Charles River Esplanade

Maurice Prendergast's Charles River Esplanade (CR 1565) is an almost identical image in reverse of his Esplanade (TF 1999.109, CR 1565), which was identified by his brother Charles as one of his first monotypes. Both nocturnal scenes feature a solitary woman who raises her red umbrella to protect herself from the blowing wind as she stands in front of a railing with a single lamp post. Charles River Esplanade cannot be the counterproof of Esplanade, however, for the sizes of the prints do not correspond and forms within the two compositions do not precisely align. In both images, a diagonally placed railing separates the walkway from the water, whose turbulent surface glows with the reflections of shimmering lights. The fence and lamp post lend stability to the composition, while all else is movement, from flickering lights and windblown garments to the choppy water. Charles River Esplanade is distinguished not only by the artist's monogram drawn on the plate in the lower right corner but also by a border in the purplish-blue he used as a background color throughout the image. Prendergast often drew such borders on the plate to frame his monotype images.

The title and date long assigned to Charles River Esplanade are somewhat problematical, because the Charles River Embankment, popularly known as the Esplanade, was not completed until 1906, several years after Prendergast stopped making monotypes. Photographs of the Esplanade made around 1910 show fashionable ladies strolling in front of a railing that appears to be identical to those seen in the artist's "Esplanade" monotypes but placed on the opposite side of the walkway from the water. The discrepancy between the photographs and the monotypes may reflect artistic license or, if the date assigned to the monotype is correct, a setting along the Seine in Paris, rather than the Charles River in Boston. Alternately, the artist may have created an imaginary setting based on several locales.

Examples of Prendergast's reoccurring subject in the artist's monotypes of reflected light in night scenes are: Early Evening, Paris (TF 1992.81, CR 1570), Evening, South Boston Pier (TF 1992.82, CR 1684), and Lady with Umbrella (TF1992.92, CR 1686). These works also find resonance with the oil painting Lady on the Boulevard (TF 1992.64, CR 17), which is associated with his Paris years. For more information, see Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné (1990), to which the CR numbers for the monotypes noted above refer.

American Painting, Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, October 6–27, 1976.

American-English Drawings and Watercolors, Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, March 4–31, 1977.

The Monotypes of Maurice Prendergast: A Loan Exhibition, Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, April 4–28, 1979. [exh. cat.]

The Work of Charles and Maurice Prendergast, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 16–April 21, 1991.

Regard sur Maurice Brazil Prendergast (Maurice Brazil Prendergast at a Glance), Musée d'Art Américain, Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain, Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 1993.

American Treasures: Chase, Whistler and the Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.

A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).

Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 2004.

Langdale, Cecily. The Monotypes of Maurice Prendergast. (exh. cat., Davis & Long Company). New York: Davis & Long Company, 1979. Text pp. 11, 12; ill. no. 2, p. 36 (black & white).

Langdale, Cecily. Monotypes by Maurice Prendergast in the Terra Museum of American Art. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Museum of American Art, 1984. Text p. 48.

Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews and Gwendolyn Owens. Maurice Brazil Prendergast; Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné. Munich, Germany and Williamstown, Massachusetts: Prestel-Verlag and The President and Trustees of Williams College, 1990. No. 1565, p. 574; ill. no. 1565, p. 574 (black & white).