Foreword

Rub, Timothy

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Foreword

Timothy Rub

American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent

~This catalogue and the exhibition it accompanies make the argument that watercolor—as a medium and a mode of expression—holds an important place in the history of American art. After reading Kathleen A. Foster’s account of the American watercolor movement, which took root and then flourished after 1860 and remained an important aspect...

Author

Timothy Rub

PublisherPhiladelphia Museum of Art

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-21399

Foreword

This catalogue and the exhibition it accompanies make the argument that watercolor—as a medium and a mode of expression—holds an important place in the history of American art. After reading Kathleen A. Foster’s account of the American watercolor movement, which took root and then flourished after 1860 and remained an important aspect of artistic practice well into the twentieth century, one cannot take issue with this assessment.

The story she tells is a rich and fascinating one, involving important contributions from key figures such as Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Edward Hopper, each of whom managed to make this supple but demanding medium his own. Just as interesting is how watercolor not only was adopted for use in the applied arts, as a tool for design and illustration, but also served American artists as a means for the introduction and exploration of new pictorial ideas such as Impressionism.

At a time when the tools of digital image-making have made the creation of an extraordinary range of visual effects—in color, tone, line, and texture, to name just a few—possible for anyone with a computer and the skills to operate the many sophisticated graphics software programs available today, it is difficult to fully appreciate the brilliant technical virtuosity of those who mastered the challenging task of making a great watercolor. It is, simply put, an unforgiving and exacting medium. Yet the finest watercolors are imbued with a sense of spontaneity, immediacy, and fluency that seems to belie this fact.

That the story of the watercolor movement told in this catalogue tracks the history of American art in the second half of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth should come as no surprise. It is an important part of this larger narrative. But American watercolor also has a unique history all its own, one that Dr. Foster recounts in compelling detail. She is eminently suited to this task, having made the chronicling of the American watercolor movement the subject of her dissertation and the focus of ongoing research throughout her long and distinguished career as a curator and historian of American art. Her treatment of the topic reflects both her extensive knowledge of this field and her passion for sharing it with a broad and appreciative audience.

American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent is a remarkable achievement not only for its scholarship, but also because it brings together an exceptional group of works—many of them acknowledged masterpieces—that hold an important place in the history of the medium. The experience of the exhibition and this catalogue thus promises to be both a voyage of discovery and a delight to the eyes.

On behalf of our staff and Board of Trustees, it is my great pleasure to offer our deepest thanks to the many lenders—some seventy in all—who have generously agreed to share with us prized works from their collections. Given the ephemeral nature of watercolor pigments, which are so sensitive to light, their willingness to lend some of their greatest treasures to the exhibition is greatly appreciated. Without their help, the story of the American watercolor movement we have set out to tell could not have been delineated in such a thoughtful and nuanced way.

I would also like to express our gratitude to the many funders who so generously contributed to the realization of this project. Foremost among them is The Henry Luce Foundation, which made a significant grant in support of this publication and the exhibition. Additional support for the exhibition came from The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, The Robert Montgomery Scott Endowment for Exhibitions, The Harriet and Ronald Lassin Fund for Special Exhibitions, and The Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as from generous individuals, Russell C. Ball III, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Buck, Kathy and Ted Fernberger, Marguerite and Gerry Lenfest, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley, and Boo and Morris Stroud. The catalogue also received important assistance from the Wyeth Foundation for American Art and The Andrew W. Mellon Fund for Scholarly Publications at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Dr. Foster eloquently acknowledges the many members of our staff whose contributions toward the realization of both the exhibition and this volume were indispensable (see Acknowledgments). I echo her thanks for all that has been accomplished due to their intelligence, enthusiasm, and hard work. One individual, however, deserves special mention, for this is the last project she will have completed for the Museum before her retirement. Sherry Babbitt, our William T. Ranney Director of Publishing, has served this institution with distinction for thirty-nine years, including the past sixteen in her current position. It is largely thanks to her efforts and the high standards she set for her department that the Museum’s publications program has earned the distinguished reputation it enjoys today.

Finally, I would like to express—again on behalf of our staff and the Board of Trustees—how grateful we are to Kathleen A. Foster for the imagination and energy she brought to the planning and execution of this project. Hers was a monumental task, but one that she addressed with determination and, even in the face of a demanding schedule, characteristic good cheer. As noted above, this has been a life’s work, and we are pleased to have provided both the means and the opportunity for her to realize the long-held goal of writing a definitive study of the American watercolor movement and developing an exhibition that would demonstrate its significance in a clear and persuasive fashion. That she has succeeded beautifully on both counts is a testament to her scholarship and curatorial skills.

Timothy Rub

The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art

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