Charles Sprague Pearce and The Woodcutter's Daughter

'The Woodcutter's Daughter' (c.1894) by Charles Sprague Pearce; Private Collection

I thought I had never heard of American painter Charles Sprague Pearce, born on October 13, 1851, and died on May 18, 1914. But when I googled his paintings, I recognised two images that I had seen before. Click here and here. Both paintings were featured in the exhibition Illusions of Reality at the Van Gogh Museum some time ago. When you see Pearce's Wikipedia page and scroll down to his work, it doesn't look anything like his peasant paintings. In fact, most of the images shown there are decorative murals for the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress at Washington. Pearce was an ambitious painter and a very diverse one because he was interested in many different artistic styles. He experimented with Realism, Orientalism (both modern and biblical), Impressionism, Pointillism, Symbolism and plein-air Naturalism. In 1885 Pearce moved to Auvers-sur-Oise (France) where he stayed for the rest of his life and where he got inspired by the surrounding nature. The painting I chose for today is called 'The Woodcutter's Daughter'. I think it's a beautiful and strong image. I love the detailed wood branches! For more information on the painter (for his Wikipedia page is very poorly), see here and here.