Questroyal 2009

John Williamson ( 1826 – 1885 ) Plate 44 Indian Summer , 1871 Oil on canvas 14 ½ x 22 ¼ inches Signed and dated lower right: J.W. (artist’s monogram) 71 ; titled, signed, inscribed and dated on verso: Indian Summer/By Jn.Williamson/ N.Y. 1871 provenance Private collection, NewYork Questroyal Fine Art, LLC, NewYork Private collection, NewYork [Williamson] delights to paint nature in her serenest moods: the placid lake, or the pleasing landscape, bathed in soft sunshine of a summer’s day. His merit lies in his fidelity to nature. Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1866 1 By the 1860 sWilliamson had developed a reputation for bright, pleasant views . . . [he] achieved fidelity to nature with a rather summary manner through which he suggested the landscape forms and the broad effects of changing light on them. Teresa A. Carbone, curator, 2006 2 Artist and Leader Born in Toll Cross, Scotland, John Williamson immigrated to the United States as a boy and took up painting around 1850 . He established himself as a still-life and landscape painter and soon became a prominent organizer within the Brooklyn artistic community. His efforts prompted a critic for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to remark: “ToWilliamson, indeed, perhaps more than to any other person, are the citizens of Brooklyn indebted for these periodical displays of productions of our resident artists, he having been indefatigable in his exertions to organize the Brooklyn Art Association, and secure its place and permanency.” 3 In addition to being a foundingmember of the Brooklyn Art Association, he was an active participant at the National Academy of Design. During the 1860 s, the artist moved his studio to Astor Place, Manhattan, and acquired a summer home in Glenwood, New York, where he oftenworked.WhileNewYork remainedhis adoptive home and great muse, he traveled widely, painting iconic views of the Hudson River valley, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and theWestern frontier lands. Williamson’s technique—characterized by quick, sketchy brushwork and a rich color palette—brings a sense of immediacy and emotional charge to even his calmest vistas. Indian Summer is a captivating play on line, color, and form. A vast, implacable sky dominates two-thirds of the composition. Its paleness is offset by the warm tonalities and contrasting textures of the land below. Williamson’s simple yet balanced composition masterfully conveys the strange, almost mystical stillness of an Indian summer day. — imh Williamson’s works are housed in the Brooklyn Museum, Hudson River Museum, and Maier Museum of Art. 1 “The Art Exhibition,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle , February 28, 1866 . 2 Teresa Carbone, American Paintings in the Brooklyn Museum: Artists Born by 1876 , vol. 2 (NewYork: Brooklyn Museum, 2006 ), p. 1089 . 3 “Brooklyn Art Association, Extensive Exhibition of Paintings,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle , December 27, 1861.