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Closen and du Bourg at Chapel Point
On the evening of September 14, 1781, Closen and du Bourg traveled downstream from the town of Port Tobacco to view the confluence of the Port Tobacco and Potomac Rivers from the hill where St Thomas Manor and St Ignatius Chapel are located. Closen records: “Since the inn where we were stopping seemed to be very good, we decided not to go further, in order to give our horses more rest. In the evening we had time to climb up to the church which built on a dominating height, from which we had a beautiful view.” I’ve tried to capture how that view could have looked in this painting. There are always moments in the run up to a climatic battle when something beautiful in the natural world seems to stand out against ominous coming events. Here was one. Within weeks, British forces at Yorktown would surrender, and the United States would be on the threshold of independence, but years of war, especially between the French and British forces lay ahead. The dark layers of cloud remain above, but the view into the western sky is indeed as Closen writes, “beautiful.”
Oil on canvas 24x48 inches