AFA Summer 2021

Summer 86 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Charles Sheeler (1883–1965), Pertaining to Yachts and Yachting, 1922. Oil on canvas, 20 × 24 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art; Bequest of Margaretta S. Hinchman (1955-96-9). Buttersworth highlights the fluid motions of three yachts through his use of large semicircles and overlapping arcs, evoking the excitement of a critical moment in a race when boats round a lightship and change tacks. The precisely set and billowing sails of the foreground schooner propel the dynamic scene, with every inch of the painted canvas conveying vibrancy and motion. A master technician, Buttersworth accurately captured fine details in his portraits as seen on the schooner at the center “Magic,” winner of the first America’s Cup in 1870. Heeling toward the viewer, the artist depicted the individual planks on the deck and deck structures, including the grating at the bow. The figures on all three boats are well defined and the sails are accurately rendered with highly detailed sail seams and reef points. In his modernist reimagining, Sheeler distills the essence of such realistic yacht racing scenes by stripping out the specificity while imparting the emotional impact. He accentuates motion to capture the vitality of several boats in a composition that pushes such imagery almost to the point of abstraction. James Edward Buttersworth (1817–1894, born in the United Kingdom), Yacht Racing off Sandy Hook, about 1877. Oil on canvas, 20 × 36 inches. Collection of Alan Granby and Janice Hyland.