Samuel Colman (1832 - 1920) Portland. Oil on Board. Measure 17 3/4"in H x 9 1/2"in W and 25"in H x 17 1/2"in W with frame. Samuel Colman (1832-1920) was an important painter of the second generation of Hudson River School artists. He was born in Portland, Maine in 1832 but was raised in New York City. His father, as an art book dealer and publisher, purposefully exposed his son to a world of fine art prints and a community of artists. Among Samuel's first teachers was Hudson River School painter Asher B. Durand. Under this gifted artist's guidance, Samuel made considerable strides in his painting and by the age of 18 exhibited his first work, entitled Morning, at the National Academy of Design. In 1860, Colman became an associate professor at the Academy and later that year, embarked on the first of many trips to Europe. He traveled to Switzerland, Italy, and France, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he ventured to Spain and Morocco as well. Upon returning to the United States, Colman continued to follow his adventurous spirit away from the beaten path. While most of his colleagues stayed close to home, only he and Thomas Moran journeyed to the rugged landscapes of the American West, painting the breathtaking regions of Utah, Wyoming, the Oregon Trail and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Typically, his paintings depict a specific locale, offering microscopic views of hilltops and coastlines, and featuring one major natural or man-made form. As his style matured, it developed a subtle luminescent quality, manipulating light to create a sparkling silvery atmosphere. His goal was not to create a dramatic scene, but a delicate reflection of nature's awe-inspiring beauty. Demonstrating a unique balance of the subtle luminescence of the Barbizon school and the lucid style of the fully-evolved Hudson River School, Colman finds his own place in the history of landscape painting. With works held widely in public and private collections, his paintings are a reflection of the "quiet beauty" he found in nature. " The style of Mr. Colman, both in oil and watercolors has been very effective; he has painted some very strong effects of light and shade, and his coloring has a brilliance that is so harmonious as to influence one like a strain of music."--SGW Benjamin