Hamilton Hamilton (American, 1847-1928). Sunset. Oil on canvas. 24 x 36 inches (61.0 x 91.4 cm). Signed lower right: H...

Description

Hamilton Hamilton (American, 1847-1928)
Sunset
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 inches (61.0 x 91.4 cm)
Signed lower right: H. Hamilton

PROVENANCE:
Estate of Arthur J. Phelan, Jr., Chevy Chase, Maryland;
Sloans & Kenyon Auction, Friendship Village, Maryland, September 18, 2016, Lot 01003 (as American Indian Encampment in Western Mountainous Landscape);
Scottsdale Art Auction, Scottsdale, Arizona, April 8, 2017, Lot 00379 (as Sunset);
The Owings Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico (as Sunset, Sierras);
Coeur d'Alene Art Auction, Hayden, Idaho, July 27, 2024, Lot 00157 (as Sunset, Yosemite);
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

Best known for his luminous landscapes that captured the spirit and grandeur of the American West, Hamilton Hamilton was closely associated with the Hudson River School and later the Rocky Mountain School, blending their romantic and realistic approaches to nature. Hamilton emigrated as a child with his family from England to New York but spent most of his life in Connecticut, with a brief period in California, around 1910, for health reasons. Primarily self-taught, he developed his artistic skills despite limited encouragement from his parents, who nonetheless funded his travel to Europe in 1870, where he studied briefly in Paris before returning to America to open a portrait studio. In 1873, Hamilton traveled to Colorado, producing forty-seven vibrant paintings that drew attention for their bold use of color, influenced by Impressionism. These works were later exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, distinguishing him from his contemporaries. From 1878 to 1879, Hamilton returned to France, painting in Pont-Aven, Brittany, alongside artists of the Barbizon School and plein-air movement. He revisited the American West in 1879, where his fascination with the West continued to grow. Inspired by his travels through the American frontier, especially the Rocky Mountains and Yosemite Valley, Hamilton strove to convey the sublime beauty of these untouched places. Sunset exemplifies his fascination with the West and his ability to translate nature's grandeur through atmospheric depth. We are presented with the moment before the setting sun cascades below the horizon, igniting the sky with rich orange and golden tones. The quiet waters mirror the fiery sky, while the foreground, punctuated by a fallen tree and shadowy shoreline, grounds the composition. With its radiant palette and masterful composition, the painting encapsulates Hamilton's vision of the American landscape as both majestic and serene.


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