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To visually document a disappearing way of life, one of Maine and America’s most famous painters, Andrew Winter (1892-1958), painted a number of lighthouses while they were still family stations.
Winter’s love affair with the sea began in 1913, when he worked as a sailor on British and American schooners and steamships. In 1921, he enrolled in the National Academy of Design in New York where he won a scholarship that allowed him to train in Rome and Paris. He eventually studied at the Cape Cod School of Art and other institutions.
Many of his paintings were done in the Mediterranean, and later the U.S. Virgin Islands until 1920, when he visited Monhegan Island and fell in love with the rugged coast of Maine. Numerous visits followed, and by 1940, he and his artist wife, Mary Taylor (1897-1970), had settled on Monhegan Island. During this time, he painted many seascapes and numerous lighthouse scenes. Many have likened his paintings to the works of his contemporary, Edward Hopper.
Winter’s artwork was included in an exhibit at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and his paintings now hang in some of the most prestigious art museums in the world, as well as in private collections. His scrapbooks are now in the collection of the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Shown here is a small sampling of some of his lighthouse paintings.
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