Exhibition: A Joy Forever at Hawthorne Fine Art

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.

… So begins the first line of John Keats’s narrative poem, Endymion, a nineteenth-century retelling of the classic Greek myth, in which the protagonist explores the relationships between love, beauty and the human condition.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

It is with this stanza in mind that Hawthorne Fine Art is pleased to announce its second annual A Joy Forever exhibition. One can easily trace a parallel sentiment between Keats’s opening stanza and the realm of visual art; the Hudson River School painters, in particular, cultivated romantic compositions that embraced the raw beauty of the American landscape and sought to elevate the human condition through artistic refinement. Inspired by Keats’s aesthetics and the enduring beauty of nineteenth century painting, the exhibition highlights works of art from the collection that are especially suited for giving.

Highlights from the exhibition include:

Vibrant landscapes by Charles T. Phelan, William Hart, Edward Dufner and William Langson Lathrop.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Charles T. Phelan (1840-), On the River Bank, Oil on Panel, 6 x 7 13/16 inches, Signed lower right; Charles T. Phelan (1840-), Autumn with Waterfall, Oil on panel, 5 13/16 x 7 13/16 inches, Signed lower left; William Langson Lathrop (1859-1938), View of a Path, Oil on canvas, 25 1/4 x 19 inches, Signed and dated 1889, lower left; Edward Dufner (1871-1957), Sunny Afternoon, Oil on board, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches, Signed lower left; William Hart (1823-1894), Fall Creek, Oil on panel, 19 x 18 inches, signed lower right

Reverent illustrations of New England landmarks such as George Herbert McCord’s Sunset over Lake George, Clark Greenwood Voorhees’s Study for the Chadwick House and Charles H. Davis’s Old Homestead.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: George Herbert McCord (1848-1909), Sunset over Lake George, Oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, Signed lower right; Clark Greenwood Voorhees (1871-1933), Study for the Chadwick House, Oil on board, 6 x 8 1/2 inches, Estate stamp verso; Charles H. Davis (1856-1933), The Old Homestead, Oil on canvas, 17 x 20 3/4 inches, Signed lower left

Intimate studies, such as Edward L. Custer’s Burdock Plants Beside a Fence

Edward L. Custer (1837-1881), Burdock Plants Beside a Fence, Oil on board, 6 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches, Signed lower left

Homage to travel and the expatriate life of many American painters, as in Walter Launt Palmer’s Quiet Morning, Venice and George Walter Dawson’s Path to the Alps.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: George Walter Dawson (1870-1938), Path to the Alps, Watercolor on paper, 22 x 17 inches, Signed lower right; Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932), Quiet Morning, Venice, Oil on canvas, 6 1/4 x 8 inches, Dated July 1885, upper left

And a range of atmospheres that range from the jaunty greens of James Renwick Brevoort’s Summer Pastorale to the brooding hues of Gustave Wolff’s Close of Day.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: James Renwick Brevoort (1832-1918), Summer Pastorale, Oil on canvas, 12 x 20 inches, Signed lower right; Gustave Wolff (1863-1935), Close of Day, Oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, Signed lower right

Also included in the 2015 edition of A Joy Forever are a number of women painters. Contributions by Edith Bowers, Alice Hirsch, Maria Louise Kirk and Lauren Sansaricq round out the exhibition’s scope to include the female artistic voice, which is often occluded from the narrative of American painting.

Whether it is with exaltation of America’s sublime landscape or a quiet scene of unassuming beauty, A Joy Forever highlights works especially fit for giving, as we invite you share a timeless painting with a loved one. Over 40 works priced at $2,500, $5,000 or $7,500. Priced as marked. All works subject to prior sale. Hawthorne Fine Art is open by appointment and is located at 12 East 86th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues.

We welcome your visit and wish you joy this holiday season!

Advertisement