Happy March! We are making our way, slowly, into the warmer spring months and I could not be more excited. I am ready to get outside and into the sunshine. So to celebrate the – hopefully – warmer weather that is to come we are going to highlight landscape artists this month!
Our first artist we are going to highlight is Fitz Henry Lane. Lane was an American painter born in 1804 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was raised near Gloucester Harbor so therefore was constantly exposed to the sea and maritime life. An influence that became very clear in this works. It’s thought that Lane would have pursued a career in maritime life had it not been for a disease he contracted at 18-months old that left him paralyzed. From a young age he showed a promising talent in drawing and painting, and was largely self-taught. His style would later be characterized as Luminism, which is a style of landscape painting that highlights the effects of light in the landscape. This style of painting often depicts tranquility and a sense of calm in the soft, hazy sky. Lane would become the mentor to several artists in his career including Benjamin Champney and William Bradford.
These kinds of landscape paintings have me wishing warmer days were here now! It’s like I can feel the sea breeze on my face! Let’s go through this month hoping that Mother Nature decides to bring spring a little early and that we won’t have to suffer through the cold much longer!
