c. 1902

Silver Light

American, 1870 - 1937

This iridescent twilight landscape demonstrates what a Philadelphia Public Ledger critic called painter Hugh B (reckenridge’s “shingle-stroke brushwork.” Born in Virginia, Breckenridge moved to Philadelphia in 1887 to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). He went to Paris in 1892, where he met up with several fellow PAFA students, who were similarly captivated by Impressionist light and color. Back in Pennsylvania, Breckenridge founded two art schools that focused on landscape painting and then joined the faculty at PAFA, where as a liberal and inspirational teacher for forty-three years he mentored students including artists such as Charles Demuth (American, 1883-1935) and Ralston Crawford (American, 1906-78).