21. Landscape from Giverny [1949]

Edmund Greacen discovered plein air painting under the guidance of the artist William Merritt Chase, with whom he would undertake a study trip in Spain. Enchanted by European landscapes, Greacen would also travel for a while in the Netherlands, Belgium and England. His travels in Europe offered him the necessary context to exhibit at some of the most important artistic events organized there. He settled for a time, like many other artists bewitched by Claude Monet's creation, in Giverny. The art-settlement village was a favourable source of inspiration for American painters, who founded a so-called "colony of painters" in the small French settlement. It is said that Edmund Greacen met the master once, and even became a close friend of his family. His time in Giverny is abundant with scenes from the garden, real memorials to the extraordinary days spent by the artist in the region. This prolific encounter with the French village prompted the adoption of a delicate, pastel chromatic scale and a luminous artistic style. Greacen is particularly known for his pointillist landscapes, veritable fragments of nature, vividly transposed - hence his repeated resemblance to the master Claude Monet. On returning to the USA, the artist joined the colony of impressionist painters at Old Lyme, Connecticut. He used to work during the week in his New York studio, and participate in the colony meetings in Connecticut at the weekends. In 1922, Greacen and John Singer Sargent founded the Grand Central Art Galleries, a cooperative dedicated to artists. He was also affiliated with the National Academy of Design and the National Art Club; and one of the founders of the Manhattan School of Art, Grand Central School of Art, which he also presided; he remained in the latter for 20 years. With a unique style in impressionism, remarkable for dreams and contemplation, Edmund Greacen managed to transcend the tangible subject. His rustic landscapes, vividly coloured works, created in a pointillist manner, are the undeniable evidence of the teachings acquired right in the heart of impressionism, in Giverny.

Dimensions

width 73 cm, height 61 cm

Description

ulei pe pânză, signed and dated bottom right, in red, "Edmund Greacen, (19)08"

Dating

1949

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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