Willard Leroy Metcalf

A landscape painter, illustrator, a brilliant representative of American Impressionism. He is known as a member of the Ten community, the members of which separated from the Society of American Artists in 1897. Willard Metcalf, like most American Impressionists, acquired knowledge and invaluable artistic experience in Europe. He studied at the Julian Academy and lived for some time in the town of Giverny, where many progressive artists from different countries lived and worked. Willard Metcalf is known as a talented teacher. He was a teacher at the Women’s Art School (Cooper Union, New York) and at the Art Students League in New York. In 1893, the artist became a member of the American Watercolor Society.

Key ideas:

– Many interesting and even unusual facts are connected with the name of artist Willard Metcalf. First of all, this is his fascination with the indigenous people of America – the Zuni Indians. In 1881, the artist worked at the magazine «Harper’s and Century», painting illustrations to the articles on the life of this tribe. His fascination with the traditions and rituals of the Indians encouraged Metcalf to join the expedition of scientist F. Cushing, and even postponed his studies abroad for a year. Metcalf became one of the first artists to document the Indians of New Mexico and Arizona, introducing them to a huge audience of readers. It is said that the Indians even awarded him the honorary title of a member of the council of elders of the tribe.

– The artist traveled a lot. The geography of his travels encompassed much more than a visit to European countries, and the study of the works of old masters in museums. Metcalf visited separate places of Africa and Middle East, where he painted the nature and everyday life of the indigenous people; this because one of the features of his art.

– Willard Metcalf’s paintings are distinguished by a special freshness and ease of perception. His landscapes look unusually harmonious and complete; the genre scenes are filled with vitality and optimism.

– The vast majority of the artist’s paintings have a lot of light, which is typical of Impressionism, but the images of nature and human figures are material and rationalistic. Therefore, some critics consider the work of Metcalf a border between Impressionism and Realism.