George Hetzel
Encyclopedia
George Hetzel is regarded as the founder of the Scalp Level School of painting, a contemporary to the French Barbizon School
of Naturalist painting.
Born in an ethnically mixed part of Alsace, France on January 17, 1826 ; Hetzel’s family spoke primarily German and emigrated to the United States when he was aged two. They travelled from a Baltimore port to a small farm in Allegheny City. Hetzel attended Allegheny City school and was apprenticed to a local sign- and house-painter. After four years' training, he earned an artisan’s apprenticeship painting the interior murals of riverboat public rooms and local Pittsburgh saloons.
George was sent to The Düsseldorf Academy between 1847-49 and studied Da Vinci’s Chiaroscuro
(the use of light and dark shadows to heighten depth and drama), which became a signature stroke in his later works.
It is thought that Hetzel was first introduced to the bucolic setting of Scalp Level (the intersection of Paint Creek and Little Paint Creek outside of Johnstown, PA) around 1866 during a fishing trip. He was then an instructor at the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women and encouraged his colleagues and students to make Scalp Level their summer retreat and work "en plein air".
Hetzel exhibited at the National Academy in New York 1865-1882 and Pennsylvania Academy until 1891. He was included in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and shown in the First Carnegie International in 1896. He also exhibited at theWorld's Columbian Exposition, 1892-1893. J.J. Gillespie sold his works and he kept an independent studio. His career was established before the Scalp Level works, but they are currently foremost in his legacy.
Associated Artists
A. F. King, Clarence Johns, E.A. Pool, Charles Linford, Fred Bussman, A.S. Wall, Joseph R. Woodwell, Bryan Wall, George Lang, C.C. Millor, John Wesley Beatty, Horation Stevenson, John A. Hermann Jr., Jeannette Frances Agnew, Anna W. Henderson, Rachael Henderson, Carrie S. Holmes, Annie Christina, Olive Turney, Bessie Wall, Agnes C. Way
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
of Naturalist painting.
Born in an ethnically mixed part of Alsace, France on January 17, 1826 ; Hetzel’s family spoke primarily German and emigrated to the United States when he was aged two. They travelled from a Baltimore port to a small farm in Allegheny City. Hetzel attended Allegheny City school and was apprenticed to a local sign- and house-painter. After four years' training, he earned an artisan’s apprenticeship painting the interior murals of riverboat public rooms and local Pittsburgh saloons.
George was sent to The Düsseldorf Academy between 1847-49 and studied Da Vinci’s Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro in art is "an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted"....
(the use of light and dark shadows to heighten depth and drama), which became a signature stroke in his later works.
It is thought that Hetzel was first introduced to the bucolic setting of Scalp Level (the intersection of Paint Creek and Little Paint Creek outside of Johnstown, PA) around 1866 during a fishing trip. He was then an instructor at the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women and encouraged his colleagues and students to make Scalp Level their summer retreat and work "en plein air".
Hetzel exhibited at the National Academy in New York 1865-1882 and Pennsylvania Academy until 1891. He was included in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and shown in the First Carnegie International in 1896. He also exhibited at theWorld's Columbian Exposition, 1892-1893. J.J. Gillespie sold his works and he kept an independent studio. His career was established before the Scalp Level works, but they are currently foremost in his legacy.
Associated Artists
A. F. King, Clarence Johns, E.A. Pool, Charles Linford, Fred Bussman, A.S. Wall, Joseph R. Woodwell, Bryan Wall, George Lang, C.C. Millor, John Wesley Beatty, Horation Stevenson, John A. Hermann Jr., Jeannette Frances Agnew, Anna W. Henderson, Rachael Henderson, Carrie S. Holmes, Annie Christina, Olive Turney, Bessie Wall, Agnes C. Way
Further reading
- http://www.askart.com/askart/artist.aspx?artist=21407
- http://www.amazon.com/George-Hetzel-Scalp-Level-Tradition/dp/0931241243/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299978380&sr=8-1
- http://www.artnet.com/artists/george-hetzel/past-auction-results