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of art by this artist.
Williard-Leroy Metcalf Biography
Willard Leroy Metcalf, born on July 1, 1858, in Lowell, Massachusetts, was an American painter who played a significant role in the American Impressionist movement. His early life in Massachusetts and Maine provided him with a profound appreciation for nature, which would become a central theme in his work throughout his career. Metcalf's parents, recognizing their son's artistic talent early on, supported his education in the arts. He began his formal training as an apprentice to a wood engraver before studying with George Loring Brown, a well-regarded portrait and landscape painter of the time. Metcalf's education continued at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he was the first student to receive a scholarship, attending from 1877 to 1878.
Metcalf's artistic journey took a significant turn when, at the age of 25, he traveled to Paris to study at the Académie Julian. It was here that he was exposed to traditional painting techniques, but his style began to evolve significantly after visiting Giverny, the home of Claude Monet. This experience introduced him to Impressionism, a movement that would greatly influence his work. Metcalf's time in France also included travels through Brittany and Normandy, where he painted en plein air, capturing the landscapes with a new, softer, and brighter palette.
Upon returning to the United States in 1889, Metcalf settled in Maine and later became one of the founders of The Ten, a group of Boston and New York painters who were pioneers of Impressionism in America. Despite his contributions to the movement and the accolades he received for his paintings, Metcalf struggled with alcoholism, poor health, and a sense of personal failure towards the end of his life. Nevertheless, he continued to produce some of his most beautiful and celebrated works during these years, until his death on March 9, 1925, in New York City.
Metcalf's work is characterized by its emphasis on light, color, and the beauty of the natural landscape. Unlike his friend Twachtman, whose representations of nature were more poetic and ethereal, Metcalf's paintings captured the serenity and beauty of his surroundings with a fidelity to the natural subject. His use of divided brushstrokes and a bright palette, hallmarks of the Impressionist style, did not detract from his emphasis on three-dimensional form. Metcalf's favorite working areas included Old Lyme, Connecticut, where he was part of a thriving artist's colony, and the hills of Cornish, New Hampshire, which he visited for the first time in 1909 and returned to several times over the next decade.
Throughout his career, Metcalf received numerous awards, including a gold medal at the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915. Despite the challenges he faced in his personal life, his work remained influential and celebrated. Today, Metcalf's paintings are held in high regard and can be found in the collections of major museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His legacy as a key figure in American Impressionism and as a master of capturing the American landscape endures, making Willard Leroy Metcalf an enduring figure in the history of American art.
Williard-Leroy Metcalf Quotes
and Sales of Works
Ponti Art Gallery selects and deals with paintings by the
artist. Upon request, we provide free estimates and
evaluations, communicate prices, quotations, and current
market values.
If you are interested in BUYING or SELLING works by the
artist, contact us immediately.
If you wish to sell or receive an evaluation of the
works:
Send us a frontal photo of the painting, one of the back,
and one of the signature. Also, indicate the dimensions of
the work. Inform us about the purchase origin of the work
and any kind of available documentation (purchase
receipts, certificates of authenticity, publications). One
of our operators will respond to you on the same day. We
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professionalism.
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