4 Vintage European Cityscape Etchings Colman Vanderhoof Pennell 14"

Description

Set of four vintage black and white European etchings. Includes: "Marche Neuf Amsterdam" by Samuel Colman (1832-1920); "A Water Way - Dordrecht" by Charles A. Venderhoof; "On the Dyke" by Charles A. Vanderhoof; and "The Ghetto of Amsterdam" by Joseph Pennell from a sketch by M. Lalanne. Slightly metallic cloth/paper in gray cardboard mats. Cityscape, seascape, architecture, sailboats / ships / harbor.

"Samuel Colman (1832-1920) was an important painter of the second generation of Hudson River School artists. He was born in Portland, Maine in 1832 but was raised in New York City. His father, as an art book dealer and publisher, purposefully exposed his son to a world of fine art prints and a community of artists. Among Samuel's first teachers was Hudson River School painter Asher B. Durand. Under this gifted artist's guidance, Samuel made considerable strides in his painting and by the age of 18 exhibited his first work, entitled Morning, at the National Academy of Design. In 1860, Colman became an associate professor at the Academy and later that year, embarked on the first of many trips to Europe. He traveled to Switzerland, Italy, and France, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he ventured to Spain and Morocco as well. Upon returning to the United States, Colman continued to follow his adventurous spirit away from the beaten path. While most of his colleagues stayed close to home, only he and Thomas Moran journeyed to the rugged landscapes of the American West, painting the breathtaking regions of Utah, Wyoming, the Oregon Trail and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Typically, his paintings depict a specific locale, offering microscopic views of hilltops and coastlines, and featuring one major natural or man-made form. As his style matured, it developed a subtle luminescent quality, manipulating light to create a sparkling silvery atmosphere. His goal was not to create a dramatic scene, but a delicate reflection of nature's awe-inspiring beauty. Demonstrating a unique balance of the subtle luminescence of the Barbizon school and the lucid style of the fully-evolved Hudson River School, Colman finds his own place in the history of landscape painting. With works held widely in public and private collections, his paintings are a reflection of the "quiet beauty" he found in nature. " The style of Mr. Colman, both in oil and watercolors has been very effective; he has painted some very strong effects of light and shade, and his coloring has a brilliance that is so harmonious as to influence one like a strain of music."--SGW Benjamin" (askART)

"Charles A. Vanderhoof was born in Middletown, New Jersey in 1853. He was a painter, etcher, illustrator, teacher and writer. He exhibited PAFA 1880-81, Royal Society of Painter and Etchers in London 1881 along with Duveneck, Parrish, the Morans and others. Member of New York Etching Club and Art Students League of New York. His work is held in the Stenzel Collection of Western american Art in the New York Public Library and the New York Historical Society, the oldest museum in New York City. He improved the process of drypoint etching. His subjects included harbor and architectural scenes in NYC, England and Holland plus Western landscapes and Civil War scenes. He was an illustrator for Harper's 1881 and Century 1880's. He was a teacher at Cooper Union and participated in the founding of theArt Students League. He died in Locust Point, New York in 1918." (askART)

"Joseph Pennell, painter, illustrator, etcher, lecturer, critic, author, teacher, was born in Pennsylvania in 1857, the son of Philadelphia Quaker parents and briefly attended the School of Industrial Design now called the Philadelphia College of Art. He was a pupil in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts between 1878-80, and his unusual ability in etching was early recognized by his instructor, James L. Claghorn. In his time Pennell had "acquired no small measure of fame as a public lecturer, critic and author. He also taught at the Art Students' League. As an illustrator for a time he worked in New Orleans in collaboration with Cable, the novelist. In 1881 he went to Europe to illustrate some of the Italian writings of W. D. Howells. There he received recognition from Philip Gilbert Hamerton who secured his services in illustrating a book on a tour along the river Seine. "The fame of his work soon brought him all the commissions he wished," and he collaborated with Henry James, Justin McCarthy and Sir Walter Besant in illustrating the "picturesque buildings and streets of London. He also collaborated with Andrew Rensselaer in portraying "the Majesty and beauty of the English cathedrals". He did so with his wife Elizabeth Robbins Pennell. About his drawings an etchings one critic of the time said they are: "legion in number and must be seen to be appreciated [he completed over 1800 etchings and lithographs, executed mostly in Europe before 1917]. His etchings (he has destroyed all his early plates to prevent prints from worn-out plates finding their way into the market), run up into the hundreds and have an average excellence rarely maintained by a devotee of the needle, his Philadelphia, New Orleans, Italian, and London series, all have their own charm and excellence." Another critic wrote: "Mr. Pennell invests every one of his drawings with rare mood. His skies of dawn, noon , sunset, storm, and sunshine are chosen and painted with supreme skill, making pictures of high emotional value. As an etcher Mr. Pennell is without a peer." His style was strongly influenced by James Whistler. Pennell was known for taking up causes and upon his return to the United States he took up a "strenuous fight against unsightly billboards. His art was unique, peculiarly his own. His draftsmanship was legendary and one historian wrote: "the world produced few equals and no superior. With rare exception everything he has done has in an eminent degree, the quality of the artistic." (Brush & Palette 12:81) He did a famous series of twenty-three lithographs of the Panama Canal that gained him much notoriety, and the Italian government has purchases for the Uffizi Gallery the originals. They also purchased his lithographs of the Grand Canyon and the Yosemite that he did while traveling in the American West in 1912 and 1915. Pennell also did scenes of San Francisco during those trips. That was the first time lithographs were acquired for the Uffizi and conferred the distinction of the "talented American Artist." He also did lithographs for the United States and Great Britain during the war that were "high class propaganda-to stir the war spirit and to stimulate national pride." He won numerous awards for his work including: 1st class gold medal, Paris Expo., 1900; Dresden, 1902; Grand Prize, St. Louis Expo., 1904; gold medal, Liege, 1905; Grand Prix, Milan, 1906; Barcelona, 1907; Brussels, 1910; Diplome d'Honneur, Amsterdam, 1912; 2 medals, London, 1913; Florence,1914; Commemorative medal, Florence, 1915 and others. Joseph Pennell was elected an Associate of the National Academy in 1907, and an Academician in 1909. Pennell was a member of the New York Etching Club and author of "Lithography and Lithographers, 1900; The Authorized Life of J. McN. Whistler (with Mrs. Pennell, 1910; and Pictures of War Work in America, 1918. He also illustrated a great number of books and was a contributor to the leading magazines of his day. He passed away April 23rd, 1926." (askART)

Condition

Good Overall - Gentle wear; some discoloration/foxing.

Dimensions

14" x 11" (Width x Height)