Pomfret Church by Luigi Lucioni
This is an etching of Pomfret First Congregational Church in Pomfret Connecticut by Italian-American artist Luigi Lucioni. Lucioni was one of this country's best etchers. His favorite subject was trees. This explains the unusual composition where the church is in the background while the trees are literally front and center. The artist shows off his command of the medium with the subtle shadows on the front of the church. Unfortunately, I think these trees were elms, as contemporary pictures of the church shows much smaller trees. This print was issued by Associated American Artists in an edition of 192. Embury # 61 (catalogue raisonne).
Artist Bio: Luigi Lucioni (1900-1988) was born in Malnate, Italy. He came to the United States in 1911. From that time until his death in 1988, he divided his time between New York and Vermont. In 1916, he began studying at Cooper Union with William Starkweather and in 1920 with Willam Auerbach Levy at the National Academy of Design. After finishing school, Lucioni taught at the Art Students League and lived in Union City, New Jersey.
His paintings of Vermont and his portraits have taken the most important prizes in contemporary American art. In 1924, Lucioni won the Tiffany Foundation Fellowship. At the Carnegie International Exhibition in 1939, he received their Popular Prize. In 1941, he achieved another great success. The visitors at the Corcoran biennial in Washington, D.C., voted Lucioni’s portrait of John LaFarge the best painting in the exhibition.
His works are owned in countless museums, including: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Seattle Museum of Art, Kansas City Museum of Art, Denver Museum of Art, Fogg Museum, Addison Fallery of American Art, Dayton Art Institute, Pennsylvanian Academy of Fine Arts, High Museum in Atlanta, Nebraska State Capitol, Library of Congress, Dartmouth college, Hamilton College, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Carnegie Institute and many other public and private collections.
As much as his paintings are valued, Lucioni is one of the great American etchers. His ability to create dramatic contrasts of light and shadow are extraordinary. His two most famous series of etchings are his Birch series and Steeples of Vermont (barns and silos). They are landmarks of American art.
Price: $300
Size: 17 x 13 inches
Plate Size: 10.5 x 7.75 inches
Condition: Very Good
Medium: Etching
Subject: Architecture & Cityscape
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