William Hart: Catalogue Raisonne and Artistic Biography

New York: Hart Editions, 2020. Hardcover. VG/VG (book is like new, dust jacket shows minimal wear at front bottom left corner). Green cloth boards with gold gilt lettering on cover and spine, beige and red illustrated dust jacket with beige and black lettering, 579 pp., numerous color plates throughout. "William Hart (1823-1894), the Scottish-American Hudson River School artist, was one of the most esteemed painters of the School's second generation. From his early beginnings in Albany, New York, and then as an active member of the New York City and Brooklyn arts communities, Hart quickly established his reputation as an artist known for lush, pasoral (truncated) landscapes and dramatic seascapes, which were so popular that they were often reproduced as engravings. Hart was also a well-known art instructor, served as a council member of the National Academy of Design, was elected the first president of the Brooklyn Academy of Design, and helped to found the American Watercolor Society. Dr. Gary Stiles has undertaken extensive research on Hart and his work that reveals an artist and man of much greater depth than has previously been recognized. The first detailed study of William Hart is a thought-provoking and enlightening illumination of Hart's distinct character and influence. Dr. Gary Stiles's entertaining and readable scholarship will encourage collectors to understand Hart's important contributions and will build recognition of this highly talented American painter." - dust jacket description. (Inventory #: 182590)