Henry Golden Dearth

Background

Henry Golden Dearth was born on April 22, 1864 at Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. He was the son of John Willis and Ruth (Marshall) Dearth.

Education

Dearth's early instruction was received from Horace Johnson, a portrait-painter of Providence, with whom he began work on the figure. Later, at the École des Beaux-Arts, in Paris, he studied under Hébert and Aimé Morot.

Career

Dearth's earlier work reflected the influence of picturesque France.

By a hint here and there, a graceful suggestion of thought that the imagination may carry further at will, he used detail to complete his idea.

This characteristic is especially noticeable in “A Sunset in Normandy, ” with its delightful arrangement of trees, earth, and sky, and a few brush'strokes indicating the cattle which complete the scene.

About 1912, a distinct change was apparent in his technique, and his paintings, including both portraits and genre subjects, became brilliant interpretations in broken colors, the pigment being thickly applied.

Noteworthy canvases of this period included pictures of the rock pools of Brittany, done with a fine, imaginative touch.

Entirely different characteristics marked the later period of his art.

Many of his still-life groups were from treasures in his own remarkable collection; frequently there is an Oriental touch in the backgrounds of Chinese carving and similar details.

He spent his winters in New York, his summers in Normandy, and a few months of each year in his studio at Montreuil-sur-Mer in the Pas-de-Calais by the English Channel.

He was a member of the Fencers’, Lotos, and Century clubs.

Achievements

• In 1893 Dearth was awarded the Webb Landscape Prize by the Society of American Artists, of which he was a member. Dearth received a bronze medal at the Paris Exposition of 1900, a silver medal at Buffalo in 1901, a medal at Charleston in 1902, and one at St. Louis; was made an associate of the National Academy of Design in 1902 and an academician in 1906.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Henry Golden Dearth. American. 1863 - 1918. Exhibition September 22 - October 3, 1981

Views

Dearth was a fine draftsman and a colorist of unusual ability; his work is characterized by a directness and simplicity indicating close sympathy with his theme, and by an appreciation of values - a skilful subordination of mass and group and tones to achieve their proper relations.

A high note of estheticism and idealism is apparent in all these later paintings.

Connections

On February 26, 1896, Dearth married Cornelia Van Rensselaer Vail of New York. They had a daughter.

Father:

John Willis

Mother:

Ruth (Marshall) Dearth

Wife:

Cornelia Van Rensselaer