This painting by Dennis Bunker(1861-1890) was on exhibit in the American Wing last week when I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While Bunker did paint watercolors at least early on, I believe this painting is in oil. It is titled The Pool, Medfield 1889.
While Bunker was born in New York City, he spent much time in the Boston area and New Hampshire. He was a major American painter of the late 1800's and was friends with the prominent artists of his era. These artists included John Singer Sargent, Augustus St. Gaudens and William Merritt Chase amongst others.
He was characterized as an American Impressionist with loose brushwork and vivid colors. Unfortunately, he died from meningitis at the age of 29.
When I first saw this hanging in the museum I could imagine it as a watercolor. I can feel the moisture on the paper and in the landscape. This painting has a lot of the blues and greens we experience during the growing season. The flowing water draws you into the painting just as a path across the landscape leads your eye. One of the things I like most about this composition is the sliver of sky across the top with two thirds of the canvas consisting of the landscape.
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