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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.

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