Charles Courtney Curran (1861-1942)
Born in Hartford, Kentucky in 1861, Charles Courtney Curran’s extensive education included study at the Cincinnati School of Design, Art Students League, National Academy of Design and Academie Julien in Paris. He moved to Sandusky, Ohio in 1881 and on to New York City in 1882. Already an established artist, Curran was invited in 1903 by artist Frederick Dellenbaugh to Cragsmoor Art Colony in New York’s Hudson River Valley. The camaraderie of the art colony, which included professional artists, musicians, writers and theatre people, nestled in the picturesque mountainous forests, appealed to Curran. He moved there, opened a studio and became the leading member of the Cragsmoor Art Colony where he often taught art and painting. Curran found the intellectual company and scenic vistas an endless source of inspiration. Carved into the stone fireplace of Curran’s Cragsmoor cottage was “Thy Mountain shall bring peace to thy people”.