JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900)
JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900)
JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900)
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JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900)
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JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900)

Winter Evening in the Country

Details
JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900)
Winter Evening in the Country
signed and dated 'J.F. Cropsey. 1865' (lower left)
oil on canvas
24 x 40 ¼ in. (61 x 102.2 cm.)
Painted in 1865.
Provenance
(Probably) William H. Vanderbilt, New York.
Brig. Gen. Cornelius Vanderbilt, New York.
Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt, New York, by descent from the above, 1942.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 18-19 May 1945, lot 96, sold by the above.
Dr. Carlton Palmer, Long Island, New York (probably) acquired from the above.
Private collection, San Angelo, Texas.
Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2009.
Literature
A.M. Speiser, ed., Jasper Francis Cropsey, Catalogue Raisonné: Works in Oil, Volume Two, 1864-1884, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, 2016, pp. 35-36, no. 869, illustrated.

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Lot Essay

Jasper Francis Cropsey was born and raised on Staten Island, New York, and trained as a professional architect. Cropsey's architectural background undoubtedly informed his precise observations of the American landscape and accounted for the meticulous attention to detail that was characteristic of his career. Painted in 1865, Winter Evening in the Country demonstrates Cropsey’s skillful rendering of a glowing sunset and scenic landscape while also subtly communicating a sense of national pride amidst the end of the Civil War.

In the present work, Cropsey depicts a peaceful evening on a frozen river, expertly capturing the subtle gradations of the sunset above. The bright snow has not deterred the cheerful figures that people the water, seeming to celebrate the beauty of the winter season. In addition to the stunning landscape, the artist appears to rejoice in the recent victory of the Union. According to Anthony M. Speiser, “A golden glow bathes those who are skating, pulling sleds, or simply walking on the ice. The most fascinating figure is the boy in the right foreground, dressed as a Union soldier and carrying a rifle. Pentimenti to the right of the boy reveal that the artist had originally conceived of a larger, more mature figure, which, in a rare instance, he then painted over as part of the reflection of the trees. Thus Cropsey has again added to this painting of 1865 a note of patriotism.” (Jasper Francis Cropsey, Catalogue Raisonné: Works in Oil, Volume Two, 1864-1884, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, 2016, p. 36)

Indeed, a known Union supporter, Cropsey wrote in his diary of 1862: “I am happy however to know that only a few of my profession have turned rebels while some are behaving so nobly as to enter the service for the Union,” months later continuing, “The political matters on this side in regard to my country…has so wrought upon my feelings that on Friday last during the darkness of the thick fog that hung over everything I could not refrain from addressing a letter to the President…encouraging him to stand fast in the cause.” (as quoted in E.J. Harvey, The Civil War and American Art, exhibition catalogue, Washington, D.C., 2012, pp. 47-49, 249n92) Cropsey once again infuses this spirit in his charming Autumn, Greenwood Lake of 1866, depicting another figure in Union garb alongside an American flag. (Newington-Cropsey Foundation, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York)

The present work is both a depiction of a glowing winter evening and a subtle political commentary. Demonstrative of Cropsey’s keen artistic eye and deeply personal connection to his art, Winter Evening in the Country is a stunning manifestation of Cropsey’s perception of the American landscape and his country at large.

The present work notably descended through the Vanderbilt family until 1945.

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