Landscape Painting by Attr. William S BARRETT: Harbor Scene At Dusk, Framed

Somebody is still burning coal, and the sky is paying for it.

This landscape painting, Harbor Scene at Dusk, comes from the United States and dates to the early 20th century. It is oil on canvas, attributed to William S. Barrett. American painters of the period were drawn to harbors at day's end, when working waterfronts softened into mood and silhouette. A dark shoreline mass sends up a thin plume of smoke beneath a yellow and orange sky. Faint masts rise to the left, and the water repeats the light. The paint shows fine cracking across the surface. Nine inches wide and seven high.

The light is about to go. It has been about to go for some time.