David Johnson, (American 1827-1908)
David Johnson was born in New York City in 1827. He was known particularly for his accuracy in defining rock formations and foilage and was closely associated with the second generation of Hudson River School painters. He was influenced by the works of John F. Kensett, Jasper Francis Cropsey, and John Casilear.
Between 1867 and 1874, David Johnson painted a series of views of boaters on Lake George. According to Gwendolyn Owens, one of the largest of these paintings is also one of the earliest, this particular work, Buck Mountain, Lake George, of 1867.
“By the 1870′s, Johnson’s technique was tight and controlled; rich colors and evocative compositional structures, in combination with finely honed realistic detail, place his Lake George paintings amoung his finest.” [Gwendolyn Owens, Nature Transcribed: The Landscapes and Still Lifes of David Johnson (1867-1908) (Hanover and London: University Press of New England, 1988), p. 37]
References: Kennedy Quarterly 7:1 (1967), p. 32, illustrated
John I.H. Baur, “‘the exact brushwork of Mr. David Johnson,’ An American Landscape Painter, 1827-1908,” American Art Journal 12 (Autumn, 1980), p. 53, illustrated.
Gwendolyn Owens, Nature Transcribed: The Landscapes and Still Lifes of David Johnson (1827-1908), “A Working List of Paintings by David Johnson”, p. 71.
P4A acknowledges the assistance of Shannons Fine Arts Auctioneers in preparing this reference note.