John Francis Murphy

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John Francis Murphy (December 11, 1853 - January 30, 1921), American landscape painter, was born at Oswego, New York.

He first exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1876, and was made an associate in 1885 and a full academician two years later. He became a member of the Society of American Artists (1901) and of the American Water Color Society. At first influenced by Wyant and Inness, after 1900 he attacked the modern problems of light and air, thus combining the old and new theories of landscape painting. His chief characteristics are extreme refinement and charm, poetic sentiment, and beauty of surface.[1]His composition is simple and his rendering of soil unique. A past master of values, he preferred the quiet and subdued aspects of nature. He received numerous awards, including a gold medal at Charleston (1902) and the Inness medal in 1910.

[edit] Works

Good examples of his work are:

• "October" (Corcoran Gallery, Washington)
• "The Path to the Village" (National Gallery, Washington)
• "Indian Summer" (National Gallery, Washington)
• "The Old Barn" (Metropolitan Museum, New York)
• "The Hill Top" (Art Institute, Chicago)
• "Afternoon Lights on the Hills" (Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh)
• "Neglected Lands" (Buffalo Academy)