Student Artwork Guide

Name Class Date

Frank Weston Benson, Sunlight. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist: Frank Weston Benson topimpressionists.com/en/artists/frank-weston-benson/
Artist’s dates: 1862 – 1951
Movement: Impressionism Painters working fast and outdoors to catch how light actually looked at one moment, rather than finishing smoothly in a studio.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Frank Weston Benson died in 1951; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2021.

Sunlight — Frank Weston Benson

When might this have been painted?

main years
late works

1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950

07
817
1827
2837
3847
4857
5867
6877
7887
8889

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 89 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Frank Weston Benson (1862–1951) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1894 Main working years: 1894–1917 Late works: from 1917

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Young Girl by a Window, 1911 topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-young-girl-by-a-window-D693SG-en/
Two Boys topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-two-boys-8DP6A6-en/
Summer topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-summer-8DP69D-en/

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

Main colour

Sap Green #7e7838

Catalogued palette

#7E7838
#33331D
#D8D3BC
#AEAA7F

These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

Main colour name: Sap Green
Intensity: Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
Contrast: Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
Harmony: Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
Brightness: Balanced How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
Saturation: Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

Where in the world is this painting looked at?

under 1%
1–3%
3–8%
8–20%
20% and over

This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Frank Weston Benson over the last twelve months — 4 countries in all. Where these figures come from

The ten leading countries

1 China 80.6%
2 United States of America 11.3%
3 Singapore 6.5%
4 Germany 1.6%

Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

The 20 most looked-at works by Frank Weston Benson

1 Two Boys 18.6%
2 Summer 11.9%
3 Young Girl by a Window, 1911 5.1%
4 The Open Window, 1917 2.5%
5 Boating at Vinalhaven 2.5%
6 Sketch for a Mural, 1900 1.7%
7 Rainy Day, 1906 1.7%
8 Gertrude, 1899 1.7%
9 Self portrait, 1898 1.7%
10 Children in Woods 1.7%
11 Girls in the Garden 1.7%
12 Moonlight (also known as Moonlight on the Waters), 1901 1.7%
13 Miss Westinghouse (also known as Young Girl in White Dress), 1899 1.7%
14 Margaret Washburn Walker, 1886 1.7%
15 Water lilies, 1919 1.7%
16 The landing, 1915 1.7%
17 Alice Bacon (Mrs. W. Sturgis H. Lothrop) 1.7%
18 At Sundown 1.7%
19 Canada River 1.7%
33 Sunlight this painting 0.8%

Together these works take 65.2% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 176 works by this artist, of which 59 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 33 of them, with 0.8% of that attention. The same counts, month by month

Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

Sunlight — Frank Weston Benson

Sunlight, an oil painting by Frank Weston Benson, is a quintessential representation of American Impressionism. Created in 1909, this artwork captures the essence of a sunny day, skillfully depicting the sunlight on the girl's clothing, the grass, and the sea, creating a bright and cheerful atmosphere.

About Frank Weston Benson

Frank Weston Benson was an American painter, printmaker, and teacher. He was a founding member of The Ten, a group of American artists who sought to promote traditional American painting. Benson's works are known for their impressionistic style and focus on outdoor scenes and leisure activities.

Impressionism at AllPaintingsStore

At AllPaintingsStore, we offer a wide selection of Impressionist paintings, including works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro. Our collection includes both original oil paintings and high-quality prints on canvas.

Significance of Sunlight

Sunlight is a portrait of Benson's daughter, Eleanor, standing on a hill, looking out towards the Atlantic Ocean off Penobscot Bay in Maine. The painting showcases Benson's ability to capture light and its effects on his subjects. The woman shielding her eyes from the sun suggests that the sunlight is the actual subject of the painting.

Historical Context

Frank W. Benson started working with the Impressionist style at the turn of the 20th century and began exclusively using this style by 1909. He was one of the forerunners of American Impressionism, especially within The Ten American Painters. Benson was known for painting the idealized world, especially that of the leisure of New England.

Acquisition

Painted in 1909, Sunlight was included in the Sixth Annual Exhibition of Works by American Artists and later purchased from the artist by the John Herron Art Institute, now the Indianapolis Museum of Art, in 1911.

View Sunlight by Frank Weston Benson

Explore our Impressionist collection

Experience the beauty and charm of Impressionist art with AllPaintingsStore's selection of paintings. Whether you're looking for a classic work by a master artist or a new addition to your collection, we have something for everyone.

Artist

Frank Weston Benson

Born in Salem, United States of America

early life and education

frank weston benson, an american artist from salem, massachusetts, was born on march 24, 1862. his early life was marked by a deep appreciation for the sea, inherited from his grandfather, captain samuel benson. this fondness for the ocean would later influence his artistic style.

career and influences

benson's artistic career began with studying at the school of the museum of fine arts in boston under otto grundmann in 1880. he then moved to paris in 1883 to study at the académie julien, where he was influenced by jules-joseph lefebvre, william turner dannat, and gustave boulanger. benson's work was also deeply influenced by johannes vermeer and diego velázquez, masters of the seventeenth-century.

artistic style and notable works

benson's style is characterized by his realistic portraits, american impressionist paintings, watercolors, and etchings. some of his most notable works include:

summer, a depiction of his daughters outdoors at benson's summer home, wooster farm, on the island of north haven, maine.

eleanor, a portrait showcasing his daughter, now housed in the museum of fine arts, boston.

after the storm, an early work that marked his transition to impressionism.

teaching and affiliations

benson enjoyed a distinguished career as an instructor and department head at the school of the museum of fine arts, boston. he was also a founding member of the ten american painters, american academy of arts and letters, and the guild of boston artists.

legacy and availability of work

today, benson's work can be found in various museums and private collections. to explore more of his artwork, visit frank weston benson's page on AllPaintingsStore, where you can also find other artists like edwin augustus harleston and julian alden weir. for a deeper understanding of his influences, read about johannes vermeer and diego velázquez on wikipedia.

view frank weston benson's artwork on AllPaintingsStore: summer

explore american impressionism and its influences on wikipedia: american impressionism

discover more about benson's life and work on AllPaintingsStore: frank weston benson

important: this biography is based on the information available up to 2022 and may not reflect updates or new discoveries.

Where to read more

The artist Frank Weston Benson topimpressionists.com/en/artists/frank-weston-benson/
Similar works More works to compare topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/

Find this online

QR code linking to the download page for Sunlight

topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/

Cite this artwork

MLA: Benson, Frank Weston. Sunlight. n.d., https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/
APA: Benson, Frank Weston (n.d.). Sunlight [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/
Chicago: Frank Weston Benson. Sunlight. n.d. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/
Harvard: Benson, Frank Weston (n.d.) Sunlight. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/frank-weston-benson-sunlight-8DP69E-en/

Sunlight — Frank Weston Benson

Look closely

Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

What catches your eye first, and why?
Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
Our catalogue files this work under: girls, lights. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
Look back at Young Girl by a Window (1911), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
Impressionism: Painters working fast and outdoors to catch how light actually looked at one moment, rather than finishing smoothly in a studio. Where can you see that in this work?

Your response

Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

Questions & Answers

How do I download the image of "Sunlight" by Frank Weston Benson?

"Sunlight" by Frank Weston Benson can be downloaded from the artwork's Download page, as a high-resolution digital image download.

Does "Sunlight" show strong light-dark contrasts?

The light-dark contrast of "Sunlight" is recorded as statement. Contrast describes how strongly light and dark areas differ.

Is "Sunlight" by Frank Weston Benson in the public domain, and why?

The copyright status of "Sunlight" - in the public domain - its copyright has expired - follows from the artist's death in 1951.