Hayley Lever
St. Austrell, Cornwall, England
1906

Name: St. Austrell, Cornwall, England
Brand: Hayley Lever
Price: 2800 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

A turn of the century view of the town of St. Austrell, Cornwall, in the morning mist of southern England. A beautifully subtle work, in muted earth tones, on buff wove drawing paper; the sheet trimmed by the artist to the image edges, in very good condition. Signed 'HL' by the artist in pencil, lower right. Annotated in pencil, verso, 'St. Austrell, Cornwall, Eng – 1906'. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Provenance: Estate of Leonard Clayton, gallery owner representing Lever and a supporter of the artist in his later years. ABOUT THE ARTIST Born in Australia, Hayley Lever arrived in England at the turn of the century. He worked and studied for a few years before settling down in the Cornwall village of St. Ives, a picturesque fishing port in southern England. He became an essential member of the artist's colony and produced an extensive body of work, predominantly fishing vessels, marines, seascapes, and port scenes. A prolific artist, he submitted his work to competitions in England, France, and America, receiving several prestigious awards. He also traveled to various countries in Europe, sketching wherever he went. Many of his most compelling works were done in the south of England and the port villages of Douarnenez and Concarneau in Brittany, directly across the English Channel from St. Ives. American artists occasionally visited St. Ives, and Lever befriended Ernest Lawson, who greatly admired his work. Lawson persuaded Lever to emigrate to America, and he arrived in New York in 1912 with his family. Lever soon discovered the New England coast, where he began to paint the fishing fleets of Gloucester and the coastal scenes of Marblehead, producing works that became popular in the New York art market. Major galleries such as William Macbeth, Ferargil, and Daniel and Rehn gave him exhibitions. He continued to gather awards, including a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, in 1915. The National Arts Club honored him with a life membership, and he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Design. From 1919 until 1931, Lever taught life classes and still life painting at The Art Students League of New York. He also maintained a summer studio in Gloucester in the 1920s, from which he traveled to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and the Canadian maritime provinces, producing many spectacular marine paintings and watercolors. Lever's works are in numerous museum collections throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia, including the Brooklyn Museum, Detroit Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, The Phillips Collection (Washington, DC), The Royal Cornwall Museum (England), Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Art Gallery NSW (Sydney, Australia).

Creator:

Hayley Lever (1876-1958, American)

Creation Year:

1906

Dimensions:

Height: 9.38 in (23.83 cm)Width: 13.38 in (33.99 cm)

Medium:

Watercolor

Movement & Style:

Impressionist

Period:

1900-1909