Though one of the lesser known of the Pennsylvania Impressionists, George William Sotter is well admired for his night scenes, particularly those set in winter against a glowing star-studded sky. Sotter studied briefly with Edward Redfield, one of the more important members of the New Hope impressionist school, and while his early snow scenes certainly bear a strong resemblance to his teacher’s work, Sotter’s mature style exhibits his obsession with capturing the enigmatic light of the evening sky. These night paintings are often characterized by a particular blue-black color, which creates a unique quality of darkness, that somehow still remains quite luminous.

In this work of Gloucester harbor, Sotter depicts the moody atmosphere of evening just as the sun has gone down and twilight begins to settle over the peaceful scene. Sotter captures the mysterious quality of dusk by using a very muted palette with a subtle array of tones from pale pinks, to deep purples. Yet this delicate gradation of subdued color is flecked with dabs of shimmering greens and yellows as the lights of the distant city glimmer on the opposite shore and cast their reflections into the still water. Though Sotter rarely chose to include the figure in his landscapes and indeed this harbor scene appears quite deserted, paintings such as this one nonetheless imply a human presence through the far-off lights, which suggest that the inhabitants of this quiet town have not yet turned in for the night.

In these night paintings, Sotter has chosen to capture, not the sinister or potentially threatening nature of darkness, but rather, the hushed silence and perfect serenity of the evening. 1 Yet in this “close and holy darkness”, there is a sense of mystery, even perhaps a marveling at the divine beauty of the natural world, which pervades Sotter’s work and gives a greater intensity to these quiet canvases.

1 Peterson, ed., Pennsylvania Impressionism, p. 47.