Title: Venice.
Artist: John Henry Twachtman (1853-1902)
Etching, 1884.
Edition 35.
Unsigned.
Image size 3 3/4 x 5 3/16 " (9.4 x 13 cm).

Edition notes - 13 lifetime impressions and 22 posthumous impressions printed for J. H. Twachtman's son by Frederick Keppel for an exhibition in 1921. We believe this is one of the 22 impressions printed in 1921.

#9 in "John Henry Twachtman : American Impressionist painter as printmaker : a catalogue raisonnee" by Mary Welsh Baskett.

John Henry Twachtman was an American painter and etcher. He was one of the first impressionist painters in the United States and, as such, is best known for that subject, although his style varied widely throughout his career. He was a founding member of "The Ten" (also known as "The Ten American Painters") in 1898, which was established with the help of Julian Alden Weir and Childe Hassam to combat the conservative stranglehold major art institutions, such as the prestigious National Academy of Design, had over the American art scene. The group's first exhibition, in 1898, was so successful it led to twenty more years of exhibitions.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Twachtman began attending the McMicken School of Design in 1871, where he studied under Frank Duveneck. At his teacher's suggestion, Twachtman journeyed to Munich in 1875 and took up study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, just as Duveneck had done before him. His time there taught him about the use of bravura brushwork and warm, dark tones. After completing his studies, Twachtman traveled to Venice with Duveneck and William Merritt Chase to put his skills to use, after which he journeyed to Paris to study at the Academie Julian. There, Twachtman was introduced to impressionism and put his Mucnich studies behind him to embrace a more vibrant color pallet and looser brushstrokes. It was a major turning point in his career.

It was also during his time in Europe that Twachtman learned the art of etching and would become one of the artists involved in the etching revival in America. He was a long-time member of the New York Etching Club and his prints were exhibited by both the Club and the Boston Museum of Fine Art (1881). He appears to have lost interest in the medium around 1893, following an exhibition by the Etching Club held in the National Academy of Design. Mary Welsh Baskett notes, in her catalogue raisonnee of his work, that Twachtman produced twenty-nine etching plates and one lithographic stone during his lifetime. He only ever printed in small editions, and so there are only a little over two-hundred lifetime impressions known to exist. He rarely ever signed his prints and on the rare instance he did, it was typically done in a manner similar to Whistler - the margins were removed, leaving only a small tab onto which he placed his signature.

Condition: Very good condition, no stains or tears.