Willard Leroy Metcalf , American Impressionist

Willard Metcalf's work is also on exhibition at the Lyman Allyn Museum. The painting pictured above is another example of the American Impressionist.
"The Green Meadow" by Willard Metcalf, painted in 1919 on oil in canvas is breathtaking. As a lover of nature, this painting invoked a feeling of happiness and peace. As I studied the painting,I felt as if I was transported to that very spot in the meadow. His use of color and"wiry brush strokes" became his trademark in his paintings. The way he blends the various shades of green as he defines the dirt where the water settles is done with such care and determination. In this painting I see a rain drenched meadow and cows grazing in the distance.

Willard Leroy Metcalf or" Metty" as he was called by his friends, was born July 7, 1858 in Lowell Massachusetts. He attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and later, the Academie Julian in Paris. He also studied under Gustave Boulanger and Jules-Joseph Lefebvre. Willard began painting in 1874 and opened a studio in 1876 in Boston. He traveled extensively in Europe, Algeria and Tunisia. He also lived in several states within his home country including Vermont and Connecticut. During this time most of the paintings were"traditional renditions of peasant scenes". Metcalf was the first American painter to visit Giverny, the home town of renowned French Impressionist Claude Monet.

Willard is known for painting beautiful New England Landscapes. " He became known as the quintessential painter of New England Landscape in which he was born. The directness of his style and its absence of artificiality was not only appropriate to the subject but was prizing to his peers". Metcalf started out as a wood engraver before attending college. He also illustrated for Harper's and Century Magazines. He was one of the first artists to document the Indians of New Mexico and Arizona.

His Collection is exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. His work can also be found among private and public collections. Willard Metcalf won the Webb Prize for "Gloucester Harbour in 1895. The Florence Griswold house has the largest collection of Metcalf's painting and personal artifacts. He spent several summers at Florence Griswold's boarding house where he painted many landscapes.

Willard Metcalf was a painter and teacher. He was encouraged by his friend Child Hassam, a brilliant painter in his own right to paint in the summer at Old Lyme. He made a phenomenal contribution to the Art world. His paintings are recognized at home and abroad. Willard Metcalf died March 9, 1925, he was 66 years old.

References:

http://www.flogris.org/learning/foxchase/html/willard_metcalf.php

http://www.lymanallyn.org

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