07-02-2021, 10:26 AM
Direct from Nature: The Oil Sketches of Thomas Hill by Janice T. Driesbach
Thomas Hill was one of the preeminent painters of the West, particularly of Yosemite and it's environs. Hill was born in 1829 in Birmingham, England and passed away in 1908 in Raymond, CA. Yes, that Raymond, CA. For the last decade of his life, he had a studio adjacent to the Wawona Hotel. He would spend his summers there and would winter in Raymond. The book is a nice intro to Hill's work along with a solid biography of his life. The main thrust is an introduction to oil sketches Hill would do in the field. Hill would then use the oil sketches to create his larger work. For some reason oil sketches weren't considered real art at the time. The book attempts to legitimize these smaller works.
There is also a lot of consideration given to how Hill made a living and the struggles to find financing and patrons. One excerpt talks about the greatness of the art plus as an added bonus you get a really nice frame. Towards the end of his life, his studio at Wawona acted almost like his personal gallery. People would come over from the hotel and buy his works. The gallery still stands today as a visitors center at Wawona. I would visit it but the gallery is currently closed as a year long renovations is being done on the hotel.
You're going to want to do a really deep dive on Yosemite history to read this book.
Thomas Hill was one of the preeminent painters of the West, particularly of Yosemite and it's environs. Hill was born in 1829 in Birmingham, England and passed away in 1908 in Raymond, CA. Yes, that Raymond, CA. For the last decade of his life, he had a studio adjacent to the Wawona Hotel. He would spend his summers there and would winter in Raymond. The book is a nice intro to Hill's work along with a solid biography of his life. The main thrust is an introduction to oil sketches Hill would do in the field. Hill would then use the oil sketches to create his larger work. For some reason oil sketches weren't considered real art at the time. The book attempts to legitimize these smaller works.
There is also a lot of consideration given to how Hill made a living and the struggles to find financing and patrons. One excerpt talks about the greatness of the art plus as an added bonus you get a really nice frame. Towards the end of his life, his studio at Wawona acted almost like his personal gallery. People would come over from the hotel and buy his works. The gallery still stands today as a visitors center at Wawona. I would visit it but the gallery is currently closed as a year long renovations is being done on the hotel.
You're going to want to do a really deep dive on Yosemite history to read this book.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm