The Promenade

In this painting Beal depicts upper-class men, women, and children leisurely enjoying the promenade in Provincetown, Massachusetts. A sailboat, visible beyond the fence, enjoys a breezy day on the sea. The large-scale figures, spread across the canvas like a frieze, dominate the painting as they occupy a shallow foreground plane. Beal’s loose brushwork easily conveys the impression of a rapidly painted scene and the sensation of vibrating light and sea breezes. The painting’s sparkling color captures the very best of Beal’s impressionist interpretations, what Phillips described as his “pleasure in transitory effects of vibrating light and movement.” The Promenade was among Phillips favorite paintings and he displayed it often in the museum’s galleries before World War II.