James Hope (1818 - 1892)

Eldred’s, Dennis, Massachusetts, November 5-6, 2007, lot 58.

The Christian A. Johnson Memorial Gallery, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, Folk Art from Vermont Collections, June 24 – October 1, 1978.

Ralph and Susanne Katz, “Before He Got Too Good: James Hope, The Early Vermont Landscapes” (forthcoming article).

Light craquelure, two horizontal spots of surface residue (one at the central treeline, the other across the church). Period, possibly original, gilt frame: 33 by 42 3/4 inches.
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The back of the canvas is stamped Growney & Co. Manufacturer’s….London and Goupil & Co. Artist’s Colourment, 289 Broadway New-York.

About 1853, Hope opened a studio in New York City. His family remained in Vermont, and he returned each summer. In New York, Hope focused his efforts on transcending his lack of training and producing paintings that could stand alongside those of his friend, Frederic Church, and others of the Hudson River School.  He wrote to his wife of his evolving style, commenting that one of his early works “was one of my best then but it is flat-flat and wooley.”  

He eventually achieved a more academic style, and his success as an artist increased, particularly after his short but active service during the Civil War. While his later works are, technically, more proficient than the landscapes from the 1850s.  Those earlier views, such as the present view of West Rutland, have a vividness of color, and a linear quality that suggest that James Hope’s natural talent was perhaps greater than his training.