Wilson Henry Irvine

Spring Thaw

Wilson Henry Irvine. From 1914 to 1917, the artist spent his summers painting at Old Lyme, Connecticut, where he became affiliated with the art colony there, and in 1918, he purchased a home on Sterling City Road in neighboring Hamburg. In 1926, he was elected an associate of the National Academy of Design. In 1914, when he was 45, Irvine moved his family from Chicago to Old Lyme, Connecticut, and became part of the famed Florence Griswold circle, now recognized as the "American Barbizon," at the hub of American Impressionism. Irvine is best known for his mastery of light and texture — a 1998 exhibit of his work was called Wilson Henry Irvine and the Poetry of Light. To capture subtle effects of light, Irvine often painted en plein air, wearing his trademark cap, knickers, and goatee, with his easel and his paints set up in the field. He was noted for his renderings of hazy summer days, as exemplified by this painting.