By Wilson Henry Irvine
Located in New York, NY
Wilson Irvine
A Glimpse of the Lieutenant River, Connecticut
Signed lower left
Oil on canvas
24 x 30 inches
Provenance:
Charles Brown Fine Art, Locust Valley, New York
Mr. & Mrs, Harry Vonderlieth, Locust Valley, New York (acquired directly from the above in 1991)
A prolific Impressionist with a penchant for atmospheric scenes, Illinois native Wilson Irvine began his career in Chicago as an airbrush artist. His expertise led to his eventual employment with the newly founded Chicago Portrait Company, where he retouched photographs to achieve highly realistic results. It was not until 1895 that Irvine enrolled in evening classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, studying first with the academically trained Charles E. Boutwood and later with the illustrator Walter M. Clute. Beginning in 1900, Irvine’s landscape paintings appeared in forty-one exhibitions hosted by the Art Institute, and soon his work was seen at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Corcoran Gallery, and the National Academy of Design. Irvine was awarded a silver medal at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.
Also in 1895, Irvine and a group of fellow artists founded the Palette and Chisel Club of Chicago. Members met on Sunday mornings at the studio of noted sculptor Lorado Taft to draw from the model during daylight hours. Irvine served first as the treasurer and then as president of the club, regularly participating in the group’s exhibitions, which were held at the art galleries of Marshall Field’s eponymous department store. In 1907, Irvine was one of the founders of the Cliff Dwellers Club, spearheaded by noted author Hamlin Garland. He was also active in the Artists’ Guild, which merged into the Arts Club, and the Chicago Watercolor...
Category
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Wilson Henry Irvine Art