Background
Murphy, John Francis was born on December 11, 1853 in Oswego, New York, United States.
Murphy, John Francis was born on December 11, 1853 in Oswego, New York, United States.
Self-taught in art
He first exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1876, and was made an associate in 1885 and a full academician two years later. At first influenced by Wyant and Inness, after 1900 he attacked the modern problems of light and air, thus combining the old and new theories of landscape painting. His chief characteristics are extreme refinement and charm, poetic sentiment, and beauty of surface.
His composition is simple and his rendering of soil unique.
A past master of values, he preferred the quiet and subdued aspects of nature.
He became a member of the Society of American Artists (1901) and of the American Watercolor Society.