The New Hope Art Colony: William Langson Lathrop, Pt. 2

"Lily Pond, Lake George" by William Lathrop

"William Langson Lathrop's unique blend of Impressionism and Tonalism creates a visual language that resonates with viewers. Much of his painting from 1900 to 1920 can be characterized as being Tonal rather than Impressionist. The Tonalists favored the prevalence of a single tone above others and preferred the contemplative and evocative moods of nature. Like many Tonalist painters, Lathrop rarely painted directly from nature, but he took many nature walks, where he would make drawings that he would later incorporate in his paintings. As stated by Sherman Gwinn, 'He was not a painter of pictures, but a painter of memories.'

By the twenties Tonalism had faded from Lathrop's art entirely. He came to Lake George to recover after suffering a heart attack, but instead of resting and against the advice of his doctor, he surveyed the area in search of landscape compositions. Lathrop's 'Lily Pond, Lake George,' certainly must be considered one of his most Impressionist works. Lake George had attracted many landscape painters in the past, including members of the Hudson River School.  This work shows some of his most radical brushwork, which is both flecked and broken, actually revealing areas of unpainted canvas.

During the late twenties, Lathrop built a boat which he named the Widge and spent much time making small oil sketches on board. He became acquainted with the noted scientist, Albert Einstein. In the summer of 1937, Einstein joined Lathrop on the Widge, and they sailed along the north shore of Long Island. The artist gave the scientist two of his paintings.

On 21 September 1938, during the great hurricane of that year, Lathrop was anchored off Montauk Pooint when a fishing boat cut the anchor line, causing the Widge to sail across the bay. Lathrop, who was alone on this voyage, jumped ship and attempted to swim toward shore before suffering a fatal heart attack. Although the artist died, both the Widge and his body were found, in addition to his last painting, which had survived the hurricane."

To be continued

(Excerpts from "The Pennsylvania Impressionists" by Thomas Folk.)