GROWING | PORTRAITIST | LANDSCAPIST | GALLERY |
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Genre Paintings |
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Other Images Temporary not available.
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In November and December 1860 and January 1861, Junius and Sara stayed
with the family of her cousin Caleb Spencer in the town of Catskill on the Hudson River
twelve miles from Palenville. While he was there, Junius seems to have painted two
imaginary genre scenes. These studio compositions of children in the landscape seem based
on his direct observation of figures and foliage. Though uncharacteristically colorful,
both have the high degree of finish found in Junius' commercial style of portraiture. Creating scenes based on conventionally popular themes apparently did not continue to interest Junius because there is no record that he painted more like this. Instead, the few other genre paintings he produced in his lifetime seem painted out of personal experience. In 1866 Junius spent the summer and fall painting at his parent's farm home near Kewanee, Illinois. This would be their last summer at the farm before retiring to town in 1867. Junius' two surviving prairie genre paintings, The Knitting Lesson and Cool Morning on the Prairie are two of his most noteworthy. The Knitting Lesson was probably based on precise preliminary pencil drawing and Junius' commercial portraiture finish. Cool Morning on the Prairie, on the other hand, seems based on his new, broadly painted sketches. The few later genre paintings seem also to be painted for personal expression rather than for commercial sale. |
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