A Golden Age

Rolland Golden’s Port of New Orleans captures a moment when the Mississippi River waterfront was alive with working ships and global commerce. Begun in 1959 and completed decades later in 2010, the painting bridges two eras in Golden’s long career. With masterful draftsmanship and rich textural brushwork, he portrays a Lykes Brothers cargo ship dominating the riverfront—an image that evokes the sounds, scale, and energy of New Orleans during the height of its working port.