American

John H. Twachtman

U.S. 1853-1902
Cincinnati Landscape 29.0613

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During the last twenty years of his life, John Twachtman developed a painting style that has come to be known as "American Impressionism." He always felt very close to nature, writing at one point to his close friend J. Alden Weir, "To be isolated is a fine thing and we are then nearer to nature. I can see how necessary it is to live always in the country - at all seasons of the year." This Cincinnati landscape scene was probably made after his first trip to Europe to study at the Munich Academy and before 1878 when he settled permanently on the East Coast. This native of Cincinnati is best known for his "impressionist" renderings of American landscape. In 1875 he made the first of many trips to Europe to study and paint, first taking two years to study at the Munich Academy. He later traveled to Venice, Florence, Belgium, Holland, and Paris, accompanying at times Frank Duveneck, William Merritt Chase, and Julian Alden Weir. In 1897, Twachtman, along with nine other artists, withdrew from the Society of American Artists, whom they considered too conservative, and founded the group "The Ten American Painters," who exhibited together until 1919. The death of Twachtman in 1902 left a vacancy in the group that was filled by his close friend, William Merritt Chase.

 

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