Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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150 Of course, the sea is a recurrent theme among Cape Ann painters. One colorful self-taught Rockporter who captured frothy seascapes was Parker S. Perkins. Beloved among locals, he cut a familiar and dra- matic fiJXre maNinJ Kis Zay aroXnG toZn, a ȵoZer stXcN in Kis OapeO. One critic wrote that he "lacked, perhaps, the dramatic compassion of Winslow Homer," but that "he understood better than a sailor the ways oI tKe ZaYes, tKeir EeaXty, anG tKeir infinite malice." Few galleries hung Perkins's work, but many paintings landed in Rockport homes. Marguerite S. Pearson is another artist whose life and work are interwoven with the association. A world-famous genre, portrait, and still life painter, Pearson, despite a debili- tating handicap—the result of polio at age 16— studied drawing and painting at the Museum 6cKooO Irom tKe confines oI a ZKeeOcKair. $ series of her paintings, in the tradition of the Boston School, depicts idealized women in contemplative moods dressed in old costumes and posed reading, sewing, or playing musical instruments—their dreamy elegance a nod to past times. Pearson lived in Rockport for 36 years until her death in 1978. She be- queathed her home and most of the paintings from her estate to the asso- ciation. Executive director Carol Linsky says, "We've been very fortunate throughout our lifetime that a lot of our artists and supporting members have thought enough of the organization to give substantial gifts. Mar- guerite Pearson is probably the main reason that we're still here." Eight years ago, the association changed its artists' admission policy, which required residency in Rockport for a minimum of one month. "It really excluded a lot of good artists," Linsky says. Now, artists are welcome from all New England states. A membership jury invites contemporary artists to be members based on the submission oI fiYe ZorNs not Gone in cOass or under supervision. Historically, though the asso- ciation discouraged experimental painting, there have been non- traditionalists among its members. "Everybody intermingled and learned from one another," says newly appointed curator Judith Curtis. "They painted together and at night socialized and talked about art. Camaraderie was at the basis of the association." It's no won- der that when artists put brush to canvas, their renderings express similarities to those of their jury- sitting peers. Standards have eased in re- cent years to accommodate more diverse styles. "On Cape Ann there were a lot of plein air artists, and they painted what they were seeing," Curtis says. "There was not a lot of room for experimentation. Other groups tried to offer something other than the traditional ap- proach, but they found there wasn't enough support for it. The art- ists didn't object to a juried system, because that helped keep up the quality of the work. If you're being juried by a group of your peers, then you'll put your best work in." Linsky adds, "What we're look- ing for is not a style of painting but a quality of painting." CONTACT Rockport Art Association 12 Main St. Rockport 978-546-6604 rockportartassn.org Carol Linsky (top) and Judith Curtis (bottom) Opposite, top, the Maddocks Gallery; Bottom, clockwise, Chunky Boats 20" x 24" oil on canvas by Zygmund Jankowski; Right, The Old Salt Barque 36" x 30" oil on canvas by Anthony Thieme; Boats & Hills 24" x 28" oil on canvas by Zygmund Jankowski