Considered one of the finest painters at the turn of the 20th century, artist and educator Rhoda Holmes Nicholls painted figures, landscapes, seascapes and more—rendered in delicate washes, energetic brushstrokes and a highly tuned sense of light and shadow.
Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1854-1930), Italian Woman and Child. Oil and graphite on paper, 9 x 6¾ in. (window), 16 x 13½ in. (mat), signed: ‘Rhoda Holmes’ and inscribed lower right: ‘Venice’.
An online exhibition at Manhattan-based Hawthorne Fine Art features a dozen works by Nicholls in oil, watercolor and gouache landscapes, as well as portraiture and figurative works. Additionally, the show places particular emphasis on the Venetian scenes for which the English-born artist is well known.
“Nicholls was an ambitious and internationally recognized artist who excelled in both oil and watercolor,” says Megan Bongiovanni, research associate at Hawthorne Fine Art. “In Italy, she was elected a member of the Roman Watercolor society, which was a rare honor for a woman. She exhibited widely, including in numerous annual exhibitions at the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work was so admired that she became a sought-after instructor at the Art Students League and as head of the watercolor department at William Merritt Chase’s Shinnecock School on Long Island.”
Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1854-1930), Reclining Lady with Dog. Watercolor on paper, 12¼ x 15½ in. (window), 13 x 16¼ in. (mat), signed lower right: ‘Rhoda Holmes Nicholls’.
Bongiovanni continues, “We are excited to share a few early works by Nicholls, which were executed in Italy prior to her marriage to the American artist Burr Nicholls and subsequent move to the United States in 1884.”
Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1854-1930), Woman Waiting in Doorway, Venice. Oil on paper, 8 x 7 1/8 in. (sight), 83/8 x 75/8 in. (actual), signed lower left: ‘Rhoda Holmes’.
The oil and graphite on paper, Italian Woman and Child, as well as the oil on paper Woman Waiting in Doorway, Venice, are notable examples of Nicholls’ refined ability to capture scenes of Venice. “She captured women in their daily life amid the architectural detail and exquisite sunlight so unique to the Italian city,” Bongiovanni adds. “A watercolor sketch entitled Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, includes color notations by Nicholls which provides a glimpse into [her] working process. Other highlights such as Portrait of a Woman and Reclining Lady with Dog reveal Nicholls’ skill with the watercolor medium.”
Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1854-1930), Portrait of a Woman. Watercolor on paper, 13 x 10 in. (window), 17¼ x 14 in. (mat), signed lower right: ‘Rhoda Holmes Nicholls’.
Joyous Color: The Art of Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1854-1930) is on view at www.hawthornefineart.com through March 28.
Powered by Froala Editor
