William Lester Stevens (American, 1888-1969), Rocky Cover

Watercolor on illustration board, signed "W. Lester Stevens N.A." at lower left, matted and framed.

Sight size 12 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.; Frame dimensions 20 3/4 x 25 1/2 in.

William Lester Stevens was an American Impressionist painter and educator celebrated for his landscapes of New England. Born in Rockport, Massachusetts, he studied with local marine painter Parker Perkins before attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where his teachers included Edmund Tarbell, Frank Benson, Philip Hale, and William Paxton. Stevens became known for his energetic brushwork and sensitive treatment of color, light, and atmosphere, particularly in his depictions of the coast, villages, and changing seasons of Massachusetts.

In 1921, Stevens helped found the Rockport Art Association with fellow artist Aldro Hibbard and others, contributing to the development of the important Cape Ann art colony. He later taught at Boston University and Princeton University and was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design in 1943. Stevens eventually settled in Conway, Massachusetts, where he continued to paint the rural New England landscape for the remainder of his career.

Toning and some fading to image; the mat board is affixed to the illustration board with an unknown adhesive; some marring and toning to mat board; no glass.