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Lot Essay
Of the many American painters drawn to the village of Giverny, Theodore Robinson made the most lasting and meaningful contribution to American Impressionism. Professor W. H. Gerdts writes, "The most significant of the Givernois was Theodore Robinson. Though he died quite young, his work received far more critical notice in America than that of any other artist during Impressionism's crucial formative years there. . . his painting was stronger, more varied and at its best perhaps more beautiful than that of many of his contemporaries. (American Impressionism, New York, 1984, p. 66)
Painted in 1891 at the height of his abilities, The Seamstress reflects the finest qualities of this painter's highly personal vision of American Impressionism. Whereas Robinson's pictures from the late 1880s and earlier were more tightly rendered, it was not until 1888 when he moved next door to Claude Monet that he fully adopted the Impressionist aesthetic. And by the early 1890s he had liberated his paint application to create more painterly, livelier surface qualities clearly evident in The Seamstress.
The palette Robinson chose for The Seamstress is highly refined and sophisticated. The predominant colors of green and pink with touches of crimson synthesize with the soft hues of the background. Overall the composition has a harmonious quality that is characteristic of American Impressionism at its finest.
Robinson often placed his figures in gardens, meadows or woods--enclosed, intimate outdoor spaces filled with dappled light, such as that seen in The Seamstress. These spaces allowed the artist to explore the limits of Impressionism through careful study of light and shade and through delicate modulation of color and tonal relations.
Robinson acquired a thorough understanding of the Impressionist work of Claude Monet, yet the American painter was not merely an imitator of the French master. Robinson absorbed Monet's theories and built on them to create works that reflected his personal style of Impressionism. Sona Johnston has written, "He did not abstract the image before him as Monet had advised. With few exceptions his forms remain solid, firmly defined, and the subject matter is always clearly identifiable. Although the degree of his initial devotion to Monet's Impressionism is obvious, his art demonstrates a selection and subsequent interpretation of these elements most sympathetic to his manner of expression." (Theodore Robinson, Baltimore, Maryland, 1973, p. xiv)
This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Ira Spanierman and Sona Johnston.
Painted in 1891 at the height of his abilities, The Seamstress reflects the finest qualities of this painter's highly personal vision of American Impressionism. Whereas Robinson's pictures from the late 1880s and earlier were more tightly rendered, it was not until 1888 when he moved next door to Claude Monet that he fully adopted the Impressionist aesthetic. And by the early 1890s he had liberated his paint application to create more painterly, livelier surface qualities clearly evident in The Seamstress.
The palette Robinson chose for The Seamstress is highly refined and sophisticated. The predominant colors of green and pink with touches of crimson synthesize with the soft hues of the background. Overall the composition has a harmonious quality that is characteristic of American Impressionism at its finest.
Robinson often placed his figures in gardens, meadows or woods--enclosed, intimate outdoor spaces filled with dappled light, such as that seen in The Seamstress. These spaces allowed the artist to explore the limits of Impressionism through careful study of light and shade and through delicate modulation of color and tonal relations.
Robinson acquired a thorough understanding of the Impressionist work of Claude Monet, yet the American painter was not merely an imitator of the French master. Robinson absorbed Monet's theories and built on them to create works that reflected his personal style of Impressionism. Sona Johnston has written, "He did not abstract the image before him as Monet had advised. With few exceptions his forms remain solid, firmly defined, and the subject matter is always clearly identifiable. Although the degree of his initial devotion to Monet's Impressionism is obvious, his art demonstrates a selection and subsequent interpretation of these elements most sympathetic to his manner of expression." (Theodore Robinson, Baltimore, Maryland, 1973, p. xiv)
This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Ira Spanierman and Sona Johnston.