GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In 1883 J. Alden Weir exchanged one of his paintings for about 150 acres of land comprising a farm and orchards near Branchville, Connecticut. Here, Weir would walk the fields and tend his gardens and trees. He often set out on his walks with his sketching materials, bringing back ideas for his paintings. One of such paintings, Ravine Near Branchville, with its high horizon and broad, painterly touch was likely painted en plein air, as indicated by the pinholes marking each corner, where the canvas was certainly tacked to a portable surface. Typical of his late works, here Weir has confined his palette to shades of blue and green—pastel tones which reveal the influence of Japanese prints, which Weir and his contemporaries started to collect at the turn of the century. The artist’s interest in the play of light and shadow across the ravine, paired with his flickering brushwork, has achieved a delicate movement, mimicking a gentle breeze across the leaves and grasses.
Adapted from
- Eleanor Jones Harvey, "Julian Alden Weir, Ravine near Branchville," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 245.
- Erin Pinon, DMA label text, 2015
NOTES
c. 1910-1919
Object File Reviewed
Checked Piction
Another note in EAS pending notebook was about good examples of conservation- See Weir landscape painting that is photographed with half cleaning completed
1957.65
Weir is grouped with the "Ten", a group of American Impressionists, which included Childe Hassam and John Twachtman. Born in 1852 in West Point, New York, Weir was the son of the artist Robert W. Weir, from whom he received his earliest art training, before studying at the National Academy of Design in New York. In 1873 Weir went to Paris where he studied, like Eakins, under Gerome and Bastien-Lepage. Weir also received help from Whistler. After several trips to Europe, Weir settled in New York in 1883. His work before 1890 reflected his academic training, with the use of a dark palette and emphasis on precise draftsmanship. In the l890s Weir experimented with Impressionism, doing quiet landscapes often near his summer home in Windham, Connecticut. In his work, Weir shows a decorative
treatment of surface and a subtle use of color. Weir exhibited with The Ten in 1898, and taught art at the Art Students League and at Cooper University. The Ravine Near Branchville illustrates the artist's Impressionistic style and strong compositional format. Weir experimented not only with different styles, but with different mediums, working in oil, stained glass, etching, and watercolor.
Excerpt from
Anne Bromberg, "Description of Selected Paintings in the Collection," DMA Education files, 1987.
In 1883 J. Alden Weir exchanged one of his paintings for a sizeable, plum plot of land near Branchville, Connecticut. Ripe with agricultural opportunity, the farms and orchards peppering his property served an additional purpose as the environmental muse from which he often drew inspiration. One of such painting, Ravine Near Branchville, with its high horizon and broad, painterly touch was likely painted en plein air, as indicated by the pinholes marking each corner, where the canvas was certainly tacked to a portable surface. Typical of his late works, here Weir has confined his palette to shades of blue and green—pastel tones which reveal the influence of Japanese prints, which Weir and his contemporaries started to collect at the turn of the century. The artist’s interest is in the play of light and shadow across the ravine, paired with his flickering brushwork, has achieved a delicate movement, mimicking a gentle breeze across the leaves and grasses.
Erin Pinon, DMA label text, 2015
In 1883 J. Alden Weir exchanged one of his paintings for about 150 acres of land comprising a farm and orchards near Branchville, Connecticut. Here, Weir would walk the fields and tend his gardens and trees. He often set out on his walks with his sketching materials, bringing back ideas for his paintings. Weir often invited other artists out to Branchville, and his frequent guests included Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, Theodore Robinson, and Albert Pinkham Ryder, who painted "Weir's Orchard" from his bedroom window of the farm house.
Much of Weir's early work is figurative, closer in feel to the Tonalist painters like Thomas Wilmer Dewing than Childe Hassam and the American Impressionists. It is primarily in his late works that he turned his attention to the landscape itself for his subject. His health slowly fading, Weir focused inward, allowing the landscape to speak for him. "Ravine Near Branchville," with its high horizon and broad, painterly touch may be dated to the final decade of Weir's life. Pinholes in each of the corners of the canvas suggest Weir worked on this painting "en plein air," as Hassam and Twachtman were wont to do. Weir's interest is in the play of light and shadow across the ravine, his flickering brushwork creating movement meant to mimic a light breeze across the leaves and grasses. Typical of his late works, the artist has confined his palette to shades of blue and green, primarily in pastel tones. Weir's absorption with the landscape at Branchville late in his life may have been his antidote to the ever-present pressures of his official duties. Weir participated in two of the most important artistic events of the nineteenth century: in 1876 he helped found the breakaway Society of American Artists, established in protest of the restrictive guidelines of the National Academy of Design; and in 1890 he joined The Ten, a group of American Impressionist and Tonalist painters. He demurred, however, from organizing the Armory Show in 1913, feeling such an avant-garde exhibition was better left in the capable hands of younger artists. Weir returned to the NAD after 1900, and in 1915 was appointed its President, a position he filled until his death.
Eleanor Jones Harvey, "Julian Alden Weir, Ravine near Branchville," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 245.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Weir, Julian Alden (1852-1919)
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location: Branchville (Connecticut/United States): TGN: 2016628
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1919: Charles L. Baldwin, New York
Until 1951: Joel T. Howard
From 1951: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, bequest of Joel T. Howard, purchased through Macbeth Gallery, New York
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Julian Alden Weir, Biography~Learn more about the artist and his farm at the National Park Service website.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1951.16
Category
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General Description
In 1883 J. Alden Weir exchanged one of his paintings for about 150 acres of land comprising a farm and orchards near Branchville, Connecticut. Here, Weir would walk the fields and tend his gardens and trees. He often set out on his walks with his sketching materials, bringing back ideas for his paintings. One of such paintings, Ravine Near Branchville, with its high horizon and broad, painterly touch was likely painted en plein air, as indicated by the pinholes marking each corner, where the canvas was certainly tacked to a portable surface. Typical of his late works, here Weir has confined his palette to shades of blue and green—pastel tones which reveal the influence of Japanese prints, which Weir and his contemporaries started to collect at the turn of the century. The artist’s interest in the play of light and shadow across the ravine, paired with his flickering brushwork, has achieved a delicate movement, mimicking a gentle breeze across the leaves and grasses.
Adapted from
- Eleanor Jones Harvey, "Julian Alden Weir, Ravine near Branchville," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 245.
- Erin Pinon, DMA label text, 2015
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Julian Alden Weir, Biography~Learn more about the artist and his farm at the National Park Service website.
Notes
c. 1910-1919
Object File Reviewed
Checked Piction
Another note in EAS pending notebook was about good examples of conservation- See Weir landscape painting that is photographed with half cleaning completed
1957.65
Weir is grouped with the "Ten", a group of American Impressionists, which included Childe Hassam and John Twachtman. Born in 1852 in West Point, New York, Weir was the son of the artist Robert W. Weir, from whom he received his earliest art training, before studying at the National Academy of Design in New York. In 1873 Weir went to Paris where he studied, like Eakins, under Gerome and Bastien-Lepage. Weir also received help from Whistler. After several trips to Europe, Weir settled in New York in 1883. His work before 1890 reflected his academic training, with the use of a dark palette and emphasis on precise draftsmanship. In the l890s Weir experimented with Impressionism, doing quiet landscapes often near his summer home in Windham, Connecticut. In his work, Weir shows a decorative
treatment of surface and a subtle use of color. Weir exhibited with The Ten in 1898, and taught art at the Art Students League and at Cooper University. The Ravine Near Branchville illustrates the artist's Impressionistic style and strong compositional format. Weir experimented not only with different styles, but with different mediums, working in oil, stained glass, etching, and watercolor.
Excerpt from
Anne Bromberg, "Description of Selected Paintings in the Collection," DMA Education files, 1987.
In 1883 J. Alden Weir exchanged one of his paintings for a sizeable, plum plot of land near Branchville, Connecticut. Ripe with agricultural opportunity, the farms and orchards peppering his property served an additional purpose as the environmental muse from which he often drew inspiration. One of such painting, Ravine Near Branchville, with its high horizon and broad, painterly touch was likely painted en plein air, as indicated by the pinholes marking each corner, where the canvas was certainly tacked to a portable surface. Typical of his late works, here Weir has confined his palette to shades of blue and green—pastel tones which reveal the influence of Japanese prints, which Weir and his contemporaries started to collect at the turn of the century. The artist’s interest is in the play of light and shadow across the ravine, paired with his flickering brushwork, has achieved a delicate movement, mimicking a gentle breeze across the leaves and grasses.
Erin Pinon, DMA label text, 2015
In 1883 J. Alden Weir exchanged one of his paintings for about 150 acres of land comprising a farm and orchards near Branchville, Connecticut. Here, Weir would walk the fields and tend his gardens and trees. He often set out on his walks with his sketching materials, bringing back ideas for his paintings. Weir often invited other artists out to Branchville, and his frequent guests included Childe Hassam, John Twachtman, Theodore Robinson, and Albert Pinkham Ryder, who painted "Weir's Orchard" from his bedroom window of the farm house.
Much of Weir's early work is figurative, closer in feel to the Tonalist painters like Thomas Wilmer Dewing than Childe Hassam and the American Impressionists. It is primarily in his late works that he turned his attention to the landscape itself for his subject. His health slowly fading, Weir focused inward, allowing the landscape to speak for him. "Ravine Near Branchville," with its high horizon and broad, painterly touch may be dated to the final decade of Weir's life. Pinholes in each of the corners of the canvas suggest Weir worked on this painting "en plein air," as Hassam and Twachtman were wont to do. Weir's interest is in the play of light and shadow across the ravine, his flickering brushwork creating movement meant to mimic a light breeze across the leaves and grasses. Typical of his late works, the artist has confined his palette to shades of blue and green, primarily in pastel tones. Weir's absorption with the landscape at Branchville late in his life may have been his antidote to the ever-present pressures of his official duties. Weir participated in two of the most important artistic events of the nineteenth century: in 1876 he helped found the breakaway Society of American Artists, established in protest of the restrictive guidelines of the National Academy of Design; and in 1890 he joined The Ten, a group of American Impressionist and Tonalist painters. He demurred, however, from organizing the Armory Show in 1913, feeling such an avant-garde exhibition was better left in the capable hands of younger artists. Weir returned to the NAD after 1900, and in 1915 was appointed its President, a position he filled until his death.
Eleanor Jones Harvey, "Julian Alden Weir, Ravine near Branchville," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 245.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Weir, Julian Alden (1852-1919)
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location: Branchville (Connecticut/United States): TGN: 2016628
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1919: Charles L. Baldwin, New York
Until 1951: Joel T. Howard
From 1951: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, bequest of Joel T. Howard, purchased through Macbeth Gallery, New York
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
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