"Beaver Dam Pond, Acadia National Park," Richard Estes

Richard Estes (United States, b. 1932), Beaver Dam Pond, Acadia National Park, 2009, oil on board, 12 3/8 x 29 7/8 inches. Anonymous gift, 2014.2

Fine me at Ferry Beach state park!

More than one million tourists visit Beaver Dam Pond at Acadia National Park annually, yet there is almost no hint of human presence in Richard Estes’ photo-derived painting of the picturesque Maine location. Estes has been painting from his own photographs since the 1960s, and has often chosen to paint busy, human-filled environments (frequently New York City) as though they were empty of people, still and silent, save for the artist and his camera. Although the painting appears to replicate the technology of photography, from a close distance Estes’ brushstrokes are visible, dissolving the impression of mechanical fidelity.