Lane, Fitz Hugh (1804-1865), was an outstanding American marine landscape painter . Lane confined his subjects primarily to the bays of Boston and Gloucester, Massachusetts, and their surroundings, and the coast of Maine. He tried to achieve balance and clarity in his art, reflecting his belief in the order and harmony of nature. Lane’s emphasis on clear light and detailed and cleanly arranged compositions is often called Luminism.
Lane’s landscapes capture the poetic effects of atmosphere on a scene, often with a large area devoted to the sky. Lane was fascinated by the stillness of nature, which inspired him to create scenes of dawn and dusk. A typical Lane landscape is Off Mount Desert Island (1856), which portrays a low horizon with shimmering effects of light on the water and sky. A carefully detailed shoreline establishes a tranquil, quiet mood. In Owl’s Head, Penobscot Bay, Maine (1862), the artist recorded the effects of light and space on a clear, calm day on the Maine seacoast.
Nathaniel Rogers Lane was born on Dec. 19, 1804, in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He changed his name to Fitz Henry for unknown reasons. During the early 1900’s, Lane’s middle name began to appear erroneously as “Hugh,” and he became remembered as Fitz Hugh Lane. Lane spent most of his life in Gloucester, partly because of restrictions from a crippling childhood disease that forced him to walk on crutches. Lane received his first formal art training as a lithographer in Boston during the early 1830’s. In 1844, he established his own lithography business and also painted many works that were exhibited in Boston and New York City. In addition to his oil paintings, Lane was known for his drawings and lithographs. He died on Aug. 13, 1865.
