Northshore Magazine

Northshore October 2015

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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130 | OCTOBER 2015 nshoremag.com in-depth LIVE of European and American artists, caused Sloan to rethink his art. In- ternalizing what others such as Van Gogh and Cézanne were painting, Sloan shifted his emphasis, down- playing the narrative in favor of de- sign and color. Gloucester became a favorable mooring from which to launch his work in new directions. A centerpiece of his stay in Gloucester was a red cottage he rented each summer. When his wife, Dolly, and their friends would join him, the place became a lively hub for parties, games, and clam- bakes. The dwelling on East Main Street near what is now the Rocky Neck Artist Colony was a fond subject for Sloan. Our Red Cottage (1916) and Our Red Cottage, Lilacs (1917) make clear his affection for the place. Sloan could walk to the nearby Back Shore and find sea- swept vistas to paint, or hike to the "moors" of bleak Dogtown. (Once home to a hundred or so families, Dogtown Common dwindled to a handful of residents by 1830, and those, mostly women, kept prowling watchdogs—hence the name.) Decades later, this place of lore and legend held allure for artists, particularly Sloan. He painted there often. The Cape Ann Museum exhibit showcases three paint- ings of the abandoned settlement, Cape Ann Museum curator Martha Oaks organized John Sloan Gloucester Days, an exhibit of more than 30 works Sloan painted while on Cape Ann from 1914 to 1918. photograph by Scott Goodwin

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