William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941), The Letters, 1907. Oil on panel, 14 x 11 in., signed and dated upper left: ‘Paxton 1907’. Available at AJ Kollar Fine Paintings, Seattle, WA.

William Mcgregor Paxton (1869-1941) The Letters
William Worcester Churchill (1858-1926) The Precious Object

At the turn of the 20th Century, the Boston School artists set a standard exploring the subtleties of light reflected on objects and figures. William M. Paxton and William W. Churchill were leaders both in their technical skill and the manner in which they convey women who are both thoughtful and intellectual with an awareness of the aesthetics surrounding them.

William Worcester Churchill (1858-1926), The Precious Object, 1910. Oil on canvas, 27 x 22½ in., signed and dated upper right: ‘Churchill / 1910’. Available at AJ Kollar Fine Paintings, Seattle, WA.

In each of these paintings, the artist depicts a woman in profile in an interior setting. The attention of the model is focused on the objects in front of her, while her back holds the eye of the viewer in the composition. The gaze of the woman depicted by Paxton is intent on the letters on the table, behind which we see two books; one open indicating that reading is still in process. The light in the Churchill painting leads the viewer’s eye to the examination of the precious object in the hands of the sitter, in addition to the aesthetics of the comb in her hair and the delicate lace of her dress. Both artists implement similar compositional elements and light to focus our attention on the intellectual pursuits of the women and the aesthetic details surrounding them.

AJ Kollar Fine Paintings
By appointment • Seattle, WA • (206) 323-2156 www.ajkollar.com

James Edward Buttersworth (1817 - 1894), Yachts Racing off Southampton, Long Island. Oil on panel, 7 x 15 in., signed; also inscribed on the reverse. Available at Rehs Galleries, New York, NY.

James Edward Buttersworth (1817 - 1894)
Yachts Racing off Southampton, Long Island

James Edward Buttersworth was born in England and was the son, and student of the well-known British marine artist Thomas Buttersworth (1768-1842).

Between the 17th and early 19th century, England developed one of the world’s greatest naval fleets and, having created much naval history, artists of the time were commissioned to portray the great battles for the people back home. By the time James started his career, England was at peace and many excellent marine artists were looking for work.

By 1847 James decided to move with his family to America, where he soon met Nathaniel Currier who, liking his work, gave him a small commission—the first of many he would receive from his firm, Currier and Ives.

James settled with his family in West Hoboken, New Jersey, and set up a studio in Brooklyn. In 1850 he exhibited his work at the American Art Union and sold five paintings. From this point his popularity as an artist grew and he was soon to become one of America’s greatest maritime artists. Yachts Racing off Southampton, Long Island, was in the personal collection of the celebrated maritime painter John Stobart (1929-2023).

Rehs Galleries
20 W. 55th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10019 • (212) 355-5710 www.rehs.com

 Emile A. Gruppé (1896 - 1978), Fog, Gloucester. Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in., signed; also signed and titled on the stretcher. Available at Rehs Galleries, New York, NY.

Emile A. Gruppé (1896-1978)
Fog, Gloucester

Another work hailing from Stobart’s personal collection is Emil Gruppé’s Fog, Gloucester. Born in Rochester, New York, Gruppé was also the son of an artist, painter Charles Gruppé.The family moved to the Netherlands when Emile was an infant and did not return to the United States until 1913. Emile started his formal artistic training shortly after, studying at the National Academy of Design in New York, the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, under such luminaries as George Bridgman, Charles Chapman, Richard Miller, Charles Hawthorne and, later, John Fabian Carlson, whom he met while attending a summer school organized by the Art Students League in Woodstock, New York.

After his studies, he moved to Gloucester, a small town on the coast of northeastern Massachusetts. By the 1930s, he had become well-known among art circles, particularly in the northeastern United States. He founded the Gloucester School of Painting in 1942, recruiting several of his former instructors, including Carlson and Miller, to serve as faculty. The school was located in a part of Gloucester called Rocky Neck, which since the 1870s had a reputation as a hub for American artists from Winslow Homer to Edward Hopper. Through the school and other local arts organizations like the North Shore Art Association and the Rockport Art Association, he taught classes on painting, sometimes in plein air, to large crowds of up to 100 attendees.

Rehs Galleries
20 W. 55th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10019 (212) 355-5710 • www.rehs.com

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