Oil

From "Robert Fort: Rediscovering a Michigan Artist" at the OSH 2020 Robert Harry Fort 1875 – 1954 Untitled (Winter Night, Saugatuck) c. 1947 | oil on canvas In this work, Fort displays his skill in using color to manipulate mood. It is a snowy night. We are peeking into the back yards of Griffith Street, looking south. The bridge on the Blue Star Highway to Douglas can just be made out in the background. It is bleak. Blue and purple are used to create a feeling of darkness and cold. The only warm color in the painting is the yellow from the windows. In the background, Fort presents a light source, drawing the eye deeper into the work. Note that the three sources of light form a triangle, the “bones” of the composition. Mr. Fort may have painted this work from the Newnham House where he lived. The roof in the left foreground is probably his studio, located behind the Newnham. We peer into the side and backyard of the Herbert home, lost to fire. Much of this area is now part of the campus of the Saugatuck Center for the Arts. Collection: Saugatuck-Douglas History Center 2019.83.03 Gift of Kenneth M. Kutzel and William M. McGlone