Antique Theodore Robinson Original American Cos Cob Sailboat Sea Shore with Houses Fine Impressionist Oil Painting
Theodore Robinson (June 3, 1852 – April 2, 1896) was an American painter best known for his Impressionist landscapes. He was one of the first American artists to take up Impressionism in the late 1880s, visiting Giverny, in France; and developing a close friendship with Claude Monet. Several of his works are considered masterpieces of American Impressionism.
Robinson was born in Irasburg, Vermont. His family moved to Evansville, Wisconsin; and Robinson briefly studied art in Chicago. In 1874, he journeyed to New York City to attend classes at the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students League. In 1876, he traveled to Paris to study under Carolus- Duran and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, with Jean Leon Gerome. He first exhibited his paintings in 1877, at the Salon in Paris, and spent the summer of that year at Grez-sur-Loing. After trips to Venice and Bologna, he returned to the United States in 1879 for several years. During this time Robinson painted in a realist manner, loosely brushed but not yet impressionistic, often depicting people engaged in quiet domestic or agrarian pursuits.
In 1884 Robinson returned to France; where he lived for the next eight years, visiting America only occasionally. Robinson gravitated to Giverny, which had become a center of French impressionist art under the influence of Claude Monet.
Historians are unclear when Robinson met Monet, but by 1888 their friendship was enough for Robinson to move in next door to the famous impressionist. Robinson's art shifted to a more traditional impressionistic manner during this time, likely due to Monet's influence. While a number of American artists had gathered at Giverny, none were as close to Monet as Robinson. Monet offered advice to Robinson, and he likewise solicited Robinson for opinions on Monet's own works in progress.
Robinson left France and Monet for the final time in 1892, although he meant to return. Back in America, Robinson obtained a teaching post with the Brooklyn Art School and conducted summer classes in Napanoch, New York; near the Catskill Mountains, where he painted several canal scenes. He also taught at Evelyn College in Princeton, New Jersey, and later at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, in Philadelphia.
With New York City as his base, Robinson circulated among a growing number of American artists pursuing Impressionism. He was particularly close to John Twachtman and Julian Alden Weir and spent time at the nearby Cos Cob Art Colony, in Connecticut. There he painted a series of boat scenes at the Riverside Yacht Club which have come to be regarded as among his finest works.
Theodore Robinson
(1852-1896)
Executed Approximately 1890-1895
Approximately 8"X12". No frame.
Flaw/ small indention in the sky, as shown. The back has been patched to prevent pressure on the canvas, from further indention.
(A later work by the artist, when the artist spent some time in Cos Cob, Connecticut)
American Impressionist
Purple and Pink Sea and Sky; Shore with Houses, Sailboat
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