Jane Peterson Art

Jane Peterson 1876–1965 American Gondolas, Venetian Canal Signed “Jane Peterson” (lower right) Oil on canvas This remarkable painting, Gondolas, Venetian Canal, by the esteemed A...

Pastel pink, blue, and purple toned Venice Canal abstract impressionist landscape by American artist Jane Peterson. This painting depicts what seems to be an early morning scene feat...

Jane Peterson (1876-1965) Lilies Oil on canvas, 1952-1953 Signed by the artist lower right: JANE PETERSON (see photo) Painting size: 29 x 23 inches Frame size: 38 x 32-1/2 x 1-1/2 inches Exhibited: The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: One Hundred and Forty Eighth Exhibition of American Painting and Sculptures, January 25-March 1, 1953 (Photo of original label). Original tacks on stretcher where label was afixed. Label stolen while on exhibition. Exhibited: Childs Gallery, Boston, 2019- 2023 Jane Peterson was an artist who achieved significant critical attention and adulation over the course of her career. Following her first American solo exhibition in 1909, a critic observed, “There is not a dull canvas in the entire collection and everything is interesting”.1 Thirty-five years later, Historical Records published her biography in the almanac Prominent Women of New York.2 Regardless of her success, Peterson remained pragmatic as she always sought to challenge herself with new ideas and techniques. She spent a lifetime immersed in the practice of painting; as a student, teacher, and gifted artist. Peterson was a painter with little interest in self-promotion or the conventional achievements of an artist, as a result there has only been a moderate body of scholarship written about her posthumously. Peterson’s legacy is her brilliant oeuvre of impressionistic paintings, held by collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. "Jennie Christine Peterson was born in Elgin, Illinois in 1876. From an early age Peterson, who was known throughout her life as Jane, showed a natural talent for drawing. As a teenager, having received no formal art training, Peterson sat the art aptitude test conducted by the Pratt Institute. The results were promising and, in 1895, Peterson moved to New York to study at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Peterson thrived at Pratt as a conscientious student, although it was not an easy time for her financially. When her money ran low Peterson gave art lessons to other students, and also earned some income through the sale of her paintings in student exhibitions. When Peterson graduated in 1901, she began working as Drawing Supervisor of Public Schools in Brooklyn. She also continued her art education taking classes at the Art Students League. Between 1904 and 1906 Peterson worked as an art teacher in New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland. In 1907, Peterson sailed to Europe where she visited artists and museums in France, Holland, and Italy. She found Europe to be more socially progressive for women artists and decided to stay and continue her art education. While in Europe, Peterson studied under Frank Brangwyn at the London School of Art, before relocating to Paris where she received instruction from Jacque-Emile Blanche, Charles Cottet, and Claudio Castelucho. Throughout 1908, Peterson was extremely productive, creating many works in her spare time while also taking on portrait commissions to augment her income. She lived in rooms in Montparnasse located around the corner from Gertrude Stein’s salon, where on Saturday evening artists and art enthusiasts would gather to view and discuss Stein’s seminal collection of Modern art. Attending these events Peterson surrounded herself with powerful art luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, André Derain, and Henri Rousseau. Peterson’s style from this period is neither entirely academic nor avant garde. Rather she blends the technical skills of her academic training with the loose brushwork and bold color palette of her contemporaries to produce paintings that are beautiful impressions of life. Peterson’s early oil paintings from Europe...

Singed (at lower left): Jane Peterson