Henry Ary (American, 1807 to 1859).
Henry Ary was a key figure in the development of Hudson River landscape painting. Born near Providence, Rhode Island, by 1831 Ary was painting portraits in Albany, New York. Three years later Ary moved to Catskill, New York, where he was encouraged by Thomas Cole to paint landscapes. By 1845 Ary was living in Hudson, New York, and had begun to exhibit his landscapes at the National Academy of Design and other venues. Although Ary specialized in local views of the Hudson River and Mount Merino, he also painted in the Catskills, where he sketched with his friend, the young Sanford R. Gifford, in the early 1850s.
Ary’s connections with the Gifford family were extensive. Sanford’s older brother, Frederick, was one of Ary’s patrons, and his father, Elihu, in addition to being one of Hudson’s early industrialists, was a trustee of the Hudson Female Academy where Ary taught painting and drawing.
P4A acknowledges the assistance of Shannons Fine Arts Auctioneers in preparing this reference note.