Fine Art M.S. Rau | Mending By Daniel Ridgway Knight

Daniel Ridgway Knight
1839-1924 | American

Mending

Signed Lower Right
Oil On Canvas

American Painter Daniel Ridgway Knight Captures A Peasant Woman In A Tranquil Moment Of Reflection As She Sits Mending In A Meadow In This Remarkable Masterpiece. The Range Of Color And Contrast Between The Floral Foreground And The Subtle Richness Of Sky And Water In The Background Give The Painting A Level Of Depth And Vitality That Placed Knight Among The Most Beloved Painters Of The Pastoral Landscape In His Adopted France. His Artistic Genius Is Illustrated Throughout This Magnificent Work, Confirming His Place Among The Masters Of 19Th-Century Art.

This Glorious Composition Is A Quintessential Work By The Artist, Combining His Favored Pastoral Themes With A Level Of Vibrance And Realism That Sets His Dynamic Compositions Apart. As The Young Girl Sits Framed By Blooming Purple Foliage, One Can Almost Smell The Sweet Scents Of The Blossoms And Hear The Soft Sounds Of Water Lapping At The Shore. A Serene And Peaceful Feast For The Eyes, This Composition Is A Tour-De-Force Of Oil Painting Technique And Refined Artistic Point-Of-View.

Born In Pennsylvania, Knight Spent Most Of His Life As An American Expatriate Working Abroad In Paris. After Studying At The Pennsylvania Academy Of Fine Arts, He Moved To Paris To Study At The École Des Beaux-Arts In 1861. There He Had The Unique Opportunity To Work With Many Celebrated Artists Including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley And Charles Gleyre.

In 1863, Knight Returned To Philadelphia To Fight With Union Soldiers During The Civil War. He Sketched Battle Scenes To Create A Personal, Historical Account Of The War. Knight Returned To Paris In 1871 And Began Studying Under Realist Painter Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, Whose Enormous Influence Helped Knight Become The First American Artist To Exhibit At The Prestigious Paris Salon.

By The Mid-1890S, Knight Had Established His Home In Rolleboise, A Charming Village On The Seine That Became The Subject Matter For The Majority Of His Works. In His Quest To Faithfully Portray The Light Of The Sun On The Environment, Knight Built Himself A Glass Studio In His Garden Where He Could Paint In Natural Light, Regardless Of The Weather. Knight Exhibited His Works At The 1888 Paris Salon, The 1888 Munich Exposition, The 1893 Columbian Exposition, The 1894 Antwerp Exposition, Winning Gold Medals At Each Of These World-Class Showcases. His Works Are Represented In The Collections Of The Metropolitan Museum Of Art In New York, The Pennsylvania Academy Of The Fine Arts, And The High Museum Of Art In Atlanta, Among Others.

Circa 1900

Canvas: 45 1/2” High X 35” Wide Frame: 58 3/4” High X 48” Wide X 5” Deep

Provenance:
Sale, Sotheby’S New York: Thursday, May 25, 1995
Private Collection
Private Collection, Oregon
M.S. Rau, New Orleans