Joseph McGurl is one of today's most celebrated American realist painters. The Art Renewal Center has designated him as a living master, and it's not hard to see why. With their strikingly reflective water surfaces and blue skies streaked with warm oranges and yellow-reds, McGurl's figurative paintings and landscape paintings resemble photographs of serene places captured in the best possible natural light.
McGurl's first and most influential teacher was his father, James McGurl, who worked as a muralist. As a young man, Joseph attended the Massachusetts College of Art and earned a dual degree in painting and education. He then spent time studying at Fenway Studios and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, in addition to studying in Italy and England. A stint on a yacht also inspired a love for painting the natural world.
For its interplay of light and color, McGurl's distinctive, hyperreal style is often likened to the American luminists, a 19th-century movement linked to the Hudson River School. McGurl is a plein air painter — he works exclusively in the great outdoors as opposed to working from photographs within the confines of a studio. His atmospheric landscapes are mainly of areas in New England and the eastern United States.
McGurl is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America and the Guild of Boston Artists. His work is held in the Forbes Collection, the Mellon Collection, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, the New Britain Museum of American Art and the Cahoon Museum of American Art. He has also earned numerous awards, including the Art Renewal Center’s International Salon First Place in Landscape and the Guild of Boston Artists Gold Medallion. In 2020, Cavalier Galleries in New York City was home to an exhibition called "Joseph McGurl — Contemporary American Luminism: Journey through Time and Space."
On 1stDibs, find original Joseph McGurl paintings.
Landscape painting, scenic depiction 'Within Everglades-Sunset' by Joseph McGurl
By Joseph McGurl
Located in White Plains, NY
'Within Everglades-Sunset' by Joseph Mcgurl. c. 1990-2008 oil on linen. 18 x 24 in. / Frame: 26 x 32 in. Signed bottom right and on verso. Joseph McGurl (b. 1958) is extensively reg...
Linen, Oil
The Landscape Painter
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on linen by artist Joseph McGurl. Framed.
Linen, Oil
"View from Coatue, Lifting Fog, Afternoon Sun" Nantucket by Joseph McGurl
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Signed lower right American, b. 1958 Designated a living master by the Art Renewal Center and widely regarded as a leader of the American landscape school, Joseph McGurl is one of ...
Linen, Oil
The Florida Waterways, Fishing the Inlet
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
American, b. 1958 Designated a living master by the Art Renewal Center and widely regarded as a leader of the American landscape school, Joseph McGurl is one of the most important realist painters today. McGurl works almost exclusively with oil paint, capturing marine and landscape scenes in his native New England as well as other areas of the Eastern US. Along with his childhood as a muralist’s son, McGurl’s days as a sailor and his studies under Robert Cormier...
Linen, Oil
"Evening Light on the Western Landscape" painting by Joseph McGurl
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Canvas size: 24 x 30 in. Frame size: Frame: 33 x 39 in. Signed lower right Evening Light on the Western Landscape by contemporary American realist painter Joseph McGurl. A luminist ...
Canvas, Oil
"Far Away, " Oil Painting
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Denver, CO
Joseph McGurl's "Far Away" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a vast landscape of valleys and mountains in the distance under the orange and yellow glow of sunrise or...
Oil, Panel
"Into the Sun" oil painting by Joseph McGurl
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Joseph McGurl is celebrated as one of the premier contemporary American Luminist landscape painters and is officially designated a Living Master by the Art Renewal Center. He is wide...
Oil, Panel
"Prism, River and Sky, " Oil Painting
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Denver, CO
Joseph McGurl's "Prism, River and Sky" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a bright yellow and orange sunrise or sunset over the waters reflective surface, casting the...
Oil
$15,000
Joseph McGurl Landscape Oil Painting, Cathedral Ledge, North Conway NH 1989
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Milford, NH
A splendid New Hampshire landscape of Cathedral Ledge in North Conway, NH by contemporary American artist Joseph McGurl (b. 1959). McGurl was born in Needham, MA, raised in Quincy, M...
Oil, Board
The Cast Shadow
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on linen by artist Joseph McGurl. Framed.
Linen, Oil
The Sailing Canoe, Tetons
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on linen by artist Joseph McGurl. Framed.
Linen, Oil
Riders Through Time and Space
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on linen by artist Joseph McGurl. Framed.
Linen, Oil
Ranchlands After the Rain
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on linen by artist Joseph McGurl. Framed.
Linen, Oil
Alongshore, Nantucket
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Joseph McGurl is regarded as a leader of the current American landscape school. This has been confirmed by his inclusion in several important museum shows and his successful relation...
Oil, Panel
$217
H 5.91 in W 5.91 in D 0.99 in
Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to b...
Canvas, Oil
$889
H 5.91 in W 11.82 in D 0.99 in
Diptych of Pocket Yellowy Orange Clementine and Very Shiny Very Red Apple
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
Very Shiny Very Red Apple is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her series of realistic oil paintings of fruit with a nod to baroque still life painting. The pa...
Canvas, Oil
$873
H 5.91 in W 5.91 in D 1.19 in
Quadtych of Pocket Upstar Tulip, Veronique Tulip, Snowdrop 2, Bluebells 2024 art
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
This quadtych includes 4 pocket paintings from Dani Humberstone's spring collection: Pocket Upstar Tulip, Pocket Veronique Tulip, Spring Collection: Pocket Bluebells and Pocket Snowd...
Canvas, Oil
$645
H 6.3 in W 6.3 in D 1.19 in
Shiney Red Pomegranate, Original Painting, Still Life, Fruit Art
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
Shiney Red Pomegranate is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her series featuring life size realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still life painting. T...
Canvas, Oil
$217
H 5.91 in W 5.91 in D 0.99 in
Autumn Collection: Pocket Wild Apple, Original Painting, Fruit Art, Apple
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
Part of Autumn Collection #3: Pocket Wild Apple is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale oil realistic oil painting...
Canvas, Oil
A farmstead on Long Island
By Frank Waller
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Frank Waller (American, 1842-1923) Farmstead, Long Island Oil on canvas, 13 x 21 inches FRAMED: 18 x 26 inches (approx.) Note: while this work is unsigned, it relates to a number o...
Canvas, Oil
$3,846
H 31.5 in W 39.38 in D 1.58 in
Reflected Female Surfer, Deep Blue Underwater Figurative SportPainting, Original
By Raúl Álvarez
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This deep blue hyperrealist painting depicts a surfer extending beneath the ocean surface, her body doubled and radically distorted by the moving water above. Created by Spanish pai...
Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$434
H 5.91 in W 11.82 in D 1.19 in
Pocket White Anemone (c) and Pocket Juicy Red Strawberry diptych, Original Art
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
This is a diptych ofPocket White Anemone (c) and Pocket Juicy Red Strawberry. Both art works are the same size. Pocket Juicy Red Strawberry is an original oil painting by Dani Humb...
Canvas, Oil
"On the Horizon" (2025) Oil Painting, Colorado Landscape
By Michael Magrin
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin's ( US based) "On the Horizon" is an original, handmade oil painting of a sunset above Colorado plains. This piece is framed in a "barn wood" frame and is ready to han...
Linen, Oil, Wood Panel
$434
H 5.91 in W 12.8 in D 1.19 in
Pocket Cabbage and Pocket Peas In A Pod Diptych, Original Painting, Veggies
By Dani Humberstone
Located in Deddington, GB
This is a diptych of Pocket Cabbage and Pocket Peas In A Pod. Please note that the sizes are different Pocket Cabbage is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of he...
Canvas, Oil
Overhead, Framed
By Karen Woods
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --“I do think the big problem in a way…is how you deal with ordinary life—that is not extraordinary, that does not involve heroism,...
Linen, Oil
$3,350
H 24 in W 24 in
"O Precious Thought" by Michael Magrin, Oil Painting, CO Landscape
By Michael Magrin
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin's ( US based) "O Precious Thought" is an original, handmade oil painting of a vast sky above the plains. This piece is framed in a natural float frame and is ready to ...
Linen, Oil
The Descent
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Oil painting signed by the Artist in the lower right corner.
Oil
“Sunset Sail, Nixes Mate, Boston Harbor”
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Southampton, NY
A fabulous evening maritime oil painting on board by the well known contemporary artist, Joseph McGurl. Nixes Mate in Boston harbor is the location. Signed by the artist lower right...
Oil, Board
The Trail Leads West
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original oil painting on linen by artist Joseph McGurl. Framed.
Linen, Oil
"Rhythm of the Land, Elk Mountain, " Oil Painting
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Denver, CO
Joseph McGurl's "Rhythm of the Land, Elk Mountain" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a stream cutting through a yellow prairie dotted with green foliage and mountain...
Oil
Becalmed: The Sailing Canoe
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Joseph McGurl is regarded as a leader of the current American landscape school. This has been confirmed by his inclusion in several important museum shows and his successful relation...
Linen, Oil, Panel
Luminaire
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Joseph McGurl is regarded as a leader of the current American landscape school. This has been confirmed by his inclusion in several important museum shows and his successful relation...
Linen, Oil, Panel
Pathways
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Joseph McGurl is regarded as a leader of the current American landscape school. This has been confirmed by his inclusion in several important museum shows and his successful relationship with some of the country’s leading galleries. He has been the subject of numerous books and magazine articles and is also the author of several art related magazine articles published in print and online. McGurl has been designated a Living Master by the Art Renewal Center in New York. He has been elected to the Guild of Boston Artists, was a Copley Master with the Copley Society of Boston and is a signature member of the prestigious Plein Air Painters of America. His many awards include the Guild of Boston Artists Gold Medallion, The Art Renewal Center’s International Salon First Place in Landscape, American Fine Art Magazine Award of Excellence, The Rehs Award, a Purchase Award, and the John Singleton Copley...
Oil, Panel
Sankaty Light
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Landscape oil painting depicting a schooner near the Sankaty Light of Nantucket.
Canvas, Oil
Twilight, Hudson River
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Painting from the Salmagundi American Masters' show. Part of a series of paintings of the Palisades. It depicts the River and Palisades with barges moored waiting to go upriver. The ...
Canvas, Oil
Light Speed
By Joseph McGurl
Located in Greenwich, CT
Landscape, water
Paint