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 Samuel Colman (1832 - 1920) Alhambra, 1860 |
In 1867, Henry Tuckerman wrote of Samuel Colman, “to the eye of refined taste, to the quiet lover of nature, there is a peculiar charm in Colman’s style which, sooner or later, will be greatly appreciated” (1). Implicit in Tuckerman’s statement is his observation of a strong individualism in Colman’s style. The unique qualities of his American landscapes such as the expressive brushwork and the harmonious coloration become apparent after 1862 when the artist returned from his sojourn in Europe. Prior to his departure abroad in 1860, Colman painted in a Hudson River School manner akin to the style of Asher B. Durand (1796-1886) with whom he may have studied during the 1850s (2). It was only after his journeys to France and Italy and into the remote reaches of exotic Morocco and Spain, that Colman developed a more instinctive and impassioned feel for natural scenery (3). Colman was the first American artist to paint an extensive number of images based on a journey through Spain, spending three months there in the summer of 1860 (4). The southern town of Granada is home to the ancient Moorish palace later claimed by Catholic armies called the Alhambra. The fortress was built upon a high plateau and separated from the town by a wooded ravine. Just as the structure’s architecture presents a fusion of Christian and Moor, Colman describes in his composition a beautiful scene in which past and present provide an additional duality to the town. His ability as a draftsman is seen in the vitality of line, crisp characterization of form, and the soft vibrating brushstrokes which delineate light and shadow. A number of Americans appreciated the appearance of foreign subjects in New York art exhibitions, providing an escape from the grim events surrounding the Civil War era. One reviewer writes in 1864, “We think of a time and a life not our own, and for the moment, glad to be lifted out of this nineteenth century, we enter into an age characterized by different aims, and are grateful to the artist” (5) Colman continued to provide the American public with paintings of both domestic and foreign landscapes, until a final submission in 1917 to the Art Institute of Chicago – a painting of Amsterdam. Colman’s paintings are represented by most major national collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Brookyn Museum of Art, Butler Institute of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, New York Historical Society, New York Public Library, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Provenance: Bibliography: |
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