William Meyerowitz
Gloucester Beach, 1920
Fishermen at the Wharf
A leading modernist and artistic innovator of his time, William Meyerowitz applied his vast creativity to the mediums of print, etching, watercolor, and oil painting. Meyerowitz and his wife, Theresa Bernstein, split their time between Manhattan and Gloucester, and his Gloucester scenes are the most sought-after by collectors.
Cripple Cove
William Meyerowitz exhibited his early street and harbor etchings at the Gallery-on-the-Moors (1916-1922), Ledge Road, East Gloucester, alongside Bernstein, Beaux, Peterson, Duveneck, Lever, Mulhaupt, Hassam, Pendergrast, Lie, Sloan and Davis. Known for capturing the spontaneity of these scenes, favored subjects were the
colorful encounters along the cow path up Mount Vernon Street.
Gloucester Waterfront, 1923
A pioneer in color etching, Ukrainian born Meyerowitz’s early etchings display an atmospheric mood, often equated with the work of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. His expressionism and musical training contributed to this lyrical style, placing Meyerowitz’s etchings and paintings, in today’s art world, as sensitive and poignant depictions of American life. In his own words, “…the artist improvises with paint on canvas much the same as the pianist finds expression.
Harbor Scene with Sailboats
A “gentle modernist,” Meyerowitz’s immersion in classical music – supporting himself by singing in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera while a student at the National Academy of Design – contributed to his interest in expressionism. Transmitting his feelings without concern for the representation of actual forms – at times a fracturing of forms in a cubist manner – creates poignant depictions of Cape Ann life and livelihoods.