Fridolf Johnson described Kent in his biography of the artist as a “painter, muralist, illustrator, printmaker, book designer, graphic artist, architect and builder, writer and editor, speaker and lecturer, navigator and restless traveler, political and social activist — he was all these things and much more.”
Having trained with William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri and Abbott H. Thayer, Kent developed an instantly recognizable signature artistic style. His work was marked by stark composition, strong gesture and movement of line, characteristic play between light and dark, and capturing the most dramatic element of the narrative.