Someone I’ve been meaning to write about for a while now is Theodore Robinson. He was an American artist known mostly for his peaceful landscapes. He was also one of the first Americans to take up the ways of impressionism.
Robinson was academically trained at the National Academy of Design in New York and later at the Art Students League. In 1887, he moved to Giverny in France, where he became close friends with Claude Monet. He even moved next door to Monet in 1888. Robinson shared his admiration of Monet in an 1892 edition of The Century magazine, writing:
“There is always a delightful sense of movement, vibration and life… Clouds are moving across the sky, leaves are twinkling, the grass is growing.”
(Source)
During his time in Giverny, Robinson started using brighter colors and experimenting with impressionist techniques like broken color and simplified brushwork. This led to some of his finest works. Though he didn’t lean into impressionism fully. Rather, he created his own unique blend of realism and impressionism.
He didn’t experience wide success during his lifetime. It was only after his early passing at the age of 43 due to an acute asthma attack that he started to gain recognition. That tends to be the case for us artists, doesn’t it? Oh well, just need to keep on painting!
Here are a few of my favorite paintings by Robinson, plus a photo of the man himself:
Thanks for Reading!
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Happy painting!
Dan Scott
Draw Paint Academy
