Quietly but persistently, Bob Anderson (1934–2016) created an astounding body of work, mainly oil paintings on canvas and paper, in his Pigeon Cove home studio over a period of forty-six years.

An exuberant, restless inventor, he was a deeply observant and technically gifted artist.

Anderson’s roots were in the 1950s, a time of fertile experimentation in the arts. After attending the Art Institute of Chicago and winning the coveted Logan Art Institute Prize in 1957, he continued to paint and exhibit in the lively Chicago art scene until 1964, when he and his wife moved to New York City. In 1969 they came to Cape Ann to live.

Anderson was influenced by the German Expressionists as well as by contemporaries such as...