John William Hill
Encyclopedia
John William Hill or often J.W. Hill (1812–1879) was a British
born American
artist working in watercolor, gouache
, lithography
, and engraving
. Hill's work focussed primarily upon natural subjects including landscapes, still lifes, and ornithological
and zoological
subjects. In the 1850s, influenced by John Ruskin
and Hill's association with American followers of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
, his attention turned from technical illustration toward still life and landscape.
engraver John Hill. He emigrated with his parents from London to the United States in 1819, initially living in Philadelphia. In 1822 the family moved to New York, where Hill apprenticed in aquatint engraving in his father's shop.
In 1838 Hill married Catherine Smith - their children included the astronomer George William Hill
and the painter John Henry Hill.
. In 1833, at the age of 21, Hill was elected to associate membership in the National Academy of Design.
In his early 20s Hill began work for the New York State Geological Survey, first creating a series of topographic
studies and overhead views of principle American cities and towns. This work was distinct for its accuracy of arial perspective and recording minute architectural detail. These portraits of urban settlement required frequent travel to observe, sketch, and map before creating finished watercolor studies. The completed watercolors were then recreated as color lithographic art and published by the Smith Brothers, a New York City publisher.
Hill's work with the New York State Geological Survey continued later with his illustration of James Ellsworth De Kay
's Zoology of New York State, or; The New-York Fauna. Part II, Birds published in 1844. Like John James Audubon
's bird portraits, Hill's were painted with an objective eye, documenting accurate anatomy and colors, and capturing the animal's natural countenance.
While in his early 40s Hill read John Ruskin's Modern Painters
, and became fascinated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The Pre-Raphaelite movement's combination of realism with increased emotional content appealed to Hill. Hill championed Pre-Raphaelite painting methods in the United States, but was less fascinated with their ideals. in 1863, with art critic Clarence Cook
, geologist Clarence King
, and architect Russell Sturgis
, Hill helped to found the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art. For the remainder of Hill's life he focussed upon landscapes, mostly of the mountainous areas of New England and New York state. Hill's paintings and engravings are found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum
, the Amon Carter Museum
, Fogg Museum, the Hood Museum of Art
, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist working in watercolor, gouache
Gouache
Gouache[p], also spelled guache, the name of which derives from the Italian guazzo, water paint, splash or bodycolor is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor...
, lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
, and engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
. Hill's work focussed primarily upon natural subjects including landscapes, still lifes, and ornithological
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
and zoological
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
subjects. In the 1850s, influenced by John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
and Hill's association with American followers of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
, his attention turned from technical illustration toward still life and landscape.
Life
Hill was the son of British aquatintAquatint
Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching.Intaglio printmaking makes marks on the matrix that are capable of holding ink. The inked plate is passed through a printing press together with a sheet of paper, resulting in a transfer of the ink to the paper...
engraver John Hill. He emigrated with his parents from London to the United States in 1819, initially living in Philadelphia. In 1822 the family moved to New York, where Hill apprenticed in aquatint engraving in his father's shop.
In 1838 Hill married Catherine Smith - their children included the astronomer George William Hill
George William Hill
George William Hill , was an American astronomer and mathematician.Hill was born in New York City, New York to painter and engraver John William Hill. and Catherine Smith Hill. He moved to West Nyack with his family when he was eight years old. After attending high school, Hill graduated from...
and the painter John Henry Hill.
Work
In watercolor and aquatint engravings, Hill employed a stipple technique, building up planes of softly gradated colors made of tiny brushstrokes–a process commonly seen in painted miniatures. Applied to a larger scale on canvas the result was a form of objective realism in contrast with more common romanticized works of mid-19th century American painting. In 1829, at the age of 17, Hill began exhibiting watercolors and engravings produced in his father's studio at the Brooklyn Art Association and the National Academy of DesignNational Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
. In 1833, at the age of 21, Hill was elected to associate membership in the National Academy of Design.
In his early 20s Hill began work for the New York State Geological Survey, first creating a series of topographic
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
studies and overhead views of principle American cities and towns. This work was distinct for its accuracy of arial perspective and recording minute architectural detail. These portraits of urban settlement required frequent travel to observe, sketch, and map before creating finished watercolor studies. The completed watercolors were then recreated as color lithographic art and published by the Smith Brothers, a New York City publisher.
Hill's work with the New York State Geological Survey continued later with his illustration of James Ellsworth De Kay
James Ellsworth De Kay
James Ellsworth De Kay was an American zoologist.-Biography:...
's Zoology of New York State, or; The New-York Fauna. Part II, Birds published in 1844. Like John James Audubon
John James Audubon
John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
's bird portraits, Hill's were painted with an objective eye, documenting accurate anatomy and colors, and capturing the animal's natural countenance.
While in his early 40s Hill read John Ruskin's Modern Painters
Modern Painters
Modern Painters is book on art by John Ruskin which argues that recent painters emerging from the tradition of the picturesque are superior in the art of landscape to the old masters. The book was primarily written as a defence of the later work of J.M.W. Turner. Ruskin used the book to argue...
, and became fascinated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The Pre-Raphaelite movement's combination of realism with increased emotional content appealed to Hill. Hill championed Pre-Raphaelite painting methods in the United States, but was less fascinated with their ideals. in 1863, with art critic Clarence Cook
Clarence Cook
Clarence Chatham Cook was a 19th-century American author and art critic.Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Cook graduated from Harvard in 1849 and worked as a teacher. Between 1863 and 1869, Cook wrote a series of articles about American art for The New York Tribune...
, geologist Clarence King
Clarence King
Clarence R. King was an American geologist, mountaineer, and art critic. First director of the United States Geological Survey, from 1879 to 1881, King was noted for his exploration of the Sierra Nevada. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island.-Career:...
, and architect Russell Sturgis
Russell Sturgis
Russell Sturgis was an American architect and art criticof the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870.-Early life and marriage:...
, Hill helped to found the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art. For the remainder of Hill's life he focussed upon landscapes, mostly of the mountainous areas of New England and New York state. Hill's paintings and engravings are found in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, the Amon Carter Museum
Amon Carter Museum
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art is located in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established by Amon G. Carter to house his collection of paintings and sculpture by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell. Carter’s will provided a museum in Fort Worth devoted to American art.When the museum opened...
, Fogg Museum, the Hood Museum of Art
Hood Museum of Art
The Hood Museum of Art is a museum in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Dating back to 1772, the museum is owned and operated by Dartmouth College and is connected to the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The current building, designed by Charles Willard Moore and Chad Flloyd, opened in the fall of 1985. It...
, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.