A few years ago I had my first exposure to a period of art and an artist with which I was completely unfamiliar, namely John Henry Twachtman of the American Impressionistic movement. The beautiful, atmospheric paintings typical of this style made a significant - and lasting - impression on me.  It was at an exhibition on American Impressionism at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Albuquerque, and I recall a particular painting of Twachtman's, a winter scene, that mesmerized me with its shimmering brushstrokes of soft, subdued colors that created an almost monochromatic scene. The painting had a very contemplative quality that evoked a peaceful mood, quite poetic in nature. Upon

"Snow Scene", c. 1890-1900

researching this 20th century landscape painter, I learned that the lyrical style of Twachtman's evolved over two decades of study, varying tremendously as he searched to find a personal style that reflected his inner artistic vision.

Born on August 4, 1853, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Twachtman was the son of German immigrant parents who settled in the "Over-the-Rhine" district of the city, its large population constituting one-fourth of the entire city's population.  John's father was a man-of-all-trades who, after several jobs, finally developed as a painter of window shades, a popular form of decorating in the mid-nineteenth century.  It was only natural that John himself, at age fourteen, started working there, perhaps providing his first exposure to the arts.

By the mid-1860's, Cincinnati was a flourishing city with a constantly developing cultural life, one, however, that stressed music over the visual arts, especially among the German population.  By the end of the 1860s, the German community alone had twenty musical societies, including the Haydn Society.  Yet Cincinnati did not lack for patrons and supporters of the visual arts as well, and by the end of this period two permanent art school had been founded.   And so, at age 15, Twachtman began studying art at the Ohio Mechanics Institute, and then transferred to the McMicken School of Design (later the Cincinnati Art Academy) where he was a part-time student for five years. However, it was not long before conflict arose between Twachtman and his parents as he soon realized his interests lie in pursuing his dream of becoming an artist which was in direct contrast to his parents' desire for him.  As John described it, he experienced "some pretty bad years" during his boyhood.   

Throughout his life as an artist, Twachtman was exposed to ideas and people that proved to have a profound influence on his artistic development.  The first of these was Frank Duveneck, an instructor at the McMicken School who recently had returned from study in Germany and introduced John to the use of a bold brushwork technique that was atypical of the more refined Hudson River School style in vogue in America at the time.  Even more importantly was Duveneck's invitation to join him in a return trip to Germany in the fall of 1875 which proved to be the first major step in the development of Twachtman's artistic career.  The effects of the training he received at the Royal

"View near Polling", 1876

Academy of Fine Arts in Munich - considered to be THE artistic center of Germany at the time - is evident in his paintings for years to follow.  Typical of the techniques of the Munich style, Twachtman's paintings from this time period are rendered in heavily applied oils of somber tones of black and brown, as seen in the "View near Polling" (Venice) at the left, done in 1876.
 

Following this two-year period of study, upon the death of his father in 1878, John returned to America and divided his painting time between Cincinnati and the East Coast, in and around New York.  Like so many artists who had studied in Europe, he also began teaching painting classes.  But it was not long before he was off again to Europe - to Florence this time where he joined Duveneck as an instructor at his art school.  Soon another major factor was about to occur, one that would tremendously influence Twachtman's art career, namely the meeting of James McNeil Whistler in Venice.

At the time, Whistler was working on a unique series of etchings and pastels which opened Twachtman's eyes to something new and exciting that left a lasting impression on him.  Feeling dissatisfied with his own work and having a strong desire to find an expression that resonated more closely with his artistic voice, John was more than receptive to what he saw in Whistler's work. The picture to the right, entitled "Venetian Scene" from 1880, is a Whistler chalk and pastel done on brown paper.  One can only imagine the excitement and delight Twachtman must have felt  witnessing work such as this after years of being surrounded by the somber Munich pieces!!

In spite of John's enthusiasm, a shift in style did not occur for some time.  As is the case for most creative individuals, these changes do

"Gray Day", 1882

not occur suddenly, but rather the transitions evolve slowly over a period of years as one absorbs and internalizes new information and techniques. There's a long period of "weaning away" from the old simultaneously as one experiments with the new.  Such was the case with Twachtman.  We can see in "Gray Day", to the left, a slight falling away of old techniques in his attempt to shuck the skin of the Munich School.  Contrast this lighter, more ethereal painting done in Cincinnati in 1882 with the heavy, somber "View near Polling" done just six years earlier in Venice (shown above).  In this new piece is a hint of the artistic changes brewing within Twachtman that would soon surface, for yet another major influence was quickly approaching his doorstep that would cause these stirrings to fully emerge. . . not on the doorsteps in Cincinnati, but rather on those of the Academie Julien in Paris.

Paris in the mid-1880's was, without a doubt, the artistic center of Europe.  Impressionism was in full bloom, and paintings by such artists as Monet, Degas, and Renoir were accepted by the masses.  This art movement had finally fully broken away from the long established rules of the French Barbizon School, and its influence had spread across the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of the East Coast.  Artists flocked to Paris to study and learn "their trade" from the French professionals; many did not seek the avant-garde style of these more cutting edge Impressionists, but rather desired only to further themselves in the fundamentals of art.  One such artist was John Twachtman, whose dissatisfaction with his own work caused him to recognize his limitations and thus to focus on the goal of learning to draw more proficiently.  As he put it, "I don't know a fellow who came from Munich that knows how to draw or ever learned anything else in that place." 

Paris proved to be the perfect place for Twachtman. According to a friend, "John is delighted with his life in Paris" and he flourished in such a creative environment.  He and his new wife of two years lived here from 1883-1885, where he

"Springtime", 1885

studied under the expertise of Jules Bastien-Lepage at the Academie in the winters and painted in Normandy and the neighboring countryside in the summers.  He also was influenced by the meeting of Theodore Robinson whose works were soft and poetic in nature.  The effects from this exposure, coupled with Twachtman's improved draftsmanship and his new adventure into "plein air" painting (in the outdoors) dramatically changed his work.  His bold brushwork and dark color palette were replaced by a subtle handling of softly diffused light, a simplicity of composition, and the nearly monochromatic color scheme used by Whistler.  We also begin to see an indication of Twachtman's growing interest in abstraction and the beginning emergence of an artistic voice unique to himself.

In the winter of 1886, Twachtman left Paris, having learned what he felt he could - but with some trepidation. "If I must go home soon, I hardly know what will take the place of my weekly visit to the Louvre.  Perhaps patriotism, but my country shall always have that and the best possible painter I can make of myself."  Now with two young children, John and his family moved back to Connecticut where his most financially successful period was soon to begin.

Twachtman finally began receiving recognition from the art community and his peers.  His paintings won awards at various prestigious  exhibitions and he began to enjoy a certain amount of financial success as well.  By 1889, his works were on display at various galleries in New York City (at the same time Monet was exhibiting his famous Haystack series in Paris).  He soon began a teaching career at the prestigious Arts League of New York, with the likes of highly-revered artists such as William Merritt Chase and Thomas Eakins.  He was well on his way to achieving the "fame and fortune" that was his self-admitted quest.  But in spite of all of this, John still did not feel a sense of satisfaction with the content of his works . . . but that was soon to change due to the coming of another major event, one that enabled him to produce his most beautiful works.

Now tired of city life, in 1888 Twachtman purchased a farm near Greenwich, Connecticut; artists had been coming to this area to paint since the 1870's.  It was when he and his family finally settled into this new life in the country that John's work truly evolved.  He had finally arrived "home", for as he put it, "To be isolated is a fine thing, and we are then nearer to nature. I can see how necessary it is to live in the country - at all seasons of the year."  It was in this perfect

"Winter Harmony", c. 1890 -1900

environment  that Twachtman was finally able to find the true artistic point of view that he had so long been seeking -  one that was pure visual poetry.  All of the influences that he had been exposed to over the past twenty years had been internalized, processed, and finally meshed together to allow a truly authentic visual expression to emerge.  Although Impressionistic in style, it was a softer, more atmospheric expression than that of the French Impressionists. Its subdued, nearly monochromatic palette created a certain feeling of mysterious nostalgia.  Its nearly abstract nature was contemplative in mood; its stillness - almost loneliness - was akin to the philosophical, sensitive personality of Twachtman himself.

Although most content and balanced in this country setting, John never lost his ambition for fame and fortune.  In 1893 he and several prominent artists - among them Claude Monet - exhibited at the American Art Galleries in New York.  He received numerous commission pieces, and was instrumental in the formation of "The Ten American Painters."  "The Ten", as it was later known, was a group of artists who shared an interest in Impressionism and were disgruntled with the conservatism of the popular Society of American Artists.  Many exhibits of theirs works were shown at the Durand-Ruel Galleries in New York, the same galleries that also exhibited the works of the French Impressionists.

The very last shift in Twachtman's painting style occurred around 1900 when he and his colleagues began painting in Gloucester,

"The White Bridge", c. 1900

Massachusetts, a popular artists' painting village in New England.  His works became less subtle and more boldly and openly expressive in nature . . . a sign of the soon-to-come Expressionist period of art on the American horizon, during a time in which almost every painter was an Impressionist.  This can be seen in the painting of "The White Bridge" to the right.  Unfortunately, we will never know how far John Twachtman's works would have evolved in this direction as he died suddenly in 1902 of a brain aneurysm, four days after his 49th birthday.  One thing that is known for sure, however, is that in the end, John H. Twachtman did indeed find a beautiful and sensitive style that he owed only to himself, one that reflected his great reverence for the beauty of nature in all seasons of the year.