John Francis Murphy

For other people named John Murphy, see John Murphy (disambiguation).

John Francis Murphy
John Francis Murphy, circa 1920
Born	December 11, 1853 Oswego, New York
Died	January 30, 1921
Nationality	American
Known for	Painting
Spouse	Ada Clifford Murphy

John Francis Murphy (December 11, 1853 – January 30, 1921) was an American landscape painter.

Biography

He was born at Oswego, New York. 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. He became a member of the Society of American Artists (1901) and of the American Watercolor Society. 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 received numerous awards, including a gold medal at Charleston (1902) and the Inness medal in 1910.

A Stormy Day - Brooklyn Museum

Works

Representative examples of his work are:

• "October" (Corcoran Gallery, Washington)
• "The Path to the Village" (National Gallery, Washington)
• "Indian Summer" (National Gallery, Washington)
• "Indian Summer Oaks", 1887 (Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit, Massachusetts)
• "The Old Barn" (Metropolitan Museum, New York)
• "The Hill Top" (Art Institute of Chicago)
• "Afternoon Lights on the Hills" (Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh)
• "Neglected Lands" (Buffalo Academy)
• "Twilight"
• "Late September"
• "Golden Autumn"
• "The River Farm"

Sources

• Cahoon Museum of American Art: http://www.cahoonmuseum.org/american-impressionism.php
• Sherman, Frederic Fairchild, American Painters of Yesterday and Today, 1919, Priv. print in New York. Chapter: Miniature landscapes by J. Francis Murphy: http://www.archive.org/stream/americanpainters00sheriala#page/n17/mode/2up