Lowell Birge Harrison and November

'November' (1881) by Lowell Birge Harrison; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes

Today's painter, Lowell Birge Harrison, born on 28 October 1854, and his painting November, I know from the exhibition Illusions of Reality (8 October 2010 - 16 January 2011) at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I thought it was one of the most beautiful paintings of the exhibition. Large in size and beautiful in colour, my gaze was drawn to it the moment I walked into the room. November is drawing near on the actual calendar so this painting might put you in the mood for an autumn walk in the woods. Before the exhibition, I had never heard of Harrison. He was an American painter and an advocate of Tonalism. In the 1870s, he met John Singer Sargent who persuaded him to come to Paris to study art. He stayed there for six years and exhibited at the Paris Salon with his painting 'November' in 1882. It became one of the first paintings by an American artist to come into the possession of the French government. Harrison was known for his poetic winter landscapes and street scenes. When you google the images of his paintings, there are many that are beautiful. Like Grand Central And The Biltmore In Hazy Twilight and Moonlight River and Fifth Avenue at Twilight. Please click here for more.