A beautiful, serene tonalist landscape depicting a tranquil marshy scene at dawn, painted at the turn of the 19th Century on the Hudson. This piece features beautiful reflections of the sky onto the river water and surrounding foliage. Grasses line the banks, and a couple of weathered, broken branches emerge from the water on the left. The lush, rolling hills and banks covered in greenery, with patches of warmer earth tones in reds and oranges, of late summer countryside scene. Dense clusters of dark trees frame the left side and distant hazy hills under a soft, pale sky with subtle clouds, creating a strong sense of atmospheric depth and distance. This painting is signed by the artist on verso, and it comes housed in a beautiful, ornately carved antique giltwood frame with hanging wire on verso ready to be displayed. Please kindly note that the painting presents wear from age and is in overall fair condition, as it shows stabilized craquelure throughout with some losses, and several in-paint areas on the canvas. If desired, pictures under black light can be provided upon request.
Art measures 12.5 x 17 inches
Frame measures 19 x 23.25 inches
Walter C. Hartson was an American landscape painter known for his atmospheric scenes of the Hudson Valley, New England coasts, and European countryside. Born in Wyoming, Iowa, on October 27, 1866, Hartson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before continuing his training in Holland, Belgium, France, and England. He worked as both a fine artist and a scenic artist, collaborating with Thomas G. Moses on theatrical backdrops in New York and Chicago.
His paintings often feature tonalist qualities—soft, luminous light and moody atmospheres reminiscent of Corot and Inness. He exhibited widely, winning awards including a bronze medal at the 1895 Atlanta Exposition, the Third Hallgarten Prize at the National Academy of Design, and others. Hartson was a member of the Salmagundi Club, New York Water Color Club, and other prestigious groups. Around 1917, he settled in Wassaic, New York, in the Harlem Valley (Dutchess County), where he painted local landscapes alongside artists like G. Glen Newell and Harry Franklin Waltman. He died in 1946 at age 79.
PROVENANCE: Private collection, New York, NY; Lilac Gallery Collection. The piece will be stamped from Lilac Gallery on its verso.