In the Manner of Francis Augustus Silva (1835-1886) American, Oil on Canvas. Crows Nest on Hudson. Silva is known for luminist marine paintings. Overall Size: 17 x 23 in. Sight Size: 13 x 19 in. #1431 . Francis Augustus Silva (1835 - 1886) was active/lived in New York. Francis Silva is known for Coastal views, marine and landscape painting. Born in New York, Francis Silva was a second generation Hudson River School* painter, who did much painting along the Hudson River and along the coastline from Chesapeake Bay to Cape Ann, Massachusetts. His earliest known painting is titled Cape Ann. He became one of the leading marine painters of the luminist* style of the mid to late 19th century, especially known for his brilliant sunsets with atmospheric* effects. Of him, it was written: 'For Silva, the subtle manipulation of light and atmosphere was an aesthetic device that transcended naturalism and became an almost abstract means of expressing sentiment.' Francis Silva was the son of a barber who had emigrated from Madeira to New York in 1830. He showed early art talent and with no apparent formal training, he apprenticed to a sign painter in New York and decorated fire wagons, vans, stagecoaches, etc. He also exhibited pen and ink drawings at the American Institute.