Lot 19819: HENRY A. FERGUSON (American 1842-1911)

HENRY A. FERGUSON (American 1842-1911)
Sunset On Lake George, c.1860
Oil on canvas
10.1in. x 18.1in.
Signed indistinctly lower left
Label on verso inscribed: Sunset on Lake George/ Painted by/ Henry A. Ferguson/ Given to Albany Institute of Art 1920 by/ A.V. Jenison/ Acquired by Hastings Art Ltd through/ deaccessioned 1983
This painting retains its original gilt acorn frame.

Provenance: Mrs. Anna V. Jenison; gifted to Albany Institute of Art, 1920; deaccessioned 1982; Hastings Art Ltd, 1983; private collection; to present owner

Exhibited: Newington Cropsey Museum "Scenes from a century past, reflections of the spirit" 2000. Curator, Adelia Rasines

Literature: Albany Institute of History and Art, Catalogue of the Collections of the Albany Institute of History and Art (Albany, NY, 1924)

Henry A. Ferguson's Sunset on Lake George exemplifies the American landscape artist's shift in focus from the minute details of the Hudson River School, to an emphasis on the effects of reflective light and atmosphere. These luminous works created during the 1860s were made popular by artists like Martin Johnson Heade, Frederick Kensett, and Sanford R. Gifford, as well as Jasper Cropsey. According to exhibition records, Ferguson executed other paintings of Lake George in 1861 and 1864, which supports a circa date of 1860 for the present work. Ferguson traveled extensively throughout his career, sketching along the Hudson River, the Berkshire Mountains, and the White Mountains in addition to exotic locales such as Mexico, South America, Europe, and Africa. Ferguson was elected an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1884, and was a member of the Century Association from 1879 to 1911. He exhibited at the Brooklyn Art Association, National Academy of Design, Century Association, Boston Art Club, Art Institute of Chicago, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.