Lines and Colors art blog

Ferdinand Richardt

Ferdinand Richardt, Niagra Falls painting, presidential inauguration lunch 2013
Today is the celebratory inauguration of the President here in the U.S. (the actual one, as required by law, took place quietly on the 20th).

In the news coverage of the event, I caught two mentions of art.

One was the inaugural poem, “One Today” written and recited by Richard Blanco, in which he gave a kind of “one day in America” style snapshot of various kinds of people as they go about the day’s activities, including “…the first brush stroke on a portrait”.

The other mention of art was a painting of Niagra Falls by Danish-American artist Ferdinand Richardt (above, top), which the U.S. Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer, requested the loan of from the State Department offices where it normally resides, to take a place behind the main table at today’s Inaugural Lunch.

Richardt was born in Denmark, where he was known for his extensive body of lithographs of manor houses. After having visited on several occasion, emigrated to the U.S., where he painted numerous canvasses of Niagra Falls as well as other landscapes and cityscapes in around the country.

There is a book of his drawings available used: Fredinand Richardt; Drawings of America.


Comments

4 responses to “Ferdinand Richardt”

  1. Lovely, lovely works! Thank you for introducing me to him! I can almost hear the waterfalls and feel the mists from them on my face! Love his use of light!

  2. These are gorgeous! I second the love of his use of light, especially in the sixth one.

  3. Mmm…I am not in love with these paintings myself. I have a really good idea why though. These fall into that “fine illustration” category so largely filled these last 20 years by Sir Thomas (of the light) Kinkade. Before there was a TV set in every room and instant photo there were romanticized, large format paintings by artist great and small. I admire always the technical skill involved in painting these type of works but I also grimace at times over the whimsy of another “simpler” (?) era! Dead composition aside from a few of these I do see/feel their draw. I like these post on “working artist” as I tire of the continued march of the masters…these might not be the greatest paintings ever done but people should see them.

  4. Wow! Really beautiful waterfall!

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