Skip to main content

Avery Galleries

to
3
100
46
35
28
18
16
11
9
7
7
6
5
5
5
4
2
2
1
1
15
8
5
5
4
Pink Waterlily with Green and Black Background
Pink Waterlily with Green and Black Background

Pink Waterlily with Green and Black Background

By Joseph Stella

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Pink Waterlily with Green and Black Background, 1940 Crayon and pencil on paper 10 3/8 x 13 11/16 inches (26.4 x 34.8 cm) Signed and dated at lower right: Joseph Stella / 1940 Josep...

Category

20th Century American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Pencil

Untitled (Tree Trunks)

Untitled (Tree Trunks)

By Joseph Stella

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Untitled (Tree Trunks) Pastel on paper, 12 x 9 1/4 inches (30.5 x 23.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 15 1/4 x 12 3/4 inches Inscribed on verso of overmat: 148 W. Houston St. Joseph Stella’...

Category

20th Century American Modern Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

White Iris with Fern
White Iris with Fern

White Iris with Fern

By Joseph Stella

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

White Iris with Fern, c. 1925 Crayon and silverpoint on paper, 17 x 12 inches (43.2 x 30.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 23 1/4 x 18 1/4 inches Signed twice in pencil, at lower right and lo...

Category

20th Century American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Crayon

Study for "Golden Fall"

Study for "Golden Fall"

By Joseph Stella

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Study for "Golden Fall", 1940 Pastel on paper, 26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm) Framed dimensions 33 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches Joseph Stella’s artistic career defies easy categorization. He ...

Category

20th Century American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Knights Bridge
Knights Bridge

Knights Bridge

By Walter Emerson Baum

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Knights Bridge Oil on board, 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm) Framed dimensions: 23 x 27 1/8 inches Signed lower right: WEBaum The only prominent artist of the Pennsylvania Impressio...

Category

20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Collecting Seashells
Collecting Seashells

Collecting Seashells

By William Edward Norton

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Collecting Seashells Oil on canvas, 12 1/4 x 16 1/4 inches (31.1 x 41.3 cm) Framed dimensions: 17 3/4 x 21 5/8 inches Signed lower left: W.E. Norton Born in 1843 to a family of Bost...

Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Silhouette of a Young Girl
Silhouette of a Young Girl

Silhouette of a Young Girl

By John White Alexander

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Silhouette of a Young Girl Charcoal on paper 14 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches (36.8 x 27.3 cm) Signed lower left: J.W. Alexander Provenance Grand Central Art Galleries, New York; Samuel B. an...

Category

Late 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Weehawken Sequence

Weehawken Sequence

By John Marin

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Weehawken Sequence, c. 1910-16 Oil on canvas board, 9 x 12 inches (22.9 x 30.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 13 3/8 x 16 1/4 inches John Marin’s long and prolific career is best marked by ...

Category

20th Century American Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Study of Ruth
Study of Ruth

Study of Ruth

By Lilian Westcott Hale

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Study of Ruth, c. 1925 Charcoal and sepia ink on paper 22 1/4 x 27 3/4 inches (56.5 x 70.5 cm) Signed upper center: Lillian Westcott Hale Lilian Westcott Hale...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink

View Of Wellfleet, Massachusetts
View Of Wellfleet, Massachusetts

View Of Wellfleet, Massachusetts

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Edwin Dickinson (1891-1978) View Of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, 1942 Oil on canvas, 10 x 12 inches (25.4 x 30.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 15 1/4 x 17 1/4 in Signed in the wet, vertically ...

Category

1940s American Modern Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tangier
Tangier

Tangier

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Tangier, 1870 Oil on canvas, 11 3/4 x 14 1/2 inches Framed dimensions: 16 3/4 x 19 3/4 inches Inscribed and dated lower right: Tangier / Africa. Sep. 23rd / 1870 Estate stamp lower left: R Swain Gifford...

Category

1870s Realist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

July 25, Casco Bay

July 25, Casco Bay

By Susan Headley van Campen

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

July 25, Casco Bay Watercolor on paper, 4 x 12 inches (10.2 x 30.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 11 x 18 1/2 inches Susan Van Campen’s plein-air oil paintin...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Yellow Sky, Southern Island

Yellow Sky, Southern Island

By Susan Headley van Campen

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Yellow Sky, Southern Island Watercolor on paper, 4 x 12 inches (10.2 x 30.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 11 x 18 1/2 inches Susan Van Campen’s plein-air oi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Crabapples

Crabapples

By Susan Headley van Campen

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Crabapples Watercolor on paper, 30 x 23 inches (76.2 x 58.4 cm) Framed dimensions: 33 1/4 x 25 3/4 inches Signed lower right Susan Van Campen’s plein...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Brookline Village in Snow
Brookline Village in Snow

Brookline Village in Snow

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Brookline Village in Snow, 1893 Oil on canvas, 26 x 33 inches (66 x 83.8 cm) Framed dimensions: 36 x 43 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower right: Dwight Blaney '94 Provenance The art...

Category

1890s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Wooded Sand Dune

Wooded Sand Dune

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Wooded Sand Dune Oil on panel, 12 x 18 1/8 inches Framed dimensions: 17 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches Estate stamp lower right: RSwain Gifford Provenance The artist; By descent in the family ...

Category

Late 19th Century Barbizon School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

House in Center Bridge
House in Center Bridge

House in Center Bridge

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Kenneth Nunamaker (1890-1957) House in Center Bridge Oil on canvas on board, 8 x 10 inches (20.3 x 25.4 cm) Signed lower left: K. Nunamaker Inscribed on verso: K. Nunamaker / New Hop...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Still Life with Flowers
Still Life with Flowers

Still Life with Flowers

By Irving Ramsey Wiles

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Irving Ramsey Wiles (1861-1948) Still Life with Flowers, c. 1915 Oil on canvas 14 x 12 inches (35.6 x 30.5 cm) Signed upper right: Irving R. Wiles Provenance Thomas Colville Fine Ar...

Category

1910s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tropical Landscape
Tropical Landscape

Tropical Landscape

By Norton Bush

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Norton Bush (1834-1894) Tropical Landscape Oil on board, 8 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches (22.2 x 29.8 cm) Signed lower left: N. Bush Provenance Private collection, New York; Private collection, Pennsylvania First noted for his portraits, marine views, and East Coast landscapes, Norton Bush became best known for his tropical views of Central and South America. He studied in New York City with the Hudson River school painter Jasper Cropsey and received criticism from another Hudson River school painter, Frederic Edwin Church. Like many who worked in the Hudson River school style, Bush also sought to inspire viewers with an expansive view of nature that dwarfed the relative influence and position of man. He first became interested in painting exotic...

Category

19th Century Hudson River School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Edge of the Forest

The Edge of the Forest

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Robert Swain Gifford (1840–1905) The Edge of the Forest Oil on canvas, 15 x 23 1/4 inches (38.1 x 59.1 cm) Estate stamp lower right: RSwain Gifford Provenance The artist; By descent in the family to the artist's great-grandaughter, until 2023 Born on a small island near Martha's Vineyard, R. Swain Gifford and his family moved to the New Bedford, Massachusetts, area when he was two years old. The Dutch marine painter Albert Van Beest arrived in New Bedford in 1854, providing the teenage Gifford with the opportunity of study; he collaborated with Van Beest on a number of ship pictures...

Category

19th Century Tonalist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

Landscape with Haystacks

Landscape with Haystacks

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Robert Swain Gifford (1840–1905) Landscape with Haystacks Oil on canvas, 14 1/8 x 24 inches (35.9 x 61 cm) Estate stamp lower left: RSwain Gifford Provenance The artist; By descent in the family to the artist's great-grandaughter, until 2023 Born on a small island near Martha's Vineyard, R. Swain Gifford and his family moved to the New Bedford, Massachusetts, area when he was two years old. The Dutch marine painter Albert Van Beest arrived in New Bedford in 1854, providing the teenage Gifford with the opportunity of study; he collaborated with Van Beest on a number of ship pictures...

Category

19th Century Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Trout Pool
The Trout Pool

The Trout Pool

By Worthington Whittredge

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance Collection of Mrs. Victor R. Bieber, Gwynedd, Pennsylvania Born in Ohio, Worthington Thomas Whittredge began his career as a sign and portrait painter in Cincinnati, wher...

Category

1870s Hudson River School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lull in Summer Rain
Lull in Summer Rain

Lull in Summer Rain

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance Kennedy Galleries, New York; DC Moore Gallery, New York; Private collection, Ireland, until 2012 Exhibitions New York, DC Moore Gallery, Charles Burchfield Paintings, 19...

Category

1910s American Modern Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Winter Birches

Winter Birches

By Jonas Lie

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance Private collection; Christie's, Fine American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture, New York, March 9, 2007, lot 120 A fine example of Jonas Lie's mature artistic style, Wi...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Seated Nude
Seated Nude

Seated Nude

By Irving Ramsey Wiles

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance Private collection, St. Petersburg, Florida; Arthur and Holly Magill, Greenville, South Carolina, acquired from the above; Sotheby’s, New York, 30 November 2000, lot 11, s...

Category

Late 19th Century Aesthetic Movement Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Low Tide
Low Tide

Low Tide

By William Edward Norton

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance The artist; Florence Norton, the artist's daughter; By descent in the family Born in 1843 to a family of Bostonian shipbuilders, William Edward Norton's early childhood i...

Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New England Farmhouse
New England Farmhouse

New England Farmhouse

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance The artist; By descent in the family to the artist's great-grandaughter, until 2023 Born on a small island near Martha's Vineyard, R. Swain Gifford and his family moved t...

Category

Late 19th Century Barbizon School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

T-Wharf in Winter
T-Wharf in Winter

T-Wharf in Winter

By Arthur Clifton Goodwin

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance Bonhams Skinner - Malborough, March 8, 1991, lot 226; Private collection, Pennsylvania, until 2022 A painter especially known for street and waterfront scenes of Boston, ...

Category

1910s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Nude
Nude

Arthur Beecher CarlesNude

$50,000Sale Price|20% Off

Nude

By Arthur Beecher Carles

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance The artist; Collection of Walter Stuempfig, Philadelphia; Private collection, Massachusetts until 2022 The Philadelphia modernist Arthur B. Carles was a brilliant coloris...

Category

Early 20th Century American Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Elsa
Elsa

Elsa

By Daniel Garber

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Elsa, 1915 Charcoal on paper, 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm) Signed and dated lower left: Daniel Garber / 1915 Provenance The artist; Estate of the artist, 1958; Tanis Garber Page,...

Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

Parisian Fountain, 1899
Parisian Fountain, 1899

Parisian Fountain, 1899

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Albert Jean Adolphe was known as a decorator, a portrait painter, and a landscape artist. He worked in oil and watercolor. Born in Philadelphia in 1865, he attended the Pennsylvania ...

Category

Late 19th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Poppies

Poppies

By Peter Rudolph

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Peter was born in New York in 1946. He received a BFA from the Tyler School of Art and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. Peter taught at the Germantown Friends School in Ph...

Category

2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Flowers in a Greenhouse

Flowers in a Greenhouse

By Theodore Wendel

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Wendel was born in Midway, Ohio, and trained at the McMicken School of Design where he met and befriended Joseph DeCamp. Together, the two artists traveled to Munich in 1878 to study...

Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study St. Malo
Study St. Malo

Study St. Malo

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Provenance The Artist; Charles Prendergast (acquired from the above in 1924); Mrs. Charles Prendergast (thence by descent from theabove in 1948); Kraushaar Galleries, New York; Mr...

Category

Early 1900s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Rocks and Sea

Rocks and Sea

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Born on a small island near Martha's Vineyard, R. Swain Gifford and his family moved to the New Bedford, Massachusetts, area when he was two years old. The Dutch marine painter Alber...

Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Sailors and Mermaids
Sailors and Mermaids

Sailors and Mermaids

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Ralph Cahoon Jr.'s whimsical paintings are not only lighthearted and charming, they are also the hallmark of his creativity and imagination. His playful approach to painting and info...

Category

Mid-20th Century Folk Art Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Still Life
Still Life

Still Life

By John White Alexander

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

John White Alexander's graceful depictions of beautiful women earned him critical acclaim both in Europe and America. However, his career did not get off to an easy start—Alexander b...

Category

1880s American Impressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bars of Light
Bars of Light

Bars of Light

By Walter Launt Palmer

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Walter Launt Palmer is best known as “the painter of the American Winter.” In Bars of Light, the cool areas of shade haphazardly crisscross and then blanket the warm sunlight on the ...

Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Early View of Stockton, New Jersey
Early View of Stockton, New Jersey

Early View of Stockton, New Jersey

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Kenneth Nunamaker never took a formal art lesson. His “training” began during his travels out West as a young man, where he painted in his spare time. It continued informally through...

Category

1930s Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Spring Hillside
Spring Hillside

Spring Hillside

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Spring Hillside exemplifies Nunamaker's ability to capture seasonal nuances of light and atmosphere. His simple composition of two buildings on a hillside is elevated by the delicate...

Category

20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

The Window Sill
The Window Sill

The Window Sill

By Stephen Scott Young

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

This still life by Stephen Scott Young stands out in the artist’s oeuvre in that Young is most known for his luminous portraits of African Americans or native Bahamians. Nonetheless,...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Sketch for Post Office Mural in Short Hills, New Jersey
Sketch for Post Office Mural in Short Hills, New Jersey

Sketch for Post Office Mural in Short Hills, New Jersey

By Ernest Lawson

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Ernest Lawson is an artist who defies easy categorization. His work exhibits characteristics of both Impressionism and realism. In fact, he studied with the American Impressionists, ...

Category

1930s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Evening Landscape

Evening Landscape

By Robert Swain Gifford

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Born on a small island near Martha's Vineyard, R. Swain Gifford and his family moved to the New Bedford, Massachusetts, area when he was two years old. The Dutch marine painter Alber...

Category

1880s Barbizon School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York Scene, Chatham Square
New York Scene, Chatham Square

New York Scene, Chatham Square

By Colin Campbell Cooper

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Colin Campbell Cooper is perhaps best known for his marvelous urban depictions of New York and Philadelphia, which encapsulate the vibrant modernity of these street scenes and skyscr...

Category

1910s Abstract Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Still Life
Still Life

Still Life

By Earl Horter

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Best known as an impassioned supporter and avid collector of modern art, Earl Horter was also an artist himself. Largely self-taught, Horter was a highly skilled draftsman and engrav...

Category

1930s American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Village Path, Italy
Village Path, Italy

Village Path, Italy

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Anna Richards Brewster is the daughter of the great marine painter William Trost Richards. Her father's reputation always precedes her own; however, Anna was an accomplished artist i...

Category

Early 20th Century Abstract Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Before the Regatta

Before the Regatta

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Antonio Martino's work is a prominent example of the long tradition of realistic painting and instruction in Philadelphia. Painted towards the end of his long career, Before the Rega...

Category

Late 20th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Along the Path
Along the Path

Along the Path

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Stanley Reckless's formal art training began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1913. He studied with Daniel Garber and was greatly influenced by his teacher's lyrical a...

Category

Early 20th Century Other Art Style Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

House in New Hope
House in New Hope

House in New Hope

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Stanley Reckless's formal art training began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1913. He studied with Daniel Garber and was greatly influenced by his teacher's lyrical a...

Category

Early 20th Century Other Art Style Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Landscape Sketch
Landscape Sketch

Landscape Sketch

By Hugh Henry Breckenridge

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Hugh Breckenridge’s artistic training began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1887. The academic precision and attention to detail that mark his portraits and still lif...

Category

Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Still Life with Robert Laurent Sculpture

Still Life with Robert Laurent Sculpture

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Born in New York City, modernist painter Adelaide Lawson Gaylor studied at the Art Students League and with Kenneth Hayes Miller. She was a member of the Society of Independent Artists, the Salons of America, and the New York Society of Women Artists. She was married to artist Wood Gaylor...

Category

1920s American Modern Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Star Island, Isles of Shoals
Star Island, Isles of Shoals

Star Island, Isles of Shoals

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Star Island, Isles of Shoals is a fine example of Warren Sheppard’s great love and respect for the sea. As an expert navigator and yachtsman, Sheppard had a deep reverence for the oc...

Category

1880s Realist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Grez-sur-Loing
Grez-sur-Loing

Grez-sur-Loing

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

The dark and smokey palette of Grez-sur-Loing reflects the influence of the French Barbizon School on Winkworth Allan Gay's painting style. It seems reasonable to assume that he pain...

Category

Late 19th Century Barbizon School Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Stillness

Stillness

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

A native of Philadelphia, John Pierce Barnes began his artistic training at the Philadelphia School of Industrial Design. He then attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, ...

Category

1920s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Troubled Water

Troubled Water

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

A native of Philadelphia, John Pierce Barnes began his artistic training at the Philadelphia School of Industrial Design. He then attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, ...

Category

1920s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Dream of Jacob

Dream of Jacob

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Diego H. Rodriguez Carrion (Diego Hiromi) was born on July 26, 1995 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Diego studied at the Atelier San Juan under the guidance of artists Luis Borrero and Amb...

Category

2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Roses and Chrysanthemums in a Vase
Roses and Chrysanthemums in a Vase

Roses and Chrysanthemums in a Vase

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

An expatriate painter, noted for figurative paintings of peasants as well as classical works, Biblical scenes, mythological subjects, and still lifes, William Babcock was born in Bos...

Category

1870s Victorian Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Diario, 3 de agosto de 2016

Diario, 3 de agosto de 2016

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Frank Mujica was born on December the 20th, 1985 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. He studied at the San Alejandro Academy of fine Arts from 2000 to 2004 and at the Superior Institute of Art I...

Category

2010s Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Graphite

Venetian Terrace
Venetian Terrace

Venetian Terrace

By Luther E. Van Gorder

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Born in Warren, Ohio, Luther Emerson Van Gorder was one of the most distinguished painters of the Toledo area during the late nineteenth and ...

Category

Early 20th Century Abstract Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In Venice
In Venice

In Venice

By Charles Webster Hawthorne

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Like his mentor the great American Impressionist William Merritt Chase, Charles Webster Hawthorne was equally admired in his own day as both a talented painter and a highly influential instructor. Hawthorne first studied with Chase at his Shinnecock Summer School of Art, which was specifically dedicated to open-air landscape painting. Not only did Hawthorne quickly absorb all the principles of Chase’s instruction, but he also became determined to found his own school based on the same model. In 1899 Hawthorne discovered the small fishing village of Provincetown on the furthermost tip of Cape Cod, and after purchasing a large house on Miller Hill, he opened the Cape Cod School of Art, which proved to be an immediate success. While Hawthorne’s own approach as a teacher owed much to Chase, he developed a distinctly unique painting style and teaching method that defies easy categorization. He was greatly impressed with the work of Franz Hals, which he was exposed to during his trip to Holland in the summer of 1898. Hawthorne was particularly struck by Hals’ Regentesses of the Old Men’s Almhouse, and from this work he absorbed a deep appreciation for the power of human expression and an economy of technique. Hawthorne applied these lessons to his own realistic portraits of Provincetown fishermen and their families; these works have a somber, almost melancholy quality to them, and they reveal a sense of the vulnerability of the human condition. Stylistically, Hawthorne maintained a life-long commitment to the importance of color. “Beauty in art,” he said, “is the delicious notes of color one against the other.” Of equal importance to him was capturing the effects of light. He told his students: “Everything in painting is a matter of silhouettes. Hold light against shadow, not light against light.” He developed a particular technique of layering glazes and texturing the surface of his paintings, which heightens the relationship between the colors and creates a light effect that seems to emanate from within the painting. These stylistic techniques in combination with his straightforward compositions of one or more figures shown at close range create the hallmarks of Hawthorne’s best paintings. Hawthorne and his wife Ethel’s 1905-1907 trip to Italy did not result in a drastic impact on his artistic style. Nonetheless, it proved to be a transformative and enlightening voyage. The extensive trip was financed by collectors who paid in advance for a painting to be produced abroad. On the trip, Hawthorne explored the work of old masters and was struck particularly by the paintings of Titian, which to Hawthorne, demonstrated the master’s true adoration for the act of painting itself through his handling of paint and color. Where Titian’s paintings...

Category

Early 1900s Abstract Impressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel