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Ernest Lawson
Ernest Lawson Oil on Board Painting Titled "Zoo in Central Park"

1910-1920

About the Item

In many ways Ernest Lawson bridges the work of the American Impressionists and the Realists of Robert Henri’s circle. Although he is often thought of as a painter of pure landscapes, who’s primary interests were light and atmospheric effects, after settling in Washington Heights on the northern end of Manhattan in 1898, Lawson painted many images of his surrounding neighborhood and other scenes of New York. As with his more rural pictures, the urban works were often views into the distance, albeit capturing the scenery of the developing city. Examining the city surely aligned him with the interests of the Ashcan school artists, though Lawson’s high vantage point kept his scenes hovering somewhere above the city, rather than at the street-level as painted by Glackens, Sloan, and Hopper, for example. Central Park, including its zoo (founded in 1864, its permanent quarters behind the Arsenal opened in 1875), was a perfect motif for exploration by these artists. However, devoid of human presence, Lawson’s Zoo in Central Park is differentiated once again from the typical Ashcan approach. Focused instead on a tangle of trees, flock of chickens, grassy expanse, and flickering sunlight, the painting reveals Lawson’s more pastoral interests. Stylistically, Zoo in Central Park is notable for its thick impasto and broad use of the palette knife in addition to brushwork. While his earlier work was brushy, as Lawson’s style developed his paint application became more vigorous and energetic. Here he sets down layers of color, blending to build up solid forms. In addition, visible outlines assist in keeping the intensely worked surface under control. Masterfully in command of his technique, a simple dab of white (or brown) topped by a hint of red are enough to suggest the grazing fowl. A flip of his brush provided the perfect tool to create the wire fencing – he simply dragged the back through the built-up paint layer to add three-dimensionality and texture to the composition. Provenance Private collection, California
  • Creator:
    Ernest Lawson (1873-1939, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1910-1920
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
  • Medium:
    Oil
  • Period:
    Early 20th Century
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2157211687212
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