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Entries in James T. Harwood (3)

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Jan292012

Painting of the Day, January 29, 2012

Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 7:14PM

By Donna Poulton

Lee Greene Richards grew up in Salt Lake City on the same city block as such noted artists as Mahonri Young, John W. Clawson, and Alma Wright. Richards was among the first group of Utah artists who went to Paris for training. He studied at the Academie Julian in 1901 and then at the Academie des Beaux-Arts; a number of his paintings were accepted to the highly regarded Paris Salon.

Lee Greene Richards (1878-1950), Big Cottonwood Stream (1932), oil on canvas, 39-1/2 x 32 in. Credit: Springville Museum of Art Lee Greene Richards trained to paint portraiture in the academic style, using tonal colors of brown, gray and black. When his portrait commissions diminished with the advent of the Great Depression, he turned to landscape work. He also worked on projects for the WPA; they can be seen in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol. Painting landscapes allowed Richards to use broader brush strokes and the brilliant colors found in the imagery of the Wasatch mountains in autumn.

Richards studied with Utah artist James T. Harwood and once said that “I got as much from Harwood as from any teacher that I had afterwards in Paris.”

Painting of the Day, January 20, 2012

Friday, January 20, 2012 at 11:19PM

By Donna Poulton

After his studies at the California School of Design and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Utah artist, James T. Harwood served as the chairman of the Department of Art at the University of Utah from 1923 -1931.

James T. Harwood (1860-1940), Richards Camp, Holiday Park, Weber Canyon, 1888, oil on canvas, 26 x 45 in. Credit: Springville Museum of Art“Richards' Camp, Holiday Park-Weber Canyon, is more autobiographical than any other Utah painting from [Harwood’s] pioneer period. The setting is the campground at Holiday Park that belonged to Harwood's soon-to-be in-laws. The camp activities were recorded on canvas by J. T. Harwood in July and signed on the 3rd of August 1888.”

Detail. Credit: Springville Museum of Art “The painting depicts a number of white tents nestled among tall pines in a forest clearing. Harriett's (Hattie's) father, Dr. Heber John Richards, is resting on a hammock, wearing a pith helmet and smoking a cigar. His wife and five daughters dot the scene. The mother and her two daughters are preparing food, while a son-in-law in fishing gear is on the left. Elsewhere, another daughter is reading a book, while the youngest daughter holds her doll. The most interesting aspect of the picture is the image of the artist holding an easel and paint kit, preparing to paint oil studies. He furtively peeks to his left at Hattie, who has filled a pail of water for the camp.” - Vern Swanson, Springville Museum of Art

My-West.com |

Painting Mount Olympus - No Easy Task for Mere Mortals

Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 9:09PM

By Donna Poulton

Artist: Mark Knudsen, 2010. Credit: Private Collection and courtesy of Mark Knudsen

Mount Olympus is not the tallest mountain in the Wasatch Range, but anyone who has seen this natural wonder will agree with the early pioneers who bestowed upon it the Greek name for ‘the home of the gods.’ Mount Olympus acts as an anchor in the Salt Lake Valley, an unchanging reference point locating residents both in their environment and their history.

Artist: Gilbert Munger, 1877. Credit: Springville Museum of Art

Settling in its shadow, early pioneers recognized the mountain’s importance as source of water in a dry land and for the abundant timber that cloaked the lower reaches of the massive granite façade. For those who worked with their hands, the gods of Mount Olympus offered up rich rewards. But it was when the pioneers put away their plows and saws and picked up pencils and paintbrushes that the true majesty of Mount Olympus came to light. For the past century and a half, some of America’s greatest artists have attempted to do justice to Mount Olympus…not an easy task for mere mortals.

Artist: James T. Harwood, 1938. Credit: Corporate Collection of Snow, Christensen & Martineau