01 Nov
Project Description
Description: Oil on canvas, 43.2 x 54.6 cm. Signed with initials 'E.J' (lower right)Catalogue note: This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Dr. Patricia Hills. According to Dr. Patricia Hills, the present work was most likely painted on Nantucket, where the artist and his family spent their summers beginning in 1870.Jonathan Eastman Johnson was an American painter and co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Regarded as one of the leading artists to come to prominence during the Civil War, Johnson was best known for his genre paintings, paintings of scenes from everyday life, and his portraits both of everyday people and prominent Americans. Johnson's style is largely realistic in both subject matter and in execution. His careful portrayal of individuals and attention to light sources enhances the realism of his paintings. Known as The American Rembrandt in his day, his later works often show the influence of the 17th century Dutch masters, whom he studied in The Hague in the 1850s. The artist died in New York City on 5 April 1906.
Provenance: Acquired from Christie’s, Sale 17035, Lot 194, Invoice no. DB19011611. Victor D. Spark, New York| Private collection, acquired from the above, 1966| By descent to the present owner
Catalogue no.: 2019P0252-EJ