Gordon, Benjamin (1878-1940)
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Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Benjamin Gordon:
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A mass of rocks at upper left is mirror by rising ground at lower right in this impressionist composition. Earth tones predominate, even in the water's surface, except for a delicately colored sky and treetops--at sunrise or sunset?
In the foreground, trees bent through years of snow; behind them an alpine lake and glaciered mountain under cerulean skies. Much of this painting is based upon a pair of complementary colors, played out in different juxtapositions. In subject matter (the mountains) and its color palette it resembles other works of this period, all of them perhaps owing a debt to Maxfield Parrish.
The title of this painting isn't clear; it's inscribed as "Gray Day" on the frame, but listed as "The Two Birches" in its NDG and General Services Administration records--which is followed here for the sake of institutional continuity. The canvas itself shows Gordon's talents as an evocative colorist, using cool tones of gray, rose, mauve and green. As in his other NDG works, tree trunks are one of the few elements that are sharply delineated. A light source at top center suggests that it may owe something to the moonlit landscapes of Ralph Albert Blakelock.
Judging from the brushstrokes, we appear to be located at a river's bend, our view of the sky obstructed by trees but inferable by a play of light in the water. With the exception of two sharply defined tree trunks, most of Gordon's painting emphasizes autumnal color over form; a few dabs at lower right become a principle drama.