operating on the Hudson River in the early 19th century. Central to the composition, however, rests an elegant sailboat, perhaps serving as reminder of the unhurried world pre-industrialization. Indeed, though remarkable in detailing every mast and anatomical feature of sail and steam, Silva’s magnificent works such as Misty Morning, New York Harbor seek to emphasize the beauty of nature and atmospheric light above all else.