Boston Harbor, Sunset

Boston harbor is portrayed with the city in the background in this painting. Rays of the setting sun intensify the entire scene, while the mid-ground reveals Fitz Henry Lane’s sharp hand in accurately depicting the riggings on each of the ships’ masts and sails. Lane was one of the most noted American painters of luminism, a style of painting that gained popularity after the mid-19th century and was characterized by attention to detail and diffused light. [source]