John Henry Twachtman
House in Landscape
c. 1890
Following a period of study in France from 1883 to 1885, the American artist John Henry Twachtman incorporated Impressionist effects into his landscapes by lightening his palette and using softly layered brushwork. Like many of Twachtman’s late paintings, House in Landscape depicts the domesticated nature of the New England landscape as a retreat from the intensities of urban life. Here the artist renders an autumnal landscape through a veil of softened contours, creating a sense of physical and mental distance and inviting a mood of meditative introspection. In 1889 Twachtman purchased a country house in Greenwich, Connecticut; the area soon became a magnet for artists, known as the Cos Cob artist colony, an important center for American Impressionist painters. The farmhouse and surrounding property, including the brook running through it, were almost exclusively his subject matter for the rest of his career. The pastel sky, ochre ground, and bare trees in this painting create an overall pale tone suggesting late summer or early autumn. [Permanent collection label, 2016]
-
Artist
John Henry Twachtman
(American, 1853–1902)
- Title House in Landscape
- Date c. 1890
- Medium Oil on canvas
-
Dimensions
unframed | 22 3/16 x 24 in.
- Credit line University purchase, Yeatman Fund, 1936
- Object number WU 2699
-
Technique
oil painting
-
Work type
painting
-
Theme
Landscape
House and Home
Real / Radical / Psychological: The Collection on Display
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 09/09/2016 - 01/15/2017
Abodes of Plenty: American Art of the Inhabited Landscape
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 01/29/2016 - 04/24/2016
American Places: Painting the Landscape in the Nineteenth Century
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 09/20/2013 - 01/06/2014
A Gallery of Modern Art
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 08/09/1994 - 10/16/1994
Nineteenth Century Art from the Collection
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 01/19/1986 - 04/01/1986
The Way We See It: America by Americans 1850–1980
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 10/10/1982 - 11/07/1982
Impressionism Reflected: American Art, 1890–1920
Saint Louis Art Museum, 05/06/1982 - 06/27/1982
Opening Exhibition of Mark C. Steinberg Memorial Hall
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 04/29/1960
1936
M. Knoedler and Co., New York
Inscription [LR corner of canvas, written in black paint:] To my Friend Willcox / J.H.Twachtman
This artwork record may be incomplete or need refinement. Our staff actively researches the collection and revises records when new information is available. If you have questions or comments about this record, please contact us.