William Mason Brown was born in Troy, New York, where he studied for several years with local artists, including the leading portraitist there, Abel Buell Moore. In 1850, he moved to Newark, New Jersey, and began painting romantic landscapes in a meticulous style reminiscent of the Hudson River School. In 1858, Brown moved to Brooklyn, where he worked for the rest of his career, exhibiting annually at the National Academy of Design, New York, from 1859 to 1890, and at the Brooklyn Art Association from 1865 to 1886.
Brown was undoubtedly exposed to the teachings of John Ruskin, which so greatly affected American artists during the late 1850s and 1860s. The Ruskinian, or Pre-Raphaelite, influence is reflected in Brown’s crisply painted, meticulously detailed still lifes, including Strawberries Strewn on a Forest Floor. William H. Gerdts said of the artist:
[Brown’s] still lifes are the most meticulous and photographic of his generation and during his lifetime his technique was compared to that of the great French academician, Jean-Léon Gérôme. . . . Brown almost never allowed his paint handling to be apparent. He reveled in textural duplication: the “halo” of the fuzziness of a peach, the “map” of the rind of a cantaloupe. In painting humbler fruits — berries and cherries — each particular item in a group had its own color, its own highlight, its own quality of weight (Painters of the Humble Truth [1981], p. 102).
As a former landscape painter, Brown was a staunch practitioner of another Ruskinian tenet — the still life placed in a natural setting — of which Strawberries Strewn on a Forest Floor is a prime example. In contrast to the more formal and traditional tabletop still life (which Brown also painted), Ruskin preached that fruit and flowers ought to be rendered as they exist in nature, relieved by soil or grass and other vegetation, and much like the works of the famous English painter William Henry “Bird’s Nest” Hunt. However, Barbara Dayer Gallati has noted a curious contradiction of Ruskinian theory in a similar work by Brown, Raspberries (oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in.; The J. B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; see Linda S. Ferber and William H. Gerdts, “The New Path: Ruskin and the American Pre-Raphaelites,” exhib. cat. [New York: The Brooklyn Museum, 1985], p. 148 pl. 20 illus. in color), which depicts a loose bundle of raspberries set within an intimate space on the forest floor:
There is detectable in Strawberries Strewn on a Forest Floor, however, a duality in approach to nature that is antithetical to Ruskinian doctrine. The individual berries, the sheltering bush, the wild flowers, and grassy patch of earth are uniformly executed in a fashion comparable to that of Ruskin’s closest followers. Yet the berries do not appear as they would in nature; the artist’s hand has intervened in order to create a pleasing composition. This feature, along with the stage-like setting and theatrical lighting, introduces an artificial note which suggests that however veristic it all may seem, this is a composition that originated in the studio and not in nature (Gallati, “Raspberries,” in ibid., p. 92).
This apparent contradiction in Ruskinian theory is also seen in Strawberries Strewn on a Forest Floor, which presents a loose group of rich red strawberries scattered about the forest floor. Although he concentrated on landscape painting in the early part of his career, Brown gained wider recognition for his still lifes, particularly of fruit, which were occasionally lithographed by Currier & Ives, or other printing houses, and were thus widely distributed. The characteristically strong color and tightly executed forms of his work lent themselves to the lithographic process.
"Still Life with Peaches"
By William Mason Brown
Located in Jacksonville, FL
William Mason Brown’s Still Life with Peaches is a sumptuous celebration of nature’s bounty, rendered with exquisite precision and warmth. At the heart of the composition, a grouping...
Oil
"Sunset Autumn on the Lake" Cerca 1860'
By William Mason Brown
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Signature: Unsigned Medium/Ground: Oil / Canvas Size Inches: 22" x 34" The oil is one of his largest landscapes known. It was just exhibited in the Quest royal Gallery exhibit...
Oil
Strawberries Strewn on a Forest Floor
By William Mason Brown
Located in New York, NY
William Mason Brown was born in Troy, New York, where he studied for several years with local artists, including the leading portraitist there, Abel Buel Moore. In 1850, he moved to ...
Canvas, Oil
$14,200
H 24 in W 36 in D 1.5 in
Florida Sky - 2023 American Realist sunset on beach, en plein air oil painting
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a cloud filled sky at sunset. The foreground is set along a sandy beach, white sand meeting dunes, tire tracks in the sand lead our eye to a pair of figures, seate...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
$8,383Sale Price|25% Off
H 51.19 in W 33.47 in D 1.19 in
Venice Landscape Italian Oil on Canvas Painting in Gilt Wood Frame, Belle Epoque
Located in Firenze, IT
This delightful turn of the century (early 20th century) oil on canvas painting represents an Italian landscape with one of the most famous squares in the world: Piazza San Marco in ...
Canvas, Oil
Kingdom (In Memory)
By Brooks Anderson
Located in Burlingame, CA
The impressionist land and water scene from Brooks Anderson. This estuary scene of Marin captures you and takes you on a journey from stream to ocean. Artist signed, titled and dated...
Canvas, Oil
$4,118
H 20.08 in W 28.75 in D 1.19 in
Italian Impressionist Oil on Board Marine Landscape Painting Naples Bay View
By Francesco Coppola Castaldo
Located in Firenze, IT
Everyday fishermen life is captured in this wonderful Italian impressionist late 19th century oil painting on thin board titled fishermen ashore. We love the neutral and natural colo...
Oil, Board
The Sun Also Rises
By Brooks Anderson
Located in Burlingame, CA
'The Sun Also Rises' - oil on canvas is 31 x 50 inches, meticulously painted by American Realist Brooks Anderson. Canvas edges are painted dark in artist's signature style. Lovely to...
Canvas, Oil
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
H 30 in W 26 in D 0.75 in
'The Artist's Garden', Munich Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, PAFA, Corcoran
By Julius Moessel
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
'The Artist's Garden' by Julius Moessel, 1943. Munich Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, Corcoran ----- Signed lower left 'Moessel' for Julius Moe...
Canvas, Oil
Oil on Canvas “BS Trust”
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
“BS Trust” is 36” x 36”. Frank Arnold’s paintings exhibit the highest quality materials for a truly archival piece, created to last generations. Much of Frank Arnold’s work is sourc...
Canvas, Oil
$170,619
H 94.49 in W 85.44 in D 1.19 in
Oil on Canvas Painting Portrait of the Italian Noble Family of Zanardi Count
By Lucia Casalini Torelli
Located in Firenze, IT
This museum quality old master oil on canvas formal portrait painting depicting the family of the Count Zanardi is signed by the artist- the female painter Lucia Casalini Torelli- and published in a book dedicated to Casalini Torelli’s workshop and academy. This palatial masterpiece artwork comes directly from the ancient Villa Maraini Guerrieri - Palidano di Gonzaga (Mantua), an historic Italian heritage building owned by the descendants of the family portrayed for more than two centuries, until 1998. The big scale of this oil on canvas masterpiece painting states the relevance of Lucia Casalini Torelli as a painter. The present artwork is a formal family portrait painting that aim to introduce the characters depicted according to their social role in the society. The noble family is all gathered under a loggia overlooking a park, the landscape in the background is partially covered by a beautiful red cloth on the right side. The father stands up and holds the hand of his eldest son, proudly introducing his future heir. The son wears a light-blue dress and red boots, he is depicted in a serious pose holding a black tricorn hat under his arm and a rapier sword on his belt. The mother wears an elegant gold and dark green brocade dress, she is sitting with her youngest daughter on her knees while her second son is by her side. The little daughter wears a lovely long red and dress with white lace and holds an apple on her hand. The son stands next to his mother and is dressed in a brown priestly clothes. This palatial old masters piece was probably painted in 1740 due to the similarities with Cardinal Doria’ s portrait, now on display at the Doria Palace Museum, the official residence of the Prince of Genoa. The painting features original canvas (“prima tela”) and antique original patina, it is in excellent overall condition considering the age, use and its large scale. A formal detailed condition report and the results of the inspection with the UV lamp accompanied by photos is available on request. As well as for its exceptional quality and quite perfect state of conservation, this painting is particularly important and even more valuable both for the artist who painted it and for its absolutely exclusive provenance. Lucia painted the most prominent and powerful noble families of her time, the location of these paintings is unknown to the art market as it is extremely likely that the portraits are still kept in private collections. Furthermore, Lucia was one of the most appreciated artists of her time, so important that she was admitted as a member of the academy at a time when women were forbidden to attend these studies. In 1706, Felice Torelli...
Canvas, Oil
Forgot 7
By Frank Arnold
Located in Fresno, CA
"Forgot 7" Oil on Canvas features an abstract form surrounded by characters and a surreal landscape. The canvas is painted with shades of green, blue, yellow, and white. Frank Arnold is viewed as one of the foremost abstract figurative painters and sculptors of our time. He is a living master guided by a personal mission to “turn on a light in the human soul,” through his passionate creation of “Messengers” from his deeper mind connection with Carl Jung's archetypal images, the collective unconscious, and Jungian Synchronicity. These unconscious forms from his deeper mind resonate as personal messages of universal acceptance, reaching out to the viewer. Arnold has been honored as IAD Artist of the year 2018 by International Artist Day, and 2013 FAC Horizon Artist Award. He has exhibited his artwork in numerous galleries and museums and is in collections worldwide. Arnold divides his working days between oil painting in San Jose del Cabo, Baja Sur...
Canvas, Oil
$3,550
H 12 in W 16 in
"1 E" American Realist oil painting of a parked vintage car outside cottage
By Carl Bretzke
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"1 E" is an American Realist painting of a parked vintage car at a motel in Florida. Framed. Signed at bottom left. Carl Bretzke is a representational painter who specializes in urban scenes, nocturnes, and plein-air landscapes. He is a member of the Plein Air Painters of America since 2021. Carl's work has been exhibited extensively in Minnesota and California, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Carl's work has been described in the Washington Post as "simultaneously intimate and detached…The artist's unadorned style recalls Edward Hopper and The Ashcan school." Carl holds an MD degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Colorado...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
$4,200
H 22 in W 18 in D 1 in
"Norwegian Sunset" contemporary tonalist painting - sun sets beyond green trees
By Rachel Personett
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
An oil painting of a glowing sunset beyond a verdant patch of trees, painted en plein air, in Norway, while Personett was apprenticing at Odd Nerdrum's stu...
Canvas, Oil, Panel
"Nocturnal Lotus" SALE oil on canvas, 1981
By Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Southampton, NY
Lowell Nesbitt's paintings are in most major museum collections. He is the artist that NASA selected to commemorate the Apollo Moon missions over 50 years ago. In the 1950s he dabb...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 28 in W 32 in D 3 in
"A Still Life of Peaches on a Tapestry" Oil Painting by William Mason Brown
By William Mason Brown
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Oil on canvas, signed lower right and presented in a wonderful, possibly original, gilt frame. Featuring peaches in an interior setting resting on a tapestry. Measuring 28" x 32" ...
Paint
Sold
H 12 in W 14 in D 3 in
Antique American Fruit Still Life Oil Painting by William Mason Brown
By William Mason Brown
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American fruit still life by William Mason Brown (1828 - 1898). Oil on canvas, circa 1860. Signed in monogram "WMB". Displayed in a giltwood frame. Image, 10"L x 8"H, ov...
Canvas, Oil