ABOUT THE WORK

In Penobscot Morning, 2000, Alex Katz captures the quiet beauty of Maine’s coastal landscape with his signature focus on light and atmosphere. Inspired by the Penobscot Bay region, the work emphasizes clarity and simplicity, drawing the viewer into a serene, early-morning scene.

Katz first encountered the distinctive northeastern summer light as a teenager at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. This formative experience sparked a lifelong connection to the region. For over sixty years, the artist has owned a summer home in Lincolnville, where he immerses himself in the coastal landscape. Penobscot Morning is part of a series Katz began in the late 1990s, inspired by the shoreline near his residence.

Portraiture has always been central to Katz’s work: it emphasizes the intricate dynamics between artist, subject, and viewer. Penobscot Morning functions as both a landscape and a group portrait, weaving together a tapestry of relationships. Each life-size figure is absorbed in their own world, either connecting with a partner, a pet, or the natural surroundings. Among them is Ada, Katz’s wife and longtime muse, who has been the subject of over two hundred portraits. In this painting, Ada gazes directly at the viewer, while the other figures bask in Katz’s scene.

The painting’s scale immerses us into a radiant, yellow-drenched composition that captures the intricate choreography of relationships between people, their environment, and the viewer. A dynamic arrangement of mid-gesture figures showcases the artist’s sensitivity to movement and interaction. The vibrant yellow sky and its shimmering reflection in the water, intersected by the distant, gray coastal horizon, enhance the sense of calm, balancing the motion of the life-size figures in the foreground.

As one of the largest single-canvas works in Katz’s entire catalogue, Penobscot Morning is a testament to his artistry and a singular achievement within his oeuvre. This monumental painting not only exemplifies Katz’s mastery of scale but also serves as a vivid celebration of his connection to Maine and his enduring muse, Ada. Through the artist’s eyes, we experience the beauty of the summer light and the intricate dynamics of relationships that define his work. Penobscot Morning demonstrates the artist’s skill in capturing the interplay of light, landscape, and human connection with clarity and precision on a human scale.