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Of Land and Sea: Alfred
Thompson Bricher and William Trost Richards
October 24, 2010 - October 23,
2011
Watercolors and drawings
by two 19th-century land and seascape artists will be on view at the Michele
& Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts
from
October 24, 2010, through October 23, 2011, in the exhibition Of Land
and Sea: Alfred Thompson Bricher and William Trost Richards.
(right: Arthur Thompson Bricher, American, 1837-1908, Beneath White-Head,
1879, Gouache. George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum 2.23.4)
Richards (1833-1905) and Bricher (1837-1908) began their
careers studying with several noted Hudson River School artists: Bricher
with Albert Bierstadt, and Richards with Frederic Church and John Kensett.
Inspired by pride in the scenic beauty of their homeland, Hudson River School
artists depicted the grandeur of the Hudson River Valley, the Catskill Mountains,
and other untouched natural areas.
Luminism, an offshoot of the Hudson River School which
was identified in retrospect by art historians, emphasized the effects of
light on water and sky. Bricher and Richards were among the last of the
19th-century American painters engaged in this style of painting.
The works on view in Of Land and Sea are from the
permanent collections of the Springfield Art Museums. George Walter Vincent
Smith, founder of the G.W.V. Smith Art Museum, was a contemporary of the
artists and one of Bricher's most loyal patrons.
Introductory panel text for the exhibition
- Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837-1908)
- William Trost Richards (1833-1905)
-
- Nineteenth-century American land and seascape painters
William Trost Richards and Alfred Thompson Bricher began their careers
studying with several noted Hudson River School artists: Bricher with Albert
Bierstadt and Richards with Frederic Church and John Kensett. Hudson River
School paintings reflected three pursuits of early America: discovery,
exploration and settlement. The Luminist style of painting developed later
as an off-shoot of the Hudson River School and was identified by art historians
in retrospect. Although Bierstadt, Church and Kensett along with other
artists transitioned into Luminism, Bricher and Richards were among the
last of the 19th-century American painters engaged in this style of painting.
-
- The Hudson River School painters idealized the rural
American landscape and emphasized the concept that man and nature peacefully
coexisted. Artists created images with realistic detail, juxtaposing agriculture
with the quickly disappearing wilderness of the Hudson River Valley. Many
of the scenes were composed of an amalgamation of several views. It was
common for artists to make sketches while visiting rugged and extreme locations
and return to their studios to develop their paintings.
-
- Luminist artists went a step further, rendering majestic
light and pristine skies that occupied nearly half of the composition of
their paintings. The style shares an emphasis on the effects of light with
Impressionism. However the two approaches differ markedly. The Luminist
style is characterized by an attention to detail and an effort to conceal
brushstrokes where the Impressionist style exemplifies a lack of detail
and an emphasis on heavy brush strokes known as impasto. Although
Luminism preceded Impressionism there is no indication suggesting that
the two schools overlapped or influenced each other.
-
- The paintings, drawings and etchings on display in the
Starr Watercolor Gallery demonstrate Bricher's and Richards' efforts to
refine their techniques in the Luminist style during the latter part of
the 19th century.
Checklist for the exhibition
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Low Tide, St. Andrews
- Old Stone House, St. Andrews
- Ink
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 2.23.9
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Beneath White-Head, 1879
- Gouache
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 2.23.4
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Boats on the Shore
- Watercolor
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 2.23.5
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Lady in Garden, 1879
- Watercolor
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 2.23.7
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Seascape #2
- Gouache
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 2.23.10
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Seascape #1
- Gouache
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 2.23.11
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- In a Tide Harbor, 1878
- Pen and ink
- George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum
- 3.23.13
-
- Arthur Thompson Bricher
- American, 1837-1908
- Morning, Sandy Cove, Cohasset
- Watercolor
- Bequest from the Estate of Thelma J. Isaacs
- 2008.D32
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- Passing Storm
- Watercolor
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 2.57.3
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- Rocky Shore
- Watercolor
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 2.57.4
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- Sunny Glade
- Watercolor
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 2.57.5
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- House in the Woods
- Pencil
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 3.57.1
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- Trees in a Field
- Pencil
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 3.57.5
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- Trees with Two Figures
- Pencil
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 3.57.7
-
- William Trost Richards
- American, 1933-1905
- Waves
- Pencil
- Gift of the Ranger Trust
- 3.57.8
Editor's note: RL readers may also enjoy the following:
and biographical information on artists cited in this article
in America's Distinguished Artists,
a national registry of historic artists.
Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional
source by visiting the sub-index page for the Springfield
Museums in Resource Library.
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