John Francis Murphy, 'Old Sawmill, Arkville , NY'. Oil on Canvas,1884

John Francis Murphy, 'Old Sawmill, Arkville'. Impressionist Oil painting on Canvas
John Francis Murphy, (American, 1853-1921). 'Old Sawmill, Arkville , NY'. Oil on canvas painting,1884. Signed on verso. Verso also having numerous handwritten notes, 'hung on the wall of Murphys studio until October 29, 1949. Then removed by E.C. Kelly, niece, and sold to ERPF, Catskill Cultural Center.' Spanierman Gallery label also to verso.

John Francis Murphy was born in oswego, n.y. on December 11, 1853. In 1874 he moved to new york city where he was employed as an illustrator. He started sketching in the adirondacks, where he met Winslow Homer. Primarily a self-taught artist, he depicted the coastal landscapes of new york, new jersey and similar countryside in new england. His early work, until 1885, was based on direct observation of nature and was often small-scale.

In 1886, Murphy made a six-month trip to france, where he deepened his familiarity with the work of the french barbizon painters. In his middle-period works, such as the new england landscapes, he was influenced by A. H. Wyant, George Inness, Homer Dodge Martin and the barbizon school painters Corot, Rousseau and Daubigny. He regularly spent summers in his studio in arkville, n.y. in the catskill mountains starting in 1887, and his presence there between the years 1889-1892 had a pronounced influence on his shift into a more tonalist style.
20" high x 27 3/4" wide. Frame: 27 3/4" high x 35 1/2" wide
Condition Report: Very good, light wear to surface. Frame having minor losses.