April 2 through September 12, 2021

A retrospective of over sixty woodcuts, drawings, and paintings

Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire –
     On display at Portsmouth Historical Society's galleries through Sept. 12, "Don Gorvett: Working Waterfronts" will present over sixty works by the seacoast printmaker.
     "Everybody loves Impressionist art, and those of us in the Portsmouth area are especially fond of Gorvett's atmospheric woodcuts," said Historical Society director Brian LeMay. "These exhibitions are significant for what they tell us about the changing history of art and the culture of the Seacoast area, but the real reason people will love these shows is that the art in them is just heartbreakingly beautiful and powerful, but in very different ways."
     Gorvett was attracted by the sights and sounds of the New England waterfronts, painting seascapes and harbor towns throughout his career. Although he too captures a sense of the serene and picturesque, Gorvett often celebrated the working harbors and maritime architecture. Rather than following a tradition, he was highly influenced by the multitude of advances made in the visual art field during the twentieth century. Gorvett is today renowned for his distinctive work with the reduction woodcut technique, whereby the artist personally prints multiple, superimposed impressions from the same block, each of which is subtly different from preceding layers, produced as parts of the block are gradually cut away. The results are final works of remarkable complexity and beauty.
     The exhibit is on view from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day until Sept. 12. The Society's galleries are located adjacent to the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center and Museum Shop at 10 Middle Street in downtown Portsmouth. Admission is $7.50 for adults, free for children under 18, seniors 70 and older, Society members, and active and retired military. Admission is free for everybody on the first Friday of every month. For more information on the latest events and virtual lectures are all available at: www.portsmouthhistory.org or by calling 603-436-8433.