(Salem, Massachusetts, 1862 - 1951, Salem, Massachusetts)
1915
Drypoint on paper
7 5/8 x 8 7/8 in. (19.3 x 22.6 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Bequest of Edwin C. Shaw
1955.48
Around 1913 Benson left behind the sparkling impressionist technique he used in early paintings and began producing drawings and prints of waterfowl in a limited range of grays and blacks. The subjects of these prints reflect his lifelong interest in bird-watching and hunting. The works’ open spaces and slightly abstract forms reveal Benson’s knowledge of Asian art; his sea-captain ancestors filled his boyhood home with Asian art objects they had collected abroad.