Lester George Hornby Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Delicate and precise drawing by Lester G. Hornby (American, 1882-1956). Several boats are depicted at Convento de Santa María de la Rábida. The drawing is highly detailed, with the confident marks of an accomplished artist. Two buildings can be see to the left hand side of the drawing - a wharf house and the La Rabida Monastery. A man tends his fishing boat and few other boats are anchored in the water, including two caravels (a small, fast Spanish or Portuguese sailing ship of the 15th–17th centuries.) The Friary of La Rábida (in full, Spanish: Convento de Santa María de la Rábida) is a Franciscan friary in the southern Spanish town of Palos de la Frontera, in the province of Huelva and the autonomous region of Andalucia. Signed "L. G. Hornby" in the lower left corner. Presented in a new grey mat with foamcore backing. Original tag from Albert Roullier Art Galleries in Chicago has been preserved on verso. Mat size: 11"H x 14"W Paper size: 10"H x 9"W Lester George Hornby (American, 1882-1956) received his early training at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Students League in New York. He then journeyed to Paris where he developed his technique further at the major art academies there. Hornby’s progress was rapid; he received his first international recognition in Paris in the prestigious Salon d’Automne of 1907. Completely captivated by Paris and the French countryside, Hornby spent most of his productive years in France, returning intermittently to America. In his later years, he played an active role as teacher and artist in the Rockport art colony. He lived there with Bertha Grover Goodrich, his last wife. They lived in Rockport, Massachusetts until his death in 1956. Together they built the "old on purpose" house using old materials to build a "new" "old" house. Lester is the one who gave the name "Motif #1" to the old fish house that has become so famous. During WWI Hornby was a war correspondent. As did most artists at the time who did illustrations in relation to the war, Hornby had to have war- related pictures approved by the government before being published. In one case the war department refused to give permission because they felt his illustration was so accurate and well done that the enemy would have access to too much information. Hornby worked in the trenches with the men and his work reflects this. At a Philadelphia exhibit of color etchings in 1909 the critic called Hornby "the foremost exponent of this branch of graphic art that America has produced.” The critic Rowland Thomas wrote in 1910 "Hornby is beyond doubt a master etcher with such power of eye and hand as our generation has hardly known before. Not since Whistler posed with the Universe on his needle point has anyone scratched on solid metal lines of such electrifying, such insolently simple conciseness as these- a new old Paris leaps transfigured and revealed for those who will glory in her." Boston critic W.H. Downes found "Hornby's etchings among the best and most artistic being done by any American, and some of the Marne set are masterpieces." A 1928 exhibit of watercolors at the Vose Gallery in Boston won a rave from critic A.J. Philpott "He has been compared to Joseph Pennell but that is not a fair comparison. Hornby is a much more versatile genius than Pennell ever was!" Hornby's work is in the permanent collections of 21 museums worldwide, including the Addison Gallery of American Art, Boston Public Library, Boston Athenauem, Art Institute of Chicago, Detroit Institute of Arts, Rhode Island School of Design, Yale University, Rockport Art Association, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Member: American Art Association of Paris, Boston Art Club, Guild of Boston Artists, Boston Watercolor Club, Brooklyn Society of Etchers, Chicago Society of Etchers, Caof. Society of Etchers, New York Society of Etchers, Gloucester SA, Painter-Gravers of America, Providence Art Club, Providence Watercolor Club, Rockport Art Association, NSAA, SC., Soc. Amis de l'Eau-Forte, Paris. Exhibits: Paris Salons, Dresden International Exhibition, doll & Richards Gallery, Boston Public Library, Irving & Casson, Roullier Gallery, Kennedy Gallerys, Grace Horne Gallery, Goodspeed's Boston, Venice International Exhibition, Lotos Club, Anderson Gallery, Swedish International Exhibition, Fine Art Society, London, Boston City...