Walter A. Clark (American, 1848 to 1917)
Clark originally studied engineering at M.I.T., before embarking on an extensive tour of Europe, Asia, and India. Upon his return to the United States, he settled in New York where he enrolled in the National Academy of Design and the Art Student League. It was during this time that he befriended the painter George Inness, Sr. (1825 to 1894), who occupied the studio next door, and who soon became a mentor to the younger artist.
Initially a painter of the Realist tradition, Clark became intrigued by the energy and vitality of the Impressionists and, with the encouragement of his friends Inness and John Twachtman (1853 to 1902), he began to experiment with the new, more spontaneous style.
Clark was a member of the National Academy of Design, the Society of American Artists, and the Salmagundi Club. He was the father and teacher of Eliot Candee Clark.
Information courtesy of Neal Auction Company, June 2009.
Walter Clark attended MIT, traveled in Europe and Asia, and then herded sheep in Wyoming, before studying at the NAD in New York under Lemuel Wilmarth and Jonathan Hartley. In 1880, he maintained a studio next to George Innes, and drew upon his work. In the 1890s, he focused on Impressionism, having been inspired by his friends John Twachtman and Edward Potthast. He spent many summers in Maine painting in Cos Cob, Gloucester, and Ogunquit.
Information courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions