Ira Spanierman discusses one of his favorite painters, John Henry Twachtman (1853-1902), one of the group of American artists known as The Ten. Mr. Spanierman touches on Twachtman’s skillful use of negative space and subtle brushwork, which earned him a reputation as being a painter’s painter. Twachtman created an important group of works in the summer of 1889 on a visit to Newport, Rhode Island. One of these is the present painting, Paradise Rocks, Newport, ca. 1889, which could be considered a pivotal work in his oeuvre as it both draws from the lessons of his French period and moves towards the personalized aesthetic he would refine in the years ahead.
The John Henry Twachtman catalogue raisonné, co-authored by Ira Spanierman and Lisa N. Peters, P.h.D., is currently in its final stages.
