David Johnson (American, 1827-1908), "Byram Lake, NY", oil on board, monogrammed lower right, signed, titled and inscribed en verso, 7 3/4 in. x 11 3/4 in., framed, overall 11 3/4 in. x 15 7/8 in. x 1 5/8 in. Note: David Johnson was a self-taught artist born in New York City in 1827. While Johnson did briefly take painting lessons with Jasper Cropsey, it is likely that his time with Cropsey was simply an opportunity for him to hone his already well-established talent. By that time, he had experienced several career milestones such as exhibiting with the National Academy of Design as well as the American Art Union. Johnson was an Associate of the National Academy of Design, then was later chosen as a full Academician. He also exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia where he won a first-class medal in art and at the 1877 Paris Salon. The 1870s marked the peak of Johnson’s career and a shift in his style as his canvases began to reflect the influence of the French Barbizon School. Like many of his contemporaries, he spent time in popular locales of the Northeast including Lake George, White Mountains, and the Catskills as well as central New York state. He faithfully recorded many pastoral and river landscape scenes, such as the painting offered here which features his distinctive intertwined monogram that he adopted in the 1860s. This piece, entitled “Byram Lake, NY,” is reminiscent of Johnson’s later style with a hazy mountainous background and dark, lush trees echoing the Barbizon School and perfectly showcasing how the artist earned the nickname “American Rousseau.” Ref.: American Paradise: The World of the Hudson River School. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987; “David Johnson (1827-1908).” Bedford Fine Art Gallery. www.bedfordfineartgallery.com. Accessed Mar. 10, 2023.

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