Sunset at San Pedro
Artist
John Bohnenberger
(1926 - 2012)
Date1960s
MediumWatercolor
Dimensions22 1/2 x 30 in. (57.2 x 76.2 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of the Hilbert Collection
Object number2018.068
DescriptionToday the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro Bay is one of the major ports of the world and is the #1 container port in the nation. Although the bay is very well situated in proximity to Los Angeles, prior to 1871 it was a shallow swamp that could not support a pier for ships to dock at. Phineas Banning is credited with helping greatly to resolve that problem, by dredging the bay in 1871 so that ships could enter the port and dock at piers that were built. Eventually the City of Los Angeles annexed the area and by 1907 the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners was founded.
Artist John Bohnenberger traveled from his home in Pasadena to the San Pedro Bay on many painting excursions between the 1950s and 1980s. He painted scenes of many different parts of the port and at nearly every time from dawn to dusk. This work captures the drama of a late evening sunset colors that can often be viewed along the Southern California coast.
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