Clarence Raymond Johnson
"Sunlit House, Centre Bridge"
c. 1925

About the Item

Jim's of Lambertville Fine Art Gallery is proud to present this piece by Clarence Raymond Johnson (1894 - 1981). Clarence Johnson was an important New Hope School Impressionist painter who was active from 1917 until 1935. Born in Ohio, Johnson began his studies at the Columbus Art School. He then came to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he studied under Daniel Garber, Emil Carlsen, and Cecilia Beaux. In 1917, he won the Cresson Traveling Scholarship but before making use of this award, Johnson would serve his country for two years in the U.S. Army Ambulance service in France. Upon his return home after the war, Johnson re-enrolled into the Pennsylvania Academy in 1919, and in 1920 returned to France on his Cresson Scholarship. While in France, he painted Giverny, the small town which was home to Claude Monet. Returning to the United States once again, Johnson settled in Lumberville, Pennsylvania, near the residence and studio of his mentor and close friend, Daniel Garber. Johnson was soon to be recognized as a key member of the New Hope Art Colony. He achieved critical success early in his career winning the First Hallgarten Prize at the National Academy of Design and the Peabody Prize at the Art Institute of Chicago for “Lumberville Lock” in 1925. He also won the Toppan Prize at the Pennsylvania Academy and a Bronze Medal at the Sesquicentennial International Exposition in Philadelphia in 1926. Johnson painted sophisticated impressionist landscapes of the picturesque scenery surrounding the New Hope region. His rich-colored compositions demonstrate skilled draftsmanship and the ability to capture sunlight and shadows. His masterful technique afford his paintings, composed of rolling hills layered with trees and carefully placed buildings, a tremendous feeling of depth. Johnson gave up painting completely by the mid-1930s. After that time, he went into the antique business, selling American period furniture and accessories from a shop in Lahaska, a village midway between New Hope and Doylestown. He refused to allow any of his paintings to be sold until after his death. Clarence Johnson died a wealthy man as the result of his successful career as an antique dealer in 1981. Because he was only active for less than twenty years, Johnson did not paint a large body of work, although what he did produce was of consistently high quality. In 1989, at Sotheby’s in New York, an oil painting by Johnson was among the first by the Pennsylvania Impressionist painters to be valued over one hundred thousand dollars at auction, fetching, at that time, an impressive $121,000.

Creator:
Clarence Raymond Johnson (1894-1981, American)
Creation Year:
c. 1925
Dimensions:
Height: 25 in (63.5 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
American Impressionist
Period:
1920-1929
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Lambertville, NJ
Reference Number:
Seller: JOL1119220321stDibs: LU37412388212
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