THEODORE ROBINSON

1852-1896. One of the principal figures in the early years of American impressionism, Robinson was among the first to paint at Giverny, and one of the few artists to develop a close friendship and working relationship with Claude Monet. Born in Vermont, Robinson grew up in Wisconsin, and maintained a lifelong interest in painting scenes of village and farm life and the rural countryside. His sensitively conceived landscapes and genre scenes were inspired by his time in France as well as the places where he taught summer painting classes, including rural New York state (along the Delaware and Hudson Canal, near Napanoch); New Jersey; Cos Cob, Connecticut; and the West River Valley of Vermont, where he spent the last summer before his untimely death.

As a result of his friendship with Monet, Robinson chose similar subject matter, painting views of the Seine Valley from the same perspective as the older artist. He also shared Monet's interest in serial landscapes, painting the same view at different times of day and in varying weather and atmospheric conditions. The hallmark of Robinson's personal style is a strong emphasis on draftsmanship and composition, executed with the vigorous painting technique characteristic of impressionism.