2012.6 David Johnson, View from Garrison, West Point, New York

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Like many of his contemporaries, David Johnson made a close study of the regions surrounding the area of the Hudson River at West Point. In View from Garrison, West Point, New York, Johnson lays out below us a panoramic view of the river valley where the United States Military Academy at West Point is at the heart of this topographically accurate composition. Gradual transitions of color from dark to light and between wilderness and settled spaces combine with the driving element of the Hudson River to achieve two results: moving the viewer through the work and striking a harmonic balance between the handiworks of man and the natural wonders of the scene. The artist’s concern for all of the intimate details is an invitation to close observation—from the boats that ply the waters of the Hudson at left, to the train that races southward across the railway viaduct at right.

Johnson, a leading member of the second generation of Hudson River school painters, executed this work in the distinctive style of his middle career, a period characterized by a tightly controlled brushwork, rich color, and masterful compositional structures. His highly refined technique and sheer application of paint during this period achieve a heightened lucidity and luminosity that finds its closest correspondence in the work of John F. Kensett, who is also represented in the Dallas Museum of Art collections.

Excerpt from

Sue Canterbury, DMA label text, 2012

NOTES

Created in 1870

Object File Reviewed

Fun fact from email between Laurel Acevedo and Sue Canterbury in Object File

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Johnson, David (American, 1827-1908)

Cultures

Geography

Depicted location: Garrison (New York/United States): TGN: 2069348

Depicted location: Hudson River (river/United States): TGN: 7013729

Depicted location: West Point (New York/United States): TGN: 7014609

Process/materials

Oil on canvas

Historical periods

1800-1900 "Nineteenth-Century American Landscapes"

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS

PROVENANCE

Before 2011: Private Collection, Butler, Missouri

2011: Sotheby's New York: May 19, 2011, lot 104

2011-2012: Alexander Gallery, New York

From 2012: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the above

AUDIO ASSETS

UMO: 13310112 David Johnson's View from the Garrison, West Point, New York Gallery Talk with Sue Canterbury

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston~View a similar work by David Johnson from 1868 titled Cornwall on the Hudson.

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

The American flag in the painting marks the location of the United States Military Academy at West Point. A mile and a half down the river is J.P. Morgan's country house, "Cragston," which many prominent New Yorkers frequented on the weekends.

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES

Apply to objects where number equals 2012.6

General Description

Like many of his contemporaries, David Johnson made a close study of the regions surrounding the area of the Hudson River at West Point. In View from Garrison, West Point, New York, Johnson lays out below us a panoramic view of the river valley where the United States Military Academy at West Point is at the heart of this topographically accurate composition. Gradual transitions of color from dark to light and between wilderness and settled spaces combine with the driving element of the Hudson River to achieve two results: moving the viewer through the work and striking a harmonic balance between the handiworks of man and the natural wonders of the scene. The artist’s concern for all of the intimate details is an invitation to close observation—from the boats that ply the waters of the Hudson at left, to the train that races southward across the railway viaduct at right.

Johnson, a leading member of the second generation of Hudson River school painters, executed this work in the distinctive style of his middle career, a period characterized by a tightly controlled brushwork, rich color, and masterful compositional structures. His highly refined technique and sheer application of paint during this period achieve a heightened lucidity and luminosity that finds its closest correspondence in the work of John F. Kensett, who is also represented in the Dallas Museum of Art collections.