GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The following essay is from the 1982 publication Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern.
One of the pre-eminent genre and portrait painters of his day, Johnson reflects in his work a revival of interest in Dutch old master paintings, particularly as seen in his warm, dark palette and keen observance and enjoyment of common, everyday scenes. Born in Lovell, Maine, he first gained experience with draughtmanship around 1840 as an apprentice in a Boston lithography shop but returned to Maine in 1842 to commence work as a portrait draughtsman. After moving to Washington in 1844-45 he was honored with portrait commissions from John Quincy Adams and Dolly Madison among other notables, and in 1846 moved back to Boston at the invitation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to make portraits of figures in the Longfellow circle. In 1849 Johnson traveled to Düsseldorf to study art formally at the Royal Academy and in the studio of Emanuel Leutze. After leaving Düsseldorf in 1851 he settled in London briefly, then at The Hague for four years, where he became imbued with a love of Dutch and Flemish art, and finally in Paris, studying with Thomas Couture for one year. After returning to America in 1855 and living in Washington and Wisconsin, Johnson settled in New York in 1858. The following year he gained critical acclaim for his Life in the South, exhibited in the National Academy of Design and painted in a tightly detailed manner. His style however soon became more simplified and pronounced in handling, with strong light-dark contrasts and rich surface effects. Thereafter his interest in contemporary American subjects led to such diverse themes as the Civil War, maple sugar camps, life on Nantucket, and the quiet byways of rural America, all treated with nostalgic optimism. He was elected an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1859 and a full Academician in 1860, and he also belonged to the Century Club and the Union League Club. From the early 1870s Johnson wintered in New York and summered on Nantucket. In the 1880s a renewed interest in portraiture eclipsed his genre subjects and remained his primary preoccupation until his powers began to fail after 1900—he died six years later.
Adapted from
Steven A. Nash, Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern, September 26- November 14, 1982, (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts), 48.
NOTES
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WEB RESOURCES
- YouTube~Watch this video from the San Diego Museum of Art that examines Eastman Johnson's Woman Reading.
- YouTube~Watch this video from the Smithsonian American Art Museum that explores paintings by Eastman Johnson.
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General Description
The following essay is from the 1982 publication Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern.
One of the pre-eminent genre and portrait painters of his day, Johnson reflects in his work a revival of interest in Dutch old master paintings, particularly as seen in his warm, dark palette and keen observance and enjoyment of common, everyday scenes. Born in Lovell, Maine, he first gained experience with draughtmanship around 1840 as an apprentice in a Boston lithography shop but returned to Maine in 1842 to commence work as a portrait draughtsman. After moving to Washington in 1844-45 he was honored with portrait commissions from John Quincy Adams and Dolly Madison among other notables, and in 1846 moved back to Boston at the invitation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to make portraits of figures in the Longfellow circle. In 1849 Johnson traveled to Düsseldorf to study art formally at the Royal Academy and in the studio of Emanuel Leutze. After leaving Düsseldorf in 1851 he settled in London briefly, then at The Hague for four years, where he became imbued with a love of Dutch and Flemish art, and finally in Paris, studying with Thomas Couture for one year. After returning to America in 1855 and living in Washington and Wisconsin, Johnson settled in New York in 1858. The following year he gained critical acclaim for his Life in the South, exhibited in the National Academy of Design and painted in a tightly detailed manner. His style however soon became more simplified and pronounced in handling, with strong light-dark contrasts and rich surface effects. Thereafter his interest in contemporary American subjects led to such diverse themes as the Civil War, maple sugar camps, life on Nantucket, and the quiet byways of rural America, all treated with nostalgic optimism. He was elected an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1859 and a full Academician in 1860, and he also belonged to the Century Club and the Union League Club. From the early 1870s Johnson wintered in New York and summered on Nantucket. In the 1880s a renewed interest in portraiture eclipsed his genre subjects and remained his primary preoccupation until his powers began to fail after 1900—he died six years later.
Adapted from
Steven A. Nash, Dallas Collects American Paintings: Colonial to Early Modern, September 26- November 14, 1982, (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts), 48.
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artists_and_designers-0150.xml.nores