Theodore Robinson Art
American, 1852-1896
Born in Irasburg, Vermont, in 1852, Robinson moved to Wisconsin at an early age. Encouraged by his mother, he began formal artistic training at the Chicago Academy of Design in 1869. Shortly thereafter, the chronic asthma that ultimately cut short Robinson's life forced him to suspend his studies. Four years later, Robinson resumed his studies in Chicago before enrolling at the National Academy of Design in New York City in 1874. He became involved in the New York art world and participated in the founding of the Art Students League of New York.
Two years later, Robinson, went to Paris to continue his art education at the Académie Julian. He also studied at the private atelier of Emile-Auguste Carolus-Duran, where he met a number of American art students, including J. Carroll Beckwith and John Singer Sargent. Beginning in 1877 he spent summers in the village of Grèz-sur-Loing, a gathering spot for American artists working in the French Barbizon style. After a trip to Venice during which he met James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Robinson returned to the United States in late 1879. Having exhausted his financial resources, he established himself as an art teacher in New York City, assisted John La Farge with a number of mural projects, and worked for Prentice Treadwell on architectural decorations in Albany, Boston and New York. By 1884 he had accumulated enough money to return to his beloved France.
The turning point in his career arrived when, in 1887, he spent the first of five summers at the small farming village of Giverny, located on the Seine in the Normandy region of France. Claude Monet had settled there in 1883. Irritated by the presence of the young American painters in Giverny, Monet took pains to avoid them. Nevertheless, Robinson was one of a select few Americans to develop a close friendship with the French artist. Passages in Robinson's personal diaries and letters reveal that he made frequent trips to Monet's home to discuss art.
Although not formally a student of Monet's, Robinson became part of his inner circle. Robinson certainly borrowed artistic ideas and techniques from Monet, but his work was immediately distinguished from Monet's by its thinner application of paint and softer, more muted palette. Robinson embraced Monet's practice of painting the same scenes outdoors at different times of day in order to more fully understand the effects of light upon the landscape.
In December 1892, Robinson left France to set up permanent residence in New York. Robinson spent the rest of his career painting landscapes, often working in the Connecticut countryside in the company of close friends J. Alden Weir and John Henry Twachtman. They would paint together, critique each other's work, and endlessly discuss and debate Monet's theories. By 1896, when he died of an acute asthma attack at the early age of forty-three, Robinson had succeeded in educating the American eye to an appreciation of impressionism.(Biography provided by Lincoln Glenn)
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Artist: Theodore Robinson
Union Square, Winter (Washington Monument)
By Theodore Robinson
Located in New York, NY
As one of the first, and most important, American Impressionists, Theodore Robinson helped to introduce the French style to American artists and audiences.
Category
19th Century American Impressionist Theodore Robinson Art
Materials
Oil
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Theodore Robinson art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Theodore Robinson art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Theodore Robinson in oil paint, paint, ink and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 19th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Theodore Robinson art, so small editions measuring 6 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Edward Henry Potthast, Irving Ramsey Wiles, and Donald Teague. Theodore Robinson art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,500 and tops out at $185,000, while the average work can sell for $90,000.