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John Henry Hill
"Study of Landscape With Cliff and Trees" Graphite/Paper American PreRaphaelite

Name: "Study of Landscape With Cliff and Trees" Graphite/Paper American PreRaphaelite
Brand: John Henry Hill
Rating: 5 (3 reviews)

$250List Price

About the Item

A pencil sketch drawing of a cliff-side landscape composed with trees and a river.\ JOHN HENRY HILL (1839–1922) American Pre-Raphaelite By Amy Spencer Working in watercolor, gouache, oil, and engraving, Hill focused primarily upon natural subjects as influenced by the writings of John Ruskin. I. Biography II. Chronology III. Collections IV. Exhibitions V. Memberships VI. Notes VII. Suggested Resources I. Biography John Henry Hill was a painter and engraver of the American pre-Raphaelite movement. Pre-Raphaelitism in America meant an emphasis on meticulous detail in depicting observed, as opposed to imagined, nature. At the height of his career, Hill was at the center of this movement; painting grand vistas and delicate still lifes with pre-Raphaelite clarity, while also pioneering the investigation of etching in America in the late 1860s (he etched more than 70 plates in his life). During his later years Hill, who never married, retreated from society and lived a hermit-like life in the Adirondacks and West Nyack, New York. Hill came from a family of artists; his father and grandfather were topographical artists and they both––confusingly––also had the first name John. Hill’s grandfather, John Hill (1770–1850) was born in London and, as an established aquatint engraver, moved to America in 1816. He worked on commissions creating sets of prints from famous images, such as William Guy Wall’s The Hudson River Port Folio (1820–25). His son, John William Hill (1812–1879), learned how to draw and engrave through assisting his father in the preparation process. Father and son moved to West Nyack in 1836 and, three years later, the third generation in this line of artists, John Henry Hill, was born. John William Hill had a profound influence upon his son, John Henry Hill’s artistic education. While the elder Hill was a talented engraver, he was also an accomplished draughtsman and watercolorist. Around the mid-1850s John William Hill first read John Ruskin’s influential Modern Painters (1843). This book, and its subsequent volumes, gained great attention in America, as young artists were attracted to Ruskin’s idea that painters should document nature as they saw it. Painting precisely from nature in the open air was a revelation to William Hill who had came to disapprove of the mannered style of copying and mechanical tricks his father taught him.1 After reading Modern Painters, William Hill became one of the key members of the American pre-Raphaelite movement. Following the lead of his father, John Henry Hill grew up embracing the principles of Ruskin; drawing and painting en plein air as truthfully as he could. Hill’s earliest studies from the 1850s are small works often depicting humble subjects––flowers, weeds, rocks––in exacting detail. Hill also often took his dedication to truth and nature to a literal-minded conclusion with studies of dead birds (preferable to “artificial” taxidermy ones) as still life subjects. Hill had his first work exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1856, at age seventeen, and he became a member of the Academy three years later. In January 1863 Hill and his father became founding members of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art. The group’s basic philosophy was to return to simplicity and practicality in art as described in Ruskin’s writings. The group held meetings to discuss the reform of American art and architecture; its members included lawyers, geologists, architects, and artists such as Thomas Farrar (who trained under Ruskin at the Working Man’s College in London), Charles Herbert Moore, Henry Roderick Newman, and William Trost Richards. From this society emerged the journal The New Path. From 1864–65, Hill spent eight months in England where he studied the paintings of Joseph Mallord William Turner, an artist who Ruskin admired. Hill was also impressed by the works of the British Pre-Raphaelites and their associates such as William Henry Hunt, John Frederick Lewis, John Brett, and William Dyce. Upon his return to America, Hill moved to Ashfield, Massachusetts, where he joined a group of Ruskinian artists. While in Ashfield Hill produced twenty-four etchings that illustrated his theories on drawing and painting from nature. These prints were published in a volume called Sketches from Nature (1867). In 1868 Hill spent the summer in Clarence King’s United States Geological Survey exploration of the fortieth parallel as a staff artist. King, who was also a member of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art, led the surveying party through California, Nevada, Idaho, and Utah. Hill sketched places such as the Yosemite Valley, Shoshone Falls, and Mount Shasta (some of the paintings were commissioned by King himself). Hill joined a second King expedition in 1870. Hill eventually returned to New York and moved into a cabin on Phantom Island in the Narrows of Lake George. Hill had previously visited the Adirondack on short trips; however, as of the fall of 1870 it became his principal home for the next six years. From December 1870 to March 1874 Hill kept a diary describing his daily life on Phantom Island. This diary is in the collection of the Adirondack Museum. During his first year on Phantom Island Hill mostly dedicated himself to paintings based on his sketches from King’s surveying expeditions. As time passed, Hill increasingly began to depict local landscapes in watercolors and oils. Hill painted some topographical landmarks including Sabbath Day Point, Fort Ticonderoga, and Shelving Rock Falls. He sold these works to tourists passing through the region and also took commissions from local landowners who wished to have paintings of their summer homes. Hill also had a printing press on Phantom Island which he hauled from Bolton’s Landing over the ice of the lake in the winter of January 1871. Hill produced around ten etchings during his time on Phantom Island. Many of these works are very experimental in their technique and attest to Hill’s contribution to an etching revival in America.2 In 1875 a guidebook by Seneca Ray Stoddard, Lake George: A Book of Today, was published that described Hill and his island retreat: “Phantom Island… is the home of the ‘hermit of Lake George,’ of whom rumor hath many tales, dark and mysterious to tell, although, in fact, the subject is an inoffensive, modes, and gentlemanly appearing individual.”3 The resulting publicity from this exposure saw a slight increase in Hill’s sales; however, the unwanted attention from curious tourists was eventually too much for the introverted artist to bear. He suffered a breakdown and was removed to an asylum for a short time in 1876. In 1878 Hill return to the United Kingdom where he worked in Wales and London. During the summer of 1879 Hill spent several months travelling around continental Europe following an itinerary proposed by Ruskin, with whom he had entered into a sporadic correspondence. Hill returned to American in 1879 upon news of his father’s death. Living in his family home in West Nyack, New York, Hill resumed painting in the studio built by his father. In 1880 Hill’s work was featured in the first volume of The American Art Review. With this encouragement Hill returned to etching (he had not worked with the medium since his time on Phantom Island). In 1888 he wrote and illustrated An Artist’s Memorial (1888) with etchings after his father’s paintings. Hill lived in West Nyack until his death at age eighty-three in 1922. He is buried beside his father and grandfather. The American artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood are almost all obscure today; however, this brief movement had a great influence upon sharpening an awareness of specificity––emphasizing the real rather than the ideal––for American landscape artists of the second generation Hudson River school and onwards. Exhibitions such as “The New Path: Ruskin and the American Pre-Raphaelites,” held at the Brooklyn Museum in 1987, have sought to contextualize the importance of the American Pre-Raphaelite artists within the broader context of American art. Nevertheless, there is, undoubtedly, a lot more to be learned from Hill and his peers. Today, Hill’s charmingly detailed works are in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and New-York Historical Society. II. Chronology 1839 Born in West Nyack, New York to artist John William Hill and Catherine Smith, older brother is astronomer George William Hill 1854–55 Joins father on first sketching trips working directly from nature Sketches in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Niagara, New Jersey, and New York 1856 Exhibits first work at the National Academy of Design 1857 Makes first etchings 1864–65 Spends eight months living in London studying the work of Joseph Mallord William Turner 1867 Returns to America and lives in Ashfield, Massachusetts Publishes Sketches from Nature, a folio containing twenty-four etchings 1868 Spends summer as working artist in Clarence King’s surveying party in California, Nevada, Idaho, and Utah 1870 Spends another summer with King’s party 1870–76 Lives in a cabin on the isolated Phantom Island in Lake George, New York 1876 Suffers a breakdown and is temporarily institutionalized 1878 Returns to the United Kingdom and works in Wales and London 1879 Spends several months in summer travelling around continental Europe following an itinerary proposed by Ruskin Returns to America when father dies 1888 Publishes a memorial portfolio for his father 1922 Dies in West Nyack on December 18 III. Collections Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake Brooklyn Museum High Museum of Art, Atlanta Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Hanover Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Fine Arts, Boston New-York Historical Society Princeton University Art Museum IV. Exhibitions 1856 National Academy of Design 1857 National Academy of Design 1858 National Academy of Design 1860 National Academy of Design 1861 National Academy of Design 1862 National Academy of Design 1863 National Academy of Design 1864 National Academy of Design 1865 Brooklyn Art Association (exhibits here regularly until 1885) 1866–76 American Society of Painters in Water Colors 1871 National Academy of Design 1872 National Academy of Design 1874 National Academy of Design 1875 American Society of Painters in Water Colors 1876 National Academy of Design 1878 National Academy of Design 1881 National Academy of Design Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts 1882 Boston Art Club National Academy of Design 1891 Boston Art Club National Academy of Design 1932 Museum of Modern Art, NY 1973 “John William Hill and John Henry Hill,” Washburn Gallery, NY 1976 “Drawings and Watercolors: John William Hill and John Henry Hill,” Washburn Gallery 1987 “The New Path: Ruskin and the American Pre-Raphaelites,” Brooklyn Museum, NY 1988 “The American Watercolor Movement, 1860-1900,” Brooklyn Museum 1995 “Life Lines: American Master Drawings, 1788-1962, from the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute,” Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, NY 1998 “Masters of Color and Light: Homer, Sargent and the American Watercolor Movement,” Brooklyn Museum “For Beauty and for Truth: The William and Abigail Gerdts Collection of American Still Life,” Mead Art Museum at Amherst College, MA 2001 “A Family Album: Brooklyn Collects,” Brooklyn Museum 2005 “Marks of Distinction: Two Hundred Years of American Drawings and Watercolors from the Hood Museum of Art,” National Academy Museum, NY 2006 “American Etchings from the Parrish Art Museum,” UBS Art Gallery, NY V. Memberships American Water Color Society National Academy of Design New York Etching Club Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art (or The Association for the Advancement of Truth in Art) VI. Notes See John Henry Hill, John William Hill. An Artist’s Memorial. New York, 1888. See Nancy Finlay, “The Hermit of Phantom Island: John Henry Hill’s Etchings of Lake George,” in Adirondack Prints and Printmakers: The Call of the Wild, Caroline Mastin Welsh (Syracuse, N.Y.: The Adirondack Museum/Syracuse University Press, 1998), pp. 105–124. Seneca Ray Stoddard, Lake George: A Book of Today (Albany: Van Benthuysen Steam Printing House, 1875), p. 96 in Finlay, pp. 105. VII. Suggested Resources Ferber, Linda, and William Gerdts. The New path: Ruskin and the American Pre-Raphaelites. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Museum, 1985. Welsh, Caroline Mastin (ed.). Adirondack Prints and Printmakers: The Call of the Wild. Syracuse, N.Y.: The Adirondack Museum/Syracuse University Press, 1998.

Creator:
John Henry Hill (1839 - 1922)
Dimensions:
Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Width: 12 in (30.48 cm)
Medium:
Paper,Graphite
Period:
Late 19th Century
Condition:
Tape mark stain on image as per photos.
Gallery Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU30023252373

2010s Contemporary Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Graphite

Frank Mujica
Diario, 3 de agosto de 2016, 2016

$1,800

H 15.75 in W 15.75 in

“The Harbor Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic”

Located in Southampton, NY

Original watercolor over graphite under drawing of the harbor with sailboats in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic by the American artist, Wilmot Emerton Heitland. Signed “Heitland” lower right by the artist. Condition is excellent. Circa 1930. Under UV plexiglass. A similar painting of the same harbor done in 1924 by Wilmot Heitland is in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The artwork is housed in a light blue laminate frame with navy blue mat. Overall framed measurements are 25 by 31 inches. Provenance: A Sarasota, Florida estate. Born 1893 in Wisconsin, Wilmot Emerton Heitland was an illustrator and painter trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. For a time, he was president of the American Watercolor Society. He also painted numerous illustrations depicting high society that were published in magazines such as: Collier’s, Women’s Home Companion, Cosmopolitan, and McCall’s, throughout the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Later, Heitland moved on to paint and teach at the Art Club. His paintings can be found in the collections of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; the Brooklyn Museum; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and locally at the Museum of Fine Arts, William R. Hough and Co., Stetson College of Law Library, and the Poynter Institute. Heitland moved to St. Petersburg because of the active Art Club here. He had a solo show of his work at the Art Club in 1963, and served as the exhibition chairman in 1964. He died in 1969. Overview San Felipe de Puerto Plata is the capital of the Puerto Plata province on the Dominican Republic’s Atlantic north coast. The city is best known for its beaches. Playa Dorada’s lengthy beachfront is backed by resorts and an 18-hole golf course. The city’s old colonial-era center is dominated by the 16th-century Fortaleza San Felipe, a Spanish fortress that now houses historical and military artifacts.

Category

1930s Modern Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite

Wilmot Emerton Heitland
“The Harbor Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic”, Circa 1930

$2,560 Sale Price

$800

H 8.27 in W 5.91 in D 0.4 in

May 1987, Signed collage, gold leaf, acrylic painting, Framed w/ Castelli label

Located in New York, NY

Robert Petersen May 1987, 1987 Pure pigment collage, gold leaf, acrylic painting and drawing Signed, titled and dated on the front. The back of the frame bears the label of Castelli Uptown (4 East 77th Street) This is a unique work Frame Included: floated and framed in vintage wood frame under acrylic with Castelli label on back This unique mixed media Robert Petersen pigment collage, with drawing and gold leaf and acrylic painting is floated against beveled edges, then matted and framed in a gorgeous light wood museum frame. It bears the label of Castelli Uptown on the back. Petersen, an American contemporary artist born in 1945, worked as an assistant to Robert Rauschenberg for 10 years from 1970 to 1980. He is a versatile artist, working in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and collages, but is perhaps best known as a collagist, Robert Petersen was born in 1943 in the small farm town of Le Mars, Iowa. Petersen lived and worked closely with Rauschenberg on Captiva Island until 1980. In 1973, Petersen had his first solo show at Galerie Sonnabend in Paris, France, which was followed by numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide. His work is represented in private and public collections internationally including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris, France; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Francois Pinault, Venice, Italy; Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York, NY; James Rosenquist, Aripeka, FL; Ileana & Michael Sonnabend, New York, NY; Cy Twombly Foundation, Rome, Italy, and Universal Limited Art Editions, NY. Measurements: Framed: 31 inches x 38.25 inches x 1.75 inches Artwork: 25 inches x 32 inches More about Robert Petersen: Robert Petersen was born in 1945 in the small farm town of Le Mars, Iowa and was raised there until 1952 when he moved with his family to Whittier, California. His education as an artist began in 1963 at Fullerton Community College where his interest in architectural drafting led him to develop a passion for drawing, painting, and printmaking. In 1966, he pursued his love for printmaking further at California State University, Long Beach under the former Tamarind Lithography Workshop printer, Robert Evermon. In 1969, Petersen went on to work as an assistant printer at Gemini G.E.L. where he printed editions for Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg. Most notably, Petersen served as one of the head printers for Rauschenberg's Stoned Moon series, during which the two formed a close friendship. In late 1970, Rauschenberg invited Petersen to live and work with him on Captiva Island, Florida, which had recently become the artist's permanent residence and studio. In 1971, Rauschenberg and Petersen established the experimental print shop, Untitled Press, Inc., where they not only printed their own work but also for visiting artists including David Bradshaw, Brice Marden, Hisachika Takahashi, Cy Twombly, and Robert Whitman. Petersen lived and worked closely with Rauschenberg on Captiva Island until 1980. During the early 1970's Petersen predominately created monochromatic minimalist work and then began to explore the possibilities presented by his intricate sketch pages. In 1976, Petersen made his first monthly inspired journal drawing from the highlights of his sketchbook where he collected observations of daily surroundings, drawings for future work, musings, postcards, photographs, and ephemera such as calendar clippings and magazine illustrations. This technique continues to serve as the basis for his present work. In 1973, Petersen had his first solo show at Galerie Sonnabend in Paris, France, which was followed by numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide. His work is represented in private and public collections internationally including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Musee National d'Art Moderne in Paris, France; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Francois Pinault, Venice, Italy; Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York, NY; James Rosenquist, Aripeka, FL; Ileana & Michael Sonnabend, New York, NY; Cy Twombly Foundation, Rome, Italy, and Universal Limited Art Editions, NY. Petersen currently works in Tivoli, NY where he lives with his wife, Cinda Sparling...

Category

1980s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Robert Petersen
May 1987, Signed collage, gold leaf, acrylic painting, Framed w/ Castelli label, 1987

$15,000

H 31 in W 38.25 in D 1.75 in

John Henry Hill
"Study of Landscape With Cliff and Trees" Graphite/Paper American PreRaphaelite

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“The Harbor Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic”, Circa 1930

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