Quincy Selected Paintings

s e l e c te d
pa i n t i n g s
s e l e c te d
pa i n t i n g s
January 27 – March 11, 2006

Curated by:
Anna Alston Donnelly

Laura Hahn
Susannah Haworth
Dorothy Paige Litz
Cassie Lynott
Rebecca Magrane
Courtney Scally
Kristin Schmehl
Hilary Smith
Paintings of Edmund Quincy (1903-1997) courtesy of

Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC
THE TROUT GALLERY / Dickinson College / Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Cover Image: Edmund Quincy (1903-1997)

Haystacks, Giverny
Oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC
ISBN 0-9768488-4-8
Acknowledgments
The senior Art Historical Methods Seminar is unique among Phillip for also helping with the preliminary selection of
undergraduate programs in art history in that it offers students paintings along with Eric at Hirschl & Adler this past summer.
the opportunity to become curators for a semester wherein they Most special thanks go to James Bowman, The Trout
select, research, write a catalogue for, and organize a public Gallery Registrar and Preparator, who made the works avail-
exhibition in The Trout Gallery. In the short three and one- able for study by the seminar as a whole and on an individ-
half months of the semester, this process always seems a diffi- ual basis for each student when needed. We are also indebted
cult challenge. Not unexpectedly, however, the students rose to to James for his informed advice and supervision of the instal-
the occasion and devoted an enormous amount of energy, lation design and process, which forms an important part of
time, and enthusiasm not only to the course material for the the students’ experience in the seminar. My personal thanks
seminar, but also to researching and writing the entries for also go to James for sharing the responsibility of transporting
this catalogue. The thematic approach, installation design, the paintings from New York to Carlisle and back. We also
and idea for organizing the catalogue are the result of their thank, in advance, Wendy Pires and Dottie Reed for making
initiative and creativity and they should be proud of the qual- this exhibition accessible to a wider regional audience through
ity of the process and final product. Their sustained industry outstanding educational programs offered through the Gallery’s
and good humor throughout the semester has made the semi- Educational Outreach Program.
nar exciting to teach, and I would like to extend my congratu- The students were aided in their research by our Art
lations to them on a job well done. & Art History library liaison, Chris Bombaro, whose expert-
This year’s seminar topic and exhibition are most ise, course web-page design, and enthusiasm provided a source
unique in the tradition of the Art Historical Methods of academic and problem-solving support throughout the
Seminar in that the works for the exhibition have not been semester. In the design and publication of this catalogue, the
drawn from the permanent collection of The Trout Gallery, seminar met with Kim Nichols and Pat Pohlman of the
but rather have been graciously loaned by the prestigious Publications Office. The result of their design expertise, prac-
Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York City. Thanks to the tical guidance, and visual conceptualization is this most pro-
continued generosity and interest of Eric W. Baumgartner, an fessional and beautiful catalogue. We can’t thank them enough
alumnus of Dickinson with a major in Fine Arts (class of ’79) for helping the students to visualize the concepts and ideas
who is now Director of American Art at Hirschl & Adler, we they had for this publication. We are similarly grateful to
are privileged to have nineteen paintings by the American Pierce Bounds for creating clean, crisp images of the paintings
artist, Edmund Quincy (1903-1997), as the subject of this in the exhibition without which this catalogue would have no
year’s seminar and exhibition. We extend our sincere apprecia- reproductions.
tion and gratitude to Eric and his staff at Hirschl & Adler. Without the patience, expertise, and dedication of
The rare opportunity for current Dickinson students to study Stephanie Keifer, administrative assistant to The Trout
and work with this collection of paintings by Quincy has been Gallery, neither the final editing of the catalogue, invitations,
an invaluable and rewarding experience. Special thanks also opening reception, and all issues related to the exhibition
go to Zachary Ross, also of Hirschl & Adler, who met with the would happen. The professionalism and clean copy of the cata-
seminar at Dickinson and engaged the students in a lively dis- logue text are largely the result of Stephanie’s hard work, and
cussion about his research on Quincy for Hirschl & Adler’s we owe her more than a debt of gratitude.
exhibition in 2000, and the vicissitudes of the commercial art
world. The Members of the Art Historical Methods Seminar,
Many colleagues at Dickinson contributed their time Professor Melinda Schlitt, Advisor
and expertise to the seminar and exhibition. Without their
help and interest, the quality of the seminar and the exhibi-
tion itself would not have been possible. The students and I
especially thank Professor Phillip Earenfight, Director of The The Gallery is supported by the Helen E. Trout Memorial Fund and the
Ruth Trout Endowment. Funding for special projects is provided by the
Trout Gallery and Associate Professor of Art History, for his Henry D. Clarke, Jr. Foundation for the Arts.This catalogue was generously
enthusiastic support of the seminar and exhibition despite underwritten by the Ruth Trout Endowment.
©2006 The Trout Gallery, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
many other professional commitments. My personal thanks to All rights reserved.
3
Introduction Frederic Whiting), finally setting down roots in Paris where he
would remain for the next several years. In a recollection from
This exhibition represents the second public showing of some twenty-five years later, Quincy acknowledged the richness
Edmund Quincy’s paintings since his last one-man show at the of his experiences in Europe more generally when he remarked,
Boston Athenaeum in 1955. Until Hirschl & Adler Galleries “Since that time I have realized that life may be too short to
mounted a substantial exhibition of Quincy’s work in 2000, the avail one’s self of the immense resources with which ages of
legacy of this French-born American artist had been largely for- thought and culture have endowed this land.”3 This kind of
gotten in a storage warehouse outside of Boston where a signifi- reflective insight often resonates in the vibrant immediacy and
cant number of his paintings and many personal effects were saturated color palette of many of his urban and landscape
discovered by chance in 1999. Such a twist of fate can be an art scenes, qualities that several of the student curators elaborate
historian’s dream and an artist’s nightmare. In the first instance, upon in their essays.
to be able to research and write about an artist for whom there Quincy sought out further instruction in Paris when he
was virtually no scholarship or published criticism to speak of, enrolled at the Académie Colorossi in 1927, studying with the
and in the second instance, to be relegated to obscurity where French academic painter, Georges-Léo Degorce, and by 1930,
the vibrant visions of a life’s work languished in the darkness of he had his first one-man show at the Galerie d’Art Contemporain
a rented warehouse. For their research on Quincy’s art, the stu- in Paris. As Zachary Ross noted in his discussion of this exhibi-
dent curators were afforded the rare opportunity of unrestricted tion, the predominance of paintings representing Boston would
access to the cache of primary documents (exhibition reviews, have been seen as a bit unusual in a French gallery at this time,
letters, exhibition notices, and other personal effects) that were but the work was nonetheless enthusiastically received by both
discovered along with the paintings. As Eric Baumgartner rightly French and American critics largely because of this novelty.4
noted in his Introduction to the Hirschl & Adler exhibition cat- Some of the observations in these reviews are revealing for their
alogue, assembling such a collection of primary documents characterization of the broad qualities and effects of Quincy’s
through conventional research techniques would have required art, and they are instructive to mention here. A French critic
an enormous amount of time and effort.1 And thus for noted that, “…several canvases painted in America…give an
Edmund Quincy (1903-1997), the present exhibition and cata- attractive image of that country, not of the tumultuousness of a
logue not only further cement his reinstatement within the his- big city, but an aspect more intimate, more pleasant, more pic-
tory of twentieth-century American painters, but they also offer turesque of his own country.”5 B.J. Kospoth, writing for the
a new and different interpretive lens through which his works Paris edition of the Chicago Tribune, though somewhat conser-
can be seen and understood. vative in his own pictorial tastes, nonetheless aptly underscored
Based on what we know about Edmund Quincy’s life, he the sensibility of Quincy’s style and subject matter:
seems to have lived free from any significant economic hard-
Edmond [sic] Quincy…is one of the young American painters
ship, traveled extensively throughout Europe and the northeast- who are helping to destroy the legend that America is not
ern United States, and drew inspiration for his art from the paintable….In other words, Edmond Quincy’s canvases help
urban environments and suburban landscapes of the cities in to prove to Europeans that America has an atmosphere and a
which he lived and visited.2 Born in France in 1903 to Josiah past….He is happily free from all the freak influences of our
time, and while thoroughly modern in spirit, he is satisfied to
and Ellen Quincy, Edmund Quincy took his place among one
paint simply and sincerely.6
of the oldest and most venerated American families, which
included several mayors of Boston, a Harvard president, Abigail Quincy’s career took off after this 1930 exhibition, and a
Adams, and John Quincy Adams among its many members. steady stream of shows and growing interest in his work fol-
After the untimely death of his mother in 1904, his father soon lowed. He exhibited in Paris at the Salon d’Automne (1936)
remarried and returned the family to the United States where and at the Salon des Tuileries (1938), and participated in both
Quincy began his education at a private boys school in Virginia, one-man shows and annual exhibitions at the Art Association of
later continuing in the footsteps of several of his ancestors by Newport, Rhode Island, in 1931, 1936, 1937, and from 1941
attending Harvard College from 1921 through 1925. While to 1947. He had a painting included in the annual exhibition at
Quincy never received his degree from Harvard, he immediately the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and in
began studying painting at the Boston Museum School of Art the annual exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art,
and during the same year, left for Paris late in 1925 having Washington, DC in 1932, and from 1935 to 1946, Quincy was
probably been spurred on by one of his instructors, the painter an “artist-member” of the Contemporary Arts Center in New
George Loftus Noyes (1864-1954). Once in Paris, Quincy trav- York City, a progressive gallery whose stated purpose was “to
eled over the next two years to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and form a closer contact between the art-loving public and the cre-
London (where he studied with the well-known British artist, ative artist, who has reached mature expression but has not yet
4
gained recognition.”7 He continued to exhibit his works painters. In this recognition of Quincy’s “impressionist” gestures,
through the 1930s and 1940s at prestigious venues like the Art they also elaborated upon some of the more perceptive observa-
Institute of Chicago’s annual exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy tions that were occasionally made by reviewers during the
of Fine Arts, and the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. height of Quincy’s productivity: “Edmund Quincy has miracu-
By 1948, Quincy had returned to Europe to live in Italy lously transplanted the light of France and filtered it through
with his wife and young son and his artistic career began to his Boston studio windows. Worked up over the past year from
slow down considerably. He had sporadic exhibitions between sketches actually made abroad, the oils at Contemporary Arts
1950 and 1952 in Venice, Turin, Bordighera, and Naples, and swim in the soft luminosity of a school whose greatest exponent
three shows in Paris between 1952 and 1953 at the Salon was Corot.”8
d’Automne and Galerie Marseille, respectively. The exhibition at The fourth theme is that of the relationship between the
the Boston Athenaeum in 1955 was a retrospective of Quincy’s “artist and viewer,” or reciprocal “spectatorship,” wherein the
work, and it would be his last show until the year 2000 at artist as observer and the viewer as observer meld into a single
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York City. act of vision. The conviction and vibrancy with which Quincy
After 1955, Quincy had stopped painting and moved back represented what he chose to see become pictorial realities for
to Europe with his family where he began to focus on writing the viewer, and the viewer takes the place of the painter before
poetry and short stories. While two volumes of his poetry with the scene.
original illustrations were published in Italy in 1956 and 1957, The art historian’s dream I alluded to earlier, being able to
and other poems were of sufficient quality to be published in research and write about an artist for whom there was virtually
literary journals during the 1970s, he became increasingly no scholarship or published criticism to speak of, can also be a
involved in civic activism dedicated to the cause of historic daunting challenge when limited time, restricted resources, and
preservation beginning in the early 1960s. He returned to deadlines constrain one’s choices and options. The student cura-
Boston during that time and dedicated himself to the cause of tors have indeed done a laudable job in coordinating their
fighting developers and the urban modernization of Boston in research and synthesizing their essays around the four themes
an attempt to preserve its historic neighborhoods. When his they identified for this exhibition and catalogue, an accomplish-
efforts and those of other like-minded activists ultimately failed, ment that is all the more remarkable since not one of the paint-
he returned to Italy where he remained for the rest of his life. It ings is dated. Perhaps the most salient interpretive gesture on
seems that from the mid-1950s on, he never painted again. the part of the curators lies in their formulation of the exhibi-
In their essays, the curators explore four interrelated tion and catalogue title. The artist’s own signature, “Quincy,”
“themes” that emerged during their research and analysis of enlarged and unqualified, proclaims his art and identity in a
Quincy’s paintings throughout the semester, and which they bold, tactile brushstroke—and like so many other recognized
argue are the most dominant pictorial characteristics of artists who are known only by their last names, so too the redis-
Quincy’s artistic vision. Each of these “themes” depends upon covered legacy of Edmund Quincy has given a new generation
the other three for its viability, functioning in both a referential of viewers an artistic vision they had never seen before.
and active context with respect to the dialogue between image
and viewer. The quality of “temporality” defines this dialogue in Melinda Schlitt, Associate Professor, Art & Art History
a variety of compositional and framing devices inspired by tech-
niques that were often used in photography and film, and 1. Eric W. Baumgartner, “Introduction,” in Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The
Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries,
which also evoked paintings by some of Quincy’s contempo- 2000), 3.
raries like Edward Hopper, Charles Burchfield, and the much 2. The material for my biographical summary of Quincy is drawn from the illuminating
essay by Zachary D. Ross in the Hirschl & Adler exhibition catalogue. See Ross, 7-29.
older Childe Hassam. Quincy’s compositions create the energy 3. Edmund Quincy, in Harvard Class of 1925 Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Report (Cambridge,
of a fleeting moment through oblique angles, perspectival MA: Harvard University Printing Office, 1950), 791, as cited in Ross, 12.
4. Ross, 14-17.
imbalance, and the viewer’s curiosity to see what is implied 5. “L’Exposition Edmond Quincy,” Comoedia 635 (June 7, 1930): 3, as cited in Ross, 14.
6. B.J. Kospoth, “Edmond Quincy’s American Paintings,” Chicago Tribune (Paris Edition),
beyond the frame. June 1, 1930, n.p., as cited in Ross, 18.
“Character of place” is a quality that resonates in virtually 7. Emily A. Francis, as quoted in “Contemporary Arts Reopens,” Art Digest VII, no. 7
(January 1, 1933): 15, as cited in Ross, 18.
all of the paintings in this exhibition and was not infrequently 8. “The Passing Shows,” The Art News XLIV, no. 6 (May 1-14, 1945): 29, as cited in Ross,
mentioned by reviewers during the 1930s and 1940s as one of 25.
the most successful effects of Quincy’s imagery. Rich hues and

warm tonalities together with a variety of paint applications,
project the unique personality of each cityscape, landscape, and
interior. The curators also recognized that Quincy’s often com-
plex colorism and paint application were reminiscent of many
techniques most readily associated with French Impressionist
5
1 are strongly cropped, enabling him to depict fragmented images
Street Scene, Boston, n.d. of life that seem to capture a specific moment in time. Quincy
was familiar with the work of Hopper, as the two artists exhibit-
Oil on canvas, 29 x 37 in. (73.7 x 94 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy; c.b.: Edmund Quincy “The Painter,” 4 Charles River ed together in at least three exhibitions, and it is likely that
Square, Boston, MA Hopper’s compositional choices influenced Quincy’s own work.4
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New In urban photographs of Boston from the 1920s and
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000).
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1930s, the city is almost always presented from above, with the
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 6, 33, streets and buildings seen at various angles.5 The vantage point
cat. 8. and perspective of these images directly mirror those found in
Quincy’s work. In addition, Quincy’s Street Scene, Boston has a
Among the variety of subjects that he painted throughout his strongly cropped composition that is similar to the cropping
career, Edmund Quincy produced a large number of images of often associated with photography from this period. On all four
Boston. Quincy was born in Boston to a prominent family of sides of his painting, Quincy has arbitrarily cut off the image.
political leaders, and his ancestors played a significant role in Figures are in mid-stride, cars are driving down the street, and
the foundation and development of this city.1 Despite his fre- most significantly, the trolley is disappearing into the distance
quent travels throughout Europe and his eventual relocation to with the front of its car cut out of the picture. All of these ele-
Italy, Quincy always considered Boston his home, carrying with ments emphasize the temporality of the image, and together
him a deep appreciation for the city. As one critic noted in a with the perspective and cropping, suggest that life extends both
1930 review of Quincy’s first one-man show, “himself a in time and place outside of the picture plane.
Bostonian, he [Quincy] feels the appeal of his native city with By the end of the nineteenth century, the changing nature
all the reverence and fervor of one whose family has lived there of the American city led many artists to turn to the urban scene
for eight generations.”2 One of Quincy’s many depictions of as subject matter for their work. Childe Hassam was an
Boston in which he effectively and vividly captured the charac- American artist working around the turn of the century who
ter of his native city is Street Scene, Boston. often painted images of his native city, New York. Hassam’s
Street Scene, Boston presents a bustling city street on a cityscapes, though very different in style from those of Quincy,
sunny afternoon, filled with automobiles, people, shops, and encapsulate the “everyday” character of New York City, present-
buildings. The cityscape is seen from an aerial point of view ing glimpses into urban life that parallel Quincy’s own images
with the spectator looking down onto the city. Quincy’s vantage of Boston. Both Quincy and Hassam participated in the
point, along with the strong, one-point perspective, produce a Corcoran Gallery of Art’s biennial in 1932, so Quincy would
dynamic spatial construction that imbues the painting with a have been familiar with Hassam’s work. In Hassam’s Fifth
sense of movement. In addition to the sharp diagonal that runs Avenue in Winter from 1892, the artist portrays an image of
through the picture, one of the most striking features of this urban life on a snowy day in New York City. From an aerial
work is its intensely saturated palette. Quincy’s bright greens, point of view and with a sharp, diagonal perspective, analogous
oranges, pinks, and blues enhance the activities that are illus- to that in Quincy’s composition, Hassam presents carriages
trated and add to the excitement of the scene. Together, the var- moving down the street and people with umbrellas out for a
ious elements in Street Scene, Boston brilliantly capture the char- stroll. This painting shares the temporality that pervades
acter of Boston in the early twentieth century, creating a unique Quincy’s cityscape, as it has a cropped composition and portrays
sense of place that celebrates the very city in which Quincy figures and carriages caught in momentary actions.
grew up. Quincy’s Street Scene, Boston can be described as encourag-
The composition that dominates Quincy’s cityscape is ing and celebratory. Its bright, jovial atmosphere, which is
markedly similar to that found in contemporary photography of achieved through Quincy’s choice of imagery, composition, and
the time. By the turn of the century, new advancements were palette, conveys an optimistic message about contemporary life
being made in the world of photography, and these develop- in Boston. In a recent publication on the work of Quincy,
ments began to affect artistic production in other areas, specifi- Zachary Ross argued that Quincy was a painter who appreciat-
cally painting, as painters tried to emulate the compositional ed the lifestyle of old-world cities and who subsequently infused
arrangements achieved by the photographic lens. Edward his images with a “spirit of the past.” Ross writes, “Quincy’s
Hopper, an American Realist and contemporary of Quincy, was views of city spaces reveal a longing for a past free of the hustle
inspired by photographs and movie stills of the 1920s and he and bustle of the modern age. His canvases are sensitive and
deliberately used certain photographic techniques in his work to contemplative reflections on the past.”6 I disagree with this
achieve similar, documentary-like compositions.3 Many of argument, specifically in its application to Street Scene, Boston.
Hopper’s images are presented from unusual vantage points and Quincy’s cityscape is not a depiction of the past, but is instead a
celebration of the present, of the Boston that existed at the time
6
Quincy painted it. While some of Quincy’s paintings, including ward appearance of the city, these “superficial” activities and
A Windy Day, Paris and The Writer, contain anachronistic ele- details serve as a means of revealing something more significant:
ments that perhaps allude to a time past, Street Scene, Boston is the soul of the city. By presenting the “everyday” elements that
filled with contemporary references, such as the automobiles on gave this city its unique character, Quincy was able to effectively
the street, the architecture of the buildings, and the clothing of capture the spirit of Boston in the early twentieth century, cre-
the figures. Quincy is not only acknowledging what urban life ating a portrait of the place that he called home.
was like in Boston during this era, but he is embracing it. As Kristin Schmehl
Joseph Kospoth commented in a 1930 review of Quincy’s first
major show, Quincy paints his hometown of Boston “with the 1. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat.
(New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 7-8.
strength and delicacy that is born of affection and understand- 2. B.J. Kospoth, “Edmond [sic] Quincy’s American Paintings,” Chicago Tribune (Paris edi-
ing.”7 tion), June 1, 1930, as quoted in Ross, 14.
3. Alice Marie O’Mara Piron, “Urban Metaphor in American Art and Literature, 1910-
When describing what was most important to him when 1930” (Ph.D. diss., Northwestern University, 1982), 335-337.
painting cityscapes, Childe Hassam once remarked, “The por- 4. The three exhibitions were: The Thirteenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil
Paintings (Washington, DC: The Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1932); The Eighteenth
trait of a city…is in a way like the portrait of a person—the dif- Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings (Washington, DC: The
Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1943); The Nineteenth Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary
ficulty is to catch not only the superficial resemblance but the American Oil Paintings (Washington, DC: The Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1945).
inner self. The spirit, that’s what counts, and one should strive 5. Robert Campbell, Cityscapes of Boston: An American City through Time (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co., 1992), 36-90.
to portray the soul of the city with the same care as the soul of a 6. Ross, 7.
sitter.”8 Edmund Quincy adopts a similar approach to painting 7. Kospoth, as quoted in Ross, 14.
8. Ilene Susan Fort, Childe Hassam’s New York (San Francisco: Pomegranate Artbooks,
in his Street Scene, Boston. While he effectively captures the out- 1993), XV.
7
2 limits of the scene.”4 The empty road traveling into the distance
Industrial Quarter, n.d. is a visual construct also found in Hopper’s painting,
Manhattan Bridge Loop (1928). In this image, an empty road
Oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. (59.7 x 72.4 cm)
Signed: l.l.: Quincy traveling into the distance is also the center of the composition.
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New Both a telephone pole and a lamppost balance the industri-
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). al setting of Quincy’s painting. These elements of an industrial
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy,
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 38, setting compositionally add vertical balance on either side of the
cat. 50. diagonal road. These two objects also suggest the industrial period
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC found in the suburban street scene. The verticals in the lamp-
posts are not entirely vertical and lean in different directions,
Suburban life is celebrated in Edmund Quincy’s painting,
which is another characteristic found in Hopper’s painting enti-
Industrial Quarter. The contemporary urban landscape depicted
tled Manhattan Bridge Loop. As in the work by Hopper, hori-
in this painting has similar imagery to that found in his other
zontals provide the foundation for the structure and as noted by
work, Background of Metropolitan Industry. Both paintings sug-
Goodrich, “are crossed and interpreted by strong verticals.”5
gest an “intimate viewpoint” and the immediate surroundings
Also similar to the composition in Hopper’s painting is
of everyday suburban life.1 The imagery in both of these paint-
Quincy’s use of verticality which is a dominant compositional
ings suggests a juxtaposition of suburban life and industrializa-
element also found in Industrial Quarter. The verticality is illus-
tion with depictions of suburban buildings and quiet land-
trated through the angular industrial buildings, the telephone
scapes. Unlike the Background of Metropolitan Industry, the
pole, lamppost, and fence. The diagonal road breaking up the
imagery in Industrial Quarter addresses urban life in the subur-
composition divides the suburban life depicted on the left from
ban town directly, placing the industrial buildings in the fore-
industrial buildings depicted on the right. The industrial build-
ground and addressing them as one of the main subjects of the
ings are dominant elements of the scene in both color palette
painting. However, in Background of Metropolitan Industry, the
and size.
imagery of urban life is represented in the background by indus-
The vibrant palette in rich colors of salmon, red, and
trial buildings and is not the main focal point. The industrial
bright yellows depicts the large industrial buildings. On the
and suburban images in Industrial Quarter have pictorial signifi-
opposite side of the road, a warm, rich palette is juxtaposed by
cance essential to Quincy’s painting.
rich shades of blue, brown, and green. The juxtaposition of col-
Quincy, like other American painters Edward Hopper and
ors competes with one another from the respective sides of the
Charles Burchfield, illustrates a typical American scene evoking
painting. The rich shades depicted in the trees and home on the
an industrial street scene. After the end of World War II,
left of the diagonal road emphasize Quincy’s application of
America expanded and, as Zachary Ross stated, “the fabric of
paint. The loose brushstrokes in the panels and roof of the
urban America became increasingly de-centralized.”2 Lloyd
house suggest paintings by Degas, such as Ballerine en Rose
Goodrich remarked about Edward Hopper that, “opposite of
(1890). In Degas’ painting, the brushstrokes are evident in the
the general trends of modernism: instead of subjectivity, a new
ballerina’s tutu, strokes which are similarly evident in the house
kind of objectivity; instead of abstraction, a purely representa-
found on the left-hand side of the foreground of Industrial
tional art.”3 Hopper’s representational art can be seen in his
Quarter. While Quincy is not an “impressionist” painter like
painting, East Wind over Weehawken (1934), where a contempo-
Degas, his brushstrokes are much more vivid in the house than
rary urban life is depicted. Like Hopper’s painting, the represen-
those of the flat application of paint found in the industrial
tation of urban life can also be seen in Quincy’s Industrial
buildings on the other side of the diagonal road. The earth
Quarter. Due to the vast amount of pictorial possibilities that
tones in the diagonal road are painted using diagonal brush-
can be drawn upon to depict an industrial suburban scene, both
strokes, creating a sense of vertical movement throughout the
Quincy and Hopper present the visual material with pictorial
image. This vertical movement can also be seen in Degas’
significance. Quincy’s Industrial Quarter embodies essential ele-
Ballerine en Rose in the tutu. The application of paint on the
ments found within both suburban lifestyle and within industri-
right-hand side of the composition creates a solid surface with
al urban lifestyles. These elements in Quincy’s Industrial
little to virtually no movement at all.
Quarter are industrial buildings, lampposts, telephone poles,
It can be suggested that the light in this scene reveals the
cement sidewalks, a paved road, picket fence, maternal home,
“character” of the buildings. Quincy’s application of light shad-
and a “human presence.”
ows suggests the individual forms of buildings and their sur-
Quincy’s Industrial Quarter is compositionally centered by
faces. The shadows cast from the sun create the sharp angles of
an empty paved road traveling into the distance. Writing about
the buildings as well as diagonal movement. Similar to Quincy’s
Hopper, Margaret Iverson suggested that “uninterrupted hori-
other work, A Shady Street, movement is created through light.
zontal lines make the viewer conscious of the space beyond the
Shadows from the sun are cast on the roads in both paintings.
8
The spectator is positioned high, in a birds-eye view, and roads, respectively. The distorted perspective is evident in the
gazes over the scene further enticed by the two figures walking industrial building located in the lower right foreground of the
on the sidewalk below. The presence of these male figures painting. The spectator is positioned at an angle that physically
invites the viewer to gaze onto the quiet street. “Human pres- does not allow for such a frontal view of the building. This dis-
ence” is also appropriate to the scene in Quincy’s A Shady Street. tortion can also be seen in the suburban house located in the
In both A Shady Street and Industrial Quarter, the spectator’s left foreground of the painting. The strong diagonal of the bot-
vantage point is visually compelling because it enables the view- tom part of the roof does not follow the same perspective as the
er to become part of the scene. road does in the center of the composition. Therefore, the per-
An arbitrary cropping of objects can be seen in Industrial spective of the roof of the house is entirely distorted. However,
Quarter. While the buildings are oriented to draw the viewer in, the house represents suburban life.
the viewer’s perspective of the buildings in the foreground is dis- Edmund Quincy’s Industrial Quarter addresses urban life in
torted. While the buildings appear to be oriented in the proper a suburban town. Suburban life is celebrated in this contempo-
proportions following the line of sight along the perspective of rary urban landscape.
the road, the perspective is not “correct.” Distorted perspective Courtney Scally
can also be seen in the house depicted in Hopper’s painting
entitled Solitude #56 (1944). Both Industrial Quarter and 1. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993), 103.
2. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat.
Solitude #56 have strong diagonal lines created by a road that (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 7.
breaks up the composition. In both works, the perspective of 3. Goodrich, 97.
4. Margaret Iverson, “In The Blind Field: Hopper and the Uncanny,” Art History 21, no. 3
the buildings does not follow the correct perspective of the (September 1998): 422.
5. Goodrich, 141.
9
3 each frame is a photograph. These photographs are taken at
Background of Metropolitan Industry, n.d. very rapid speed so they can be combined to create a motion
picture, and some frames capture unique angles, with figures
Oil on canvas, 32 x 39 1/2 in. (81.3 x 100.3 cm) and objects cut off, and interesting lighting effects. These
Signed: l.r.: Quincy
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New unique details are perhaps what Quincy was trying to reproduce
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000); Portrait of American Exhibition in his painting. A contemporary of Quincy, Edward Hopper,
(New York: Artists for Victory, Inc., 1944). was said to “[carry] the main horizontal lines of the design with
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 34, little interception to the edges of the picture…to enforce this
cat. 14. idea and to make one conscious of the spaces and elements
beyond the limits of the scene itself.”1 This idea of the picture
going beyond the frame can be seen in the horizontal line of the
In his Background of Metropolitan Industry, Edmund Quincy
wagons. The line is abruptly interrupted by the frame of the
painted a diagonal in the form of a brown fence to direct the
painting, which even cuts one of the wagons in half on the right
eyes of the viewer through the painting. The viewer starts to
side of the scene. Quincy would have seen Hopper’s works, and
examine the painting from the lower left corner where two parts
also would have been aware of how motion picture film worked
of the fence meet. From there, the viewer’s eyes follow the fence
at the time. We know that Hopper looked at film for inspira-
on the right, up past an old garden with trees, other vegetation,
tion and, as Barbara Haskel noted, “He exploited the framing
and some old trellises. At the end of the fence, the viewer’s eyes
and lighting conventions of cinema…cropping his scenes off-
are taken across a horizontal row of old, broken, and neglected
center. As a result, his canvases often register a frozen moment
wagons. When the wagons run into the frame of the painting,
in a cinematic sequence.”2 In Background of Metropolitan
the viewer is forced to move his or her eyes upward and take in
Industry, Quincy may have been thinking along the same lines
the distant cityscape and surrounding industry indicated by a
as the image is framed off-center. Furthermore, there is no cen-
water tower and billowing white smoke. From there, the viewer
tral figure, but rather a few objects that lead the viewer’s eyes
takes in the wide open sky that covers and unifies the whole
from one side of the painting to the other, and the viewer
scene. This technique of using an angle to force the viewer to
almost expects the scene to go on, perhaps with more wagons or
look at imagery in the way the artist wants him or her to is
more of the city. Quincy’s paintings are framed in such a way
something Quincy used in many of his paintings, including
that they seem like part of a bigger picture.
Rural Landscape with Distant Church and Venice Canal.
Framing techniques were not the only things Quincy may
In Background of Metropolitan Industry, Quincy places the
have looked at in Hopper’s paintings. Hopper also used some-
viewer in the role of a “spectator.” This technique is common
thing called a “wedge design.” He would create a space, usually
practice by Quincy, and can be seen in his other paintings,
a room, which would have two walls that met at a point that
including Street Scene, Boston, in which the viewer looks at a
was usually aimed towards the viewer, though not always. This
street scene from an elevated position, a banishment of the
technique allows the viewer to look in through both walls, or in
viewer to an observation point outside the image rather than a
one wall and out the other, but still allowing the artist to frame
point within the scene. The viewer in Background of
the space and give it depth. This technique can be seen in
Metropolitan Industry is standing off center and to the left.
Hopper’s Nighthawks (1942).3 In the scene, a waiter works
Quincy has placed the viewer in this location in order to con-
behind the counter while three customers sit in a diner late at
trol the way he or she views the scene. It seems clear that
night. Hopper allows the viewer to look in on them through
Quincy intends the viewer to follow the fence so that it is seen
one window and then past them and out through the other
as a progression of time.
window onto a dark street. The windows come to a point to
The first thing that the viewer sees is the garden, which is a
create the “wedge” and in turn, the three-dimensional space of
small-scale form of agriculture. Next, the viewer sees the row of
the diner area. Quincy also attempts “wedge design” with the
broken down wagons, objects that people have abandoned, per-
two sides of fencing that meet at a point in the lower left corner
haps, for something newer and more modern. Finally, there is
of his painting. Quincy used fencing in the outdoors to create
the industrial city in the background, clearly a sign of what
the wedge, so what we can see of the garden has not been
Quincy saw going on around him.
altered, but depth has been created by the addition of the hori-
Another aspect of this painting is Quincy’s use of framing.
zontal area of the fence.
Quincy has a way of painting an image that looks as if it has
Hilary Smith
been taken out of something larger. For instance, in Background
of Metropolitan Industry, the scene looks like a still frame taken 1. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Henry N. Abrams, 1993), 104.
2. Barbara Haskell, The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-1950 (New York:
from a reel of film. In cinematic film, each frame comes togeth- Whitney Museum of American Art in association with W.W. Norton and Co., 1999),
er on the screen to form a whole scene; individually, however, 182.
3. Goodrich, 106.
10
11
4 right side. Objects in the scene are arbitrarily cut off, but the
A Mediterranean Church, n.d. church and tree act as a frame for the composition of the paint-
ing. While these two objects stand vertically, there is a lot of
Signed: l.r.: Quincy diagonal movement in the shadows, carrying the spectator’s eyes
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New from the foreground to the background.
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). The term “portrait of place,” coined by Henry James, can
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 33, be used to describe Quincy’s treatment of this scene.5 The rich
cat. 2. colors Quincy used to depict the buildings are similar to those
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC found along the Mediterranean coast. The sense of “portrait of
place” is further illustrated by the Mediterranean-styled roofs.
Edmund Quincy portrays a cityscape of a church and town
The church is appropriate to the scene because it is a typical
along the Mediterranean coast in his painting, A Mediterranean
landmark of a specific place that Quincy saw. The church in
Church. During his career, Quincy traveled through Europe and
Quincy’s painting, however, is not traditional in depiction.
along the Mediterranean coast, documenting his travels through
While the church is large in size, Quincy approached it from an
his paintings. In these travels, Quincy was drawn, as stated by
obscure angle. The angle from which the spectator views the
Zachary Ross, to the “urban fabric of old-world cities.”1 Quincy
church is not celebrating its traditional meaning, but rather its
was interested in places that had rich, local color, which is evi-
form and shape. With the church acting more as a geometric
dent in his choice of palette in his European-based paintings.2
form rather than a sentimental monument, the beauty of the
Other European paintings in this exhibition that follow the
land becomes visible as a subject. Quincy took a similar
same rich palette used in A Mediterranean Church are Rural
approach in his painting entitled The Red Church, Boston. In
Landscape with Distant Church, Windy Day, Paris, and Venice
this painting, Quincy depicted what appears to be a backyard of
Canal.
a house in a Boston neighborhood. The majority of the fore-
Quincy applied a saturated palette of salmon, blues, and
ground in the painting is made up of the unkempt backyard of
earth tones in A Mediterranean Church and demonstrated a
a house. The backyard appears to be run down and filled with a
range of light and dark. A similar use of tonality can be seen in
stray dog and debris. The church is visible only above the
Gustave Courbet’s (1819-1877) painting entitled A Thicket of
rooftops of the houses, which does not represent it in a more
Deer at the Stream of Plaisir-Fontaine (1866).3 Courbet’s paint-
expected, grand form. The obscure angle of The Red Church,
ing illustrates a similar tone through shadow and light as in
Boston is similar to the obscure angle of A Mediterranean
Quincy’s painting. In both Courbet’s and Quincy’s paintings,
Church.
the trees and shadows occupy the darkest darks. In Quincy’s
While the depiction of the church is not traditional,
painting, the color of the church illustrates the lightest lights.
Quincy’s painting portrays a cityscape of a church. Quincy
The range of tonality in most of Quincy’s works, and specifical-
applied a saturated palette, rich in color, to paint the
ly in A Mediterranean Church, creates depth and perspective.
Mediterranean coast he saw.
There is no black in his application of paint or in outlining of
Courtney Scally
objects. The depth and angles are created by the tonal difference
in his palette. The vertical, diagonal, and horizontal lines create
movement in a similar way to those as found in Rooftops and (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 3.
2. Ross, 7.
Cathedral, Basel. 3. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993), 122, discusses
The shadows created by the church, both on the façade as Courbet’s painting in relation to the style of Edward Hopper. Similarly, we can make the
same analogy with respect to Quincy.
well as the dirt road next to the church, create line and move- 4. Gail Levin, Edward Hopper: Art and the Artist (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1980),
ment. Line and movement created by sunlight and shadows are 50.
5. As cited in Ross, 29.
similar to American painter Edward Hopper. Hopper’s painting,
entitled Sun in an Empty Room (1963), focuses on the effect of
sunlight and shadow on forms. In a similar fashion, Quincy’s
painting illustrates the movement and line created by the shad-
ows cast by the sunlight. Quincy’s use of light in his painting
can also be seen in Impressionist Claude Monet.4 Monet’s stud-
ies of light are evident in his painting, Rouen Cathedral (1892-
1894). While Monet’s image does not apply to subject or genre,
the study of light is visible in both Quincy’s painting and
Monet’s. The composition of the painting is balanced both by
the church on the left side of the painting and the tree on the
12
13
5 ensemble that the painters recorded and celebrated.”7 Daniele
Rooftops and Cathedral, Basel, n.d. Devynck once said of Toulouse-Lautrec, “The color scheme is
entirely defined, with reds, purples, and violets that create a
Oil on wood, 15 1/5 x 18 1/3 in. (38.6 x 46.6 cm)
Signed: l.l.: Quincy grave, subtle harmony.”8 This is particularly obvious in Lautrec’s
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New paintings of the Moulin Rouge (1890), where Lautrec incorpo-
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000); Exhibition of Paintings by rated a vivid color palette to unify the smoky air and the late-
Edmund Quincy (Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Art Museum, 1945).
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, night crawlers of the venue. Likewise, Quincy’s warm palette of
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 11, rich reds and lush browns unifies the rooftops with the cathe-
38, cat. 42; Exhibition of Paintings by Edmund Quincy (Wellesley, MA: dral. In this unity, Quincy has created a peaceful microcosm: he
Wellesley College Art Museum, 1945), n.p.
is not concerned with the noisy streets of Basel, nor the activi-
Quincy’s Rooftops and Cathedral, Basel stands apart from his ties in the homes. Zachary Ross noted, “His pictures are often
other European paintings. Most of his paintings of European careful studies of the quiet sides of the city.” Quincy’s focus is
scenes show Southern Europe and, as Zachary Ross remarked, solely upon the “harmony” between the rooftops and the cathe-
“thus tend to be more colorful than his grittier Boston paint- dral and the visual world that these objects create.
ings.”1 This painting is an exception. The surface is clearly “grit- In his depiction of this microcosm, Quincy suggests that he
ty,” and it does not have the same clear, bright palette that is portraying a moment in this world rather than a permanent
Quincy used in such paintings as A Windy Day, Paris or Rural image of these rooftops and this cathedral. Quincy’s use of light
Landscape with Distant Church. This difference in palette and in the painting shows that he is portraying a particular time of
surface may be attributed to one of Quincy’s periods studying in day, most likely sunrise or sunset, as indicated by the juxtaposi-
Paris, which began in 1927 at the Academie Colorossi.2 One tion of highlighted areas on one side of the buildings and deep
critic noticed the effect the texture of Quincy’s paintings had shadows on the other sides. Zachary Ross noticed this attention
upon him: “With a cosmopolitan breadth of view, he has to detail when he noted Quincy’s “clear portrayal of sky and
absorbed the best of French influence.”3 Barbara Weinberg dis- sunlight.”10 Henri Luc Gerstein noticed a similar approach by
cussed this French influence upon American Impressionists: “As Maximilien Luce in his portrayal of Notre Dame Cathedral
students of Paris…some of these Americans were exposed to the (1899): “The effect of weather, time of day, and movement
French Impressionists’ direct, rapidly rendered, rough-textured, interested him more than the activities of the people on the
light-saturated portrayals of modern life.”4 The Christian Science bridges, quays, and streets.”11 Quincy further relays that this is a
Monitor mentioned the “warm red glow of old bricks and tiled transient moment in the sky by framing the structures: clouds
housetops” of this painting, demonstrating the color scheme.5 hover in some areas while powder blue sky pokes out in others,
In Rooftops and Cathedral, Basel, Quincy combined his rich, generating a moment of changing weather. This combination of
warm palette (seen in Quincy’s work such as the buildings of his temporal changes (be it sunrise or sunset), along with the pend-
Industrial Quarter) and a thick, textured surface to create a spe- ing transformation of weather, create an image of a particular
cific atmosphere in his rendering of a scene of urban rooftops moment. Juliet Wilson-Bureau described this concept of tran-
and a cathedral. sience when she described Monet’s Rouen Cathedral as having an
Quincy incorporated the “impressionist” ideal of “rejecting “evocation of fleeting changes in light and atmosphere.”12
conventional detail” by not depicting every shingle from the Quincy’s Rooftops and Cathedral, Basel presents this portion
roofs, every relief on the cathedral’s walls, every change in tex- of Basel as a world unto itself. Maximilien Luce had a similar
ture on the structures.6 Rather, he depicted a scene focusing goal when painting Notre Dame. He wrote to a friend, “I’m still
upon the tops of these structures, with an emphasis upon tone grinding away at Notre Dame. I would like to do ceremonies,
and color. The compositional layout looks similar to a photo- marriages, people coming and going, in a word Paris.”13 In
graph that might have been taken from a window from an Quincy’s painting, the viewer sees only the tops of the structures
upper story of an apartment building. This “photographic” and the sky. Quincy’s focus upon color in order to unify the
approach is typical in many Impressionist paintings. Numerous scene along with his allusions to time and atmosphere, make for
Impressionist artists from Degas (in, for example, The Rehearsal a very specific portrait of this cityscape. The viewer is immersed
[1873-1875]) to William Merrit Chase (in At the Seaside in the European architecture, the space of this quiet microcosm
[1892]) arranged their compositions so that they did not look above the streets, and the air that permeates this area. Theodore
staged, and instead appeared to be scenes that the artist sponta- Roosevelt had a comparable reaction when he visited the
neously decided to depict. Margaretta Lovell noted in her dis- World’s Columbian Exposition, an Impressionist collection of
cussion of an Impressionist exhibition of cityscapes that, “while cityscapes. When asked what impressed him most, he easily
the principal buildings were generously garnished with elaborate replied, “The buildings, of course.”14
sculptural programs, it was for the most part the overall urban Anna Alston Donnelly
14
1. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat. Columbian Exposition,” The Art Bulletin 78 (March 1996): 46.
(New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 13. 8. Daniele Devynck, “Style and Technique,” in Toulouse-Lautrec (New Haven and London:
2. Ross, 12. Yale University Press, 1991), 56.
3. Undated newspaper clipping, Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives. 9. Ross, 7.
4. Barbara H. Weinberg, “From Impressionism to Realism, Sympathies and Surprise,” 10. Ross, 13.
Artnews 93 (May 1994): 67. 11. Marc Saul Gerstein, Impressionism: Selections from Five American Museums (New York:
5. Excerpt from Christian Science Monitor, April 13, 1932, Hirschl & Adler Galleries Hudson Hills Press, 1999), 106.
archives. 12. Juliet Wilson-Bareau, Manet, Monet and the Gare Saint-Lazare (Washington, DC:
6. Ulrich W. Heisinger, Impressionism in America: The Ten American Painters (Munich: National Gallery of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998), 128.
Presetel-Verlag, 1991), 10. 13. Gerstein, 106.
7. Margaretta M. Lovell, “Picturing ‘A city for a Single Summer’: Paintings of the World’s 14. Lovell, 6.
15
6 clearly, a small residential neighborhood in Boston, a place that
A Quiet Street Corner, Boston, n.d. for Quincy represented the tradition of a city in which his family
had been involved for generations.
Oil on masonite, 24 x 19 1/2 in. (60.9 x 49.5 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy Edward Hopper, an American artist and contemporary of
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New Quincy with whom Quincy has often been compared, was also
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). known for his depictions of the quieter, more isolated regions of
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 8, a city and its surroundings.3 However, while Hopper’s imagery
cat. 22. is often seen to embody a psychological isolation produced by
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC his empty spaces, Quincy seemed to portray the more obscure
neighborhoods in Boston in order to highlight the beauty and
A Quiet Street Corner, Boston is another cityscape by Edmund
value of these areas, which for him represented his childhood
Quincy that depicts the artist’s hometown of Boston,
and the Boston that he called home. As Thomas Devine noted
Massachusetts. As a result of his ancestry and his family’s promi-
in a newspaper article from 1930, in Quincy’s images of Boston,
nent position in this city, Quincy had a unique relationship
with Boston, and his personal experiences shaped his perception The choice of subject is not the obvious beauty of Beacon Hill
of the city and influenced the way he presented it to his viewers. or the Embankment but rather in spots which many of us pass
Quincy’s images of Boston vary greatly in both their style and every day without a thought of their charm. We admire the
location as the artist sometimes portrayed the more familiar Hill and the Back Bay because it is fashionable to do so; but
we scorn the South End and South Boston, which are quite as
areas of the city, while at other times he focused on the city’s
lovely, because we lack the perception to appreciate them until
quieter, more obscure neighborhoods. A Quiet Street Corner, such a painter as Quincy points them out to us.4
Boston is an example of the latter category.
A Quiet Street Corner, Boston depicts a residential neighbor- While outwardly A Quiet Street Corner, Boston may seem
hood in Boston, one that contrasts greatly with the prominent less celebratory than some of Quincy’s other paintings of
and lively regions of the city such as that illustrated in Street Boston, such as Street Scene, Boston, because of its simplicity of
Scene, Boston. Removed from the more visible and well-known imagery and subdued color palette, this image is still a revealing
areas located in the center of Boston, this neighborhood repre- portrayal of city life that serves as an indicator of the artist’s
sents the type of environment in which the artist might have appreciation for quieter neighborhoods like the one depicted.
grown up. From a frontal viewpoint, Quincy presents a row of In contrast to many of Quincy’s cityscapes and landscapes,
houses. These houses are exclusive brownstones inhabited by with their dramatic perspective and aerial viewpoint, A Quiet
elite Bostonians. Two figures, a man and a woman, walk side by Street Corner, Boston has a direct, frontal vantage point. Childe
side down the street that runs in front of the houses. In A Quiet Hassam, a slightly older contemporary who exhibited alongside
Street Corner, Boston, Quincy used a more subdued color palette Quincy in at least one major exhibition, often painted images of
than that in some of his other Boston paintings, with dark bur- the city from an above perspective looking down, with sharp
gundies, browns, oranges, and grays making up the image. This angles that delineated the city streets.5 These images are compo-
work appears to be a study in tonality, and the harmonious sitionally similar to many of Quincy’s paintings. However, in
blending of the different tones, together with the soft, natural some of Hassam’s cityscapes, such as Little Cobbler’s Shop from
light, create a very calm, almost somber atmosphere. 1910, the artist chose to present areas of New York from a
In 1930, Quincy had his first one-man show at the Galerie direct, frontal viewpoint. Ilene Susan Fort, author of Childe
d’Art Contemporain in Paris, in which he exhibited many Hassam’s New York (1993), explains this deviation from Hassam’s
paintings of Boston and its environs.1 Although it is not pre- typical compositions, arguing that Hassam occasionally chose to
cisely known which works were exhibited, A Quiet Street Corner, portray the city from a head-on vantage point so as to equate
Boston is probably similar to many of the Boston paintings that the quieter neighborhoods of the city with small town life: “By
were shown. This exhibition drew a lot of attention from the discarding his usual treatment of New York streets on a sharp
press in both America and France, which overwhelmingly diagonal or as part of a deep vista, Hassam equated these hum-
praised Quincy’s depiction of the quieter, more intimate areas of ble neighborhoods with small towns…Hassam was rejecting the
Boston. As the critics observed, Quincy gave “an attractive new dynamism and congestion of the city…for a simpler, quiet
image of that country [America] not of the tumultuousness of a place.”6
big city, but an aspect more intimate, more pleasant, more pic- This same idea can be equally applied to Quincy’s A Quiet
turesque.”2 A Quiet Street Corner, Boston is an example of these Street Corner, Boston. In his own writings, Quincy reveals a
more intimate, picturesque portrayals of America that have been fondness for the old neighborhoods of Boston which, for him,
attributed to Quincy. This work focuses not on the urbanization represented a simpler life free from the changes occurring in
and industrialization of the city but instead presents, simply and urban society. In the early 1960s, Quincy returned to Boston
16
and joined civic activists in an attempt to stop the destruction existed, presenting a glimpse into the past and revealing a
of Boston’s historic neighborhoods, areas like the one depicted unique portrait of this city.
in A Quiet Street Corner, Boston.7 In an Italian publication from Kristin Schmehl
1962, Quincy reported the situation that was occurring in this 1. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat.
city. He wrote, “In the old neighborhoods of Boston…they (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 13-14.
2. “L’Exposition Edmond Quincy,” Comoedia 635 (June 7, 1930): 3, as quoted in Ross, 14.
have demolished at least a dozen houses that for America had 3. Alice Marie O’Mara Piron, “Urban Metaphor in American Art and Literature, 1910-
assumed the status of historical monument.”8 Quincy grew 1930” (Ph.D. diss., Northwestern University, 1982), 338.
4. Thomas Charles Devine, “Scion of a Family of Boston Mayors Interprets the City of His
increasingly dissatisfied and frustrated with the state of affairs Fathers for Parisians,” clipping from an unknown newspaper, September 10, 1930, artist
occurring in his hometown, because for him these historic files, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as quoted in Ross, 17.
5. The exhibition was: The Thirteenth Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings
neighborhoods represented not only the city’s past, but also his (Washington, DC: The Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1932).
6. Ilene Susan Fort, Childe Hassam’s New York (San Francisco: Pomegranate Artbooks,
family’s past. Despite the major changes that inevitably took 1993), IX.
place in Boston, paintings such as Quincy’s A Quiet Street 7. Ross, 28.
8. Edmund Quincy, Una Lettera Urbana (Foggia, Italy: Tecnostampa, 1962), 82-83, as
Corner, Boston serve as a testament to the Boston that once quoted in Ross, 28.
17
7 which lies directly off the Boston Harbor. This clear blue is the
Foster Street, c. 1935 kind of sky that can be found right along the coast, and it
allows Quincy to place the viewer in a very distinct location in
Signed: l.r.: Quincy Boston where quaint homes meet the ocean sky. Subtle details,
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New such as the sky in this image, are a part of the essence of a loca-
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000); Paintings and Drawings by tion that elevates Quincy’s subject matter above a mere locale.
Edmund Quincy (New York: Contemporary Arts Center, 1935-1936).
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, Through the angles he represents, Quincy creates motion
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 36, within the composition even though the main forms in the
38, cat. 51. painting are flat blocks of color that form the facades of the
houses. The angles and the subtle variations of the homes are a
Edmund Quincy’s Foster Street was created at the point when focus of interest in this composition. A row of homes on a quiet
Quincy was beginning to develop his artistic identity. This street are transformed into an active characterization of their
painting is a residential cityscape that accentuates physical archi- actual physical form because they are depicted as having varying
tectural relationships and focuses on the artistic connection angles to their facades. These variations invoke a sense that the
between color and light. Foster Street is a painting that is full of homes are on a ground plane that is uneven, and this imbalance
saturated color and is framed irregularly by cropped sections of creates a sense of motion.
homes. Foster Street also depicts a flat style of paint application Contrasting with the active angles of the composition, the
which is very unique among Quincy’s paintings and lacks his coloring is very flat without any excitement or action noticeable
more common texture of small, noticeable brushstrokes. in the brushwork. There are basic black outlines used as shad-
Quincy’s ability to capture a moment allows him to represent ows on some of the homes, and roughly painted lines depict
the “essence” of his location and it gives Foster Street a distinct windows and their frames. The very simple brushstrokes within
personality. Quincy’s Foster Street do not restrict the image from retaining a
As is found in a bulletin for his show at the Contemporary strong sense of space created by the shadows and the illusion of
Arts Center, Foster Street was exhibited in Quincy’s very first motion. This style of brushwork can be found in Edward
one-man show in New York City in 1936, Paintings and Hopper’s paintings as well. Hopper, like Quincy, is usually clas-
Drawings by Edmund Quincy,1 which “gave Quincy exposure to sified as a “Realist,” but Hopper abstracts his forms through
the New York Art critics necessary to advance his career.”2 Due simplification of the structures within his compositions which
to its presence in this exhibition, Foster Street could have been a have been described by Lloyd Goodrich to be “built largely on
painting that assisted in raising Quincy’s work to a higher level straight lines.”4 Quincy abstracted in a similar manner and used
of public and critical recognition during this pivotal period of correspondingly basic lines to create a dynamic composition in
transition. In this painting, one can also find the kind of trade- Foster Street.
marks in his style from this time period. Though Foster Street is Quincy creates two major patterns in Foster Street through
uniquely different from many paintings in the present exhibi- repeated forms that complement the sense of motion in the
tion in paint application and style, it contains visual elements angles of the houses and creates linear motion within the image.
closely associated with The Little Red Church and Industrial The first form is the fence in the foreground that contains a
Quarter, both listed as a part of the Contemporary Arts exhibi- slight variation in hue for every panel. The motion of this color-
tion catalogue from 1936.3 ful interplay of the same simple lines in a row creates a rhythm
Quincy’s paintings often leave the viewer with a sense of and a motion that pushes the viewer’s eye from the right to the
the personality of a setting that he has painted. In Foster Street, left side of the painting. The panels are all similar, but each
Quincy depicts characteristic details of his location, such as the maintains a slightly different size, shape, and angle, which pro-
brightly-colored homes along the tiny street, the ground plane duces a sense of motion along with variations in color. The
and the shadows that give the street dimension, and an extremely fence is a strong reflection of Hopper’s compositions about
flat and clear blue sky. He then accentuates these unique traits which Goodrich also noted that “frequently a strong horizontal
for aesthetic value in the composition with a combination of across the foreground…acts as a base for the less regular more
interesting angles, complementary colors, and distinct textures complex forms above and beyond.”5
created by light and shadow. Within the composition, Quincy frames two more subtle
Foster Street is the only landscape in this exhibition in and delicate forms: a figure on the porch of the yellow home,
which Quincy does not express any movement in the sky. There and a short budding tree. This kind of imagery is representative
is no hint of purple or pink in the hue, and Quincy used no of a springtime scene creating a sense of temporality in the
clouds in creating the atmosphere of this setting. This lack of painting and enhancing Quincy’s depiction of a momentary
texture is a distinct indication of the location of Foster Street, reaction to his location. The figure on the porch of the yellow
home combines with the shadows in the foreground to create
18
the sense of two “spectators.” The figure gazes out to the left, small neighborhood setting. This simplified and direct view
while the viewer of the painting is placed within the scene by of his subjects, especially in the lesser known areas of Boston
the shadows that lie directly at the bottom of the painting. that he painted, shows the world what Quincy envisioned and
Placing this shadow in the foreground indicates that there is a the optimistic view he had of elegant moments within his
structure behind the viewer and it further creates a sense that surroundings.
the viewer is observing from within the Foster Street location. Cassie Lynott
This “presence” within the image was originally the painter, but
it translates to the viewer as a vehicle for him or her to be 1. Paintings and Drawings by Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (New York: Contemporary Arts
Center, 1935), n.p., Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
placed within Foster Street. 2. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat.
This painting depicts a unique aspect of Quincy’s interplay (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 18.
3. Paintings and Drawings by Edmund Quincy, n.p., Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
between forms and light without brushstroke, altering the sur- 4. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993), 141.
face with a strong texture. Foster Street shows the beauty of a 5. Goodrich, 141.
view of a common location that offers the quaint scenery of a

19
8 scene. Quincy’s brushstrokes give the sky motion as the clouds
The Garden Wall, n.d. seem to drift into the right side of the painting. Charles
Burchfield, working at the same time as Quincy, used swift
Oil on wood panel, 19 3/4 x 24 1/8 in. (50.2 x 61.3 cm)
Signed in ink: c.b.: “Estate of Edmund Quincy” [estate stamp] brushstrokes to enhance his skies with motion and fluidity.
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New Burchfield said, “as long as the force of direction, of rhythm is
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). attained it does not matter if the true shape is gotten,”3 a state-
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 33, ment that is also applicable to Quincy’s technique. The strong
cat. 5. yet fluidly-angled brushstrokes create direction within the
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC clouds and the character of motion is also evident in Quincy’s
representation of light in the sky. The sky is dark on the viewer’s
Edmund Quincy captured the contrasting relationship of archi-
left side and then becomes brighter as the viewer’s eye moves to
tecture and nature in his work entitled The Garden Wall. He
the right. The gradation of dark to light shades of color
created a relationship between the contrasting effects of the
enhances the direction of the sky.
straight-lined architecture and the curving quality of nature,
The trees and grass also show the fleeting effects of nature,
which is similar to the relationship represented in his work, A
which contrast with the building and wall. Quincy’s light brush-
Shady Street. In contrast to A Shady Street, Quincy added anoth-
strokes create the effects of wind that seems to blow through the
er element to The Garden Wall; the ruins have elements of both
trees as they sway in the opposite direction from the sky. This
manmade things and nature. This contrasting relationship is
contrasting direction of animate objects gives the painting a
connected as the ruins include both static architecture and the
greater dimension of motion and fluidity. The trees in Quincy’s
earth underneath. Quincy, as an observer within the scene, cap-
painting can be compared to Monet’s trees in his painting enti-
tured the characteristics of the The Garden Wall’s contrasting yet
tled Poplars along Epte (1891). Monet uses swift brushworks to
related relationship between manmade things and nature.
create an added effect of motion as the wind seems to blow
The building and the wall contrast with the whisking sky,
through the trees. The light quality of each stroke from Monet’s
trees, and earthly grass as the straight lines of the architecture
brush enhances the directional movement of each tree.4
enhance the curvilinear lines of nature. Claude Monet was one
Curvilinear lines and swift brushwork can also be seen within
of the many Impressionists who also expressed the relationship
the grass of The Garden Wall; the shadows flatten while the
between manmade things and nature.1 In his work entitled
highlights seem to levitate the grass. A catalogue from Quincy’s
Garden of Princess (1868), the fluidity of his swift brushstrokes
one-man show in the Contemporary Arts Center of New York,
of trees and sky contrasts with the surrounding city. The tree’s
1935, commented on how he handled nature in his works:
luscious, saturated green color stands out against the severity of
“Profound integrity, independence of thought and sensitive love
the surrounding architecture. The trees of Monet’s painting
of nature in all her moods.”5
seem to fill out the stark and empty pavement, creating color
The most interesting aspect of The Garden Wall is the ruin,
and movement within the work. Differences in the linear quali-
which includes static architecture and moving nature. Stillness
ty of each form between nature and architecture enhance their
of architecture and the motion of nature beneath are evident in
individuality in both Monet’s and Quincy’s paintings. Quincy
the formation of the ruins. The ruins do not have the swift sug-
captured this relationship in a similar way in The Garden Wall,
gestion of light brushstrokes that can be seen in the trees and
as he contrasted the building with the sky and trees.
sky, but rather they are static like the architecture. Quincy’s rep-
Edward Hopper can be compared to Quincy in the manner
resentation of light on the ruins enhances their character, as the
in which he created character through architecture, using sun-
highlight heightens some areas of the curving earth while the
light to enhance certain aspects of buildings while using shad-
indents create the somber effects of shadow on other parts.
ows to create darker effects in others. A good example of the
The curvilinear lines and formations within the ruins relate
way in which Hopper used this technique can be seen in his
the architecture to the surrounding nature. In contrast to the
work entitled Cape Cod Afternoon (1936). Hopper includes the
building and wall, straight lines are not included in the ruins;
somber cast shadows on the right side of the buildings, which
they have curvilinear lines of color like those of the grass. The
enhance the highlights on certain parts of the architecture.2 The
sumptuous curves of the ruin and its forms relate to the curves
highlighted parts of Hopper’s building, such as the corner of the
of the surrounding nature. Quincy used different ranges of
side window on the white house, stand out to a viewer because
color to give the ruins the “realistic,” three-dimensional effect of
they contrast directly with the darkness of the building. The
nature. In relation to Quincy, Hopper once wrote for the cata-
contrasts between light and dark are similar to the effect Quincy
logue of his 1933 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art,
created in The Garden Wall.
“My aim in painting has always been the most exact transcrip-
The fixed, manmade elements of The Garden Wall distin-
tion possible of my most intimate impressions of nature.”6
guish themselves from the fluidity of the nature within the
Similarly, this observation underscores the natural effects of
20
Quincy’s intimate representation of how nature flows into the within each element of the scene. Architecture, nature, and the
ruins of The Garden Wall. The earth has begun to envelop the ruins combine to illustrate a “portrait” of a place.
ruin as if converting the architecture to nature. A quote about Dorothy Paige Litz
Monet’s painting, La Promenade d’ Argenteuil (1872), explains
the natural effect of the ruins: “All the pieces of the picture fit 1. Paul Hayes Tucker, Claude Monet: Life and Artist (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1995), 12.
together like the interlocking parts of an ideally constructed 2. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993), 113.
world.”7 The ruins in Quincy’s painting have formed from the 3. John I.H. Baur, The Inlander: Life and Work of Charles Burchfield, 1893-1967 (New York:
Cornwall Books, 1982), 118.
interlocking parts of architecture and nature. The once architec- 4. Tucker, 21.
tural ruins have fallen and faded into nature as the earth begins 5. Paintings and Drawings by Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (New York: Contemporary Arts
Center, 1935), n.p., as quoted in Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of
to mold into them. Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 19.
6. Virginia M. Mecklenburg, Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation
One would think that nature and architecture have nothing Collection (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press for the National Museum of
to do with each other in form and content, yet Quincy has American Art, 1987), n.p.
7. Tucker, 21.
bridged them in The Garden Wall. Quincy created character
21
9 Quincy’s trees “look” like trees, and his shadows “look” like
Rural Landscape with Distant Church, n.d. shadows. His work, however, is not confined to one type of
painting, but rather his style, particularly in this painting, con-
Oil on canvas, 19 3/4 x 24 in. (50.2 x 61 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy; c.b.: Estate of Edmund Quincy [estate stamp] tains elements of the “impressionist ideal.” In this case, the
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New “impressionist ideal” can be seen as a painting that represents
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). elements of temporality and displays techniques that express
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 33, opposing colors to represent light and darkness, rather than ren-
cat. 4. dering them with grays and blacks. In this painting, Quincy
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC used quick and short brushstrokes. This technique was used by
Impressionists like Monet and Renoir to illustrate the temporal-
Rural Landscape with Distant Church is just one of a number of
ity of their subjects and to reinforce the idea of a “captured”
landscapes Edmund Quincy painted throughout his career.
moment in time.5 Quincy used a variety of brushstrokes in his
Upon first look, the viewer immediately notices the dirt path
paintings, so his choice of an “impressionist” method in this
that cuts through the painting at a slight diagonal. The path
painting was quite purposeful. By using a technique that had
draws the viewer’s eyes from the foreground of soft green grass
been previously used to capture a moment, Quincy could be
and a solitary tree, through the middle ground of crops that are
making a point about the temporality of his own image.
most likely corn, and brings the viewer’s eyes to rest on the dis-
Furthermore, Quincy’s choice of a soft color palette of
tant church that is indicated in the title. At the end of the path,
blues, greens, browns, and violets is similar to that of
the viewer’s eyes naturally move up to the large, light sky. This
Impressionist painters like Monet. Impressionists also incorpo-
agrarian scene was most likely inspired by rural America, as
rated many more warm colors like orange and pink, but the
corn is a common American crop. Quincy’s use of diagonals,
pastel quality of the colors in Quincy’s palette and the extensive
clear portrayal of the sky, and gentle treatment of the landscape
use of violet make his paintings look similar, particularly to
through a color palette of soft blues, greens, browns, violets,
Monet’s Row of Poplars (1891) and Morning on the Seine near
and sensuous lines all suggest his strong background in academ-
Giverny (1896-1897).6 The Impressionists often used violet gen-
ic painting.1
erously in their paintings. In pale shades, it could be used as a
Quincy has placed the viewer in this painting slightly to
highlight and in darker shades, as a shadow. This technique of
the left of the path, and this position puts the viewer in a posi-
using violet instead of black, white, and gray gave the imagery
tion to observe the path, rather than be on it. The path suggests
in Impressionist paintings a more natural appearance; when an
movement or travel, but one could argue that Quincy does not
actual shadow is cast it is not black, but rather an altered color
want us as viewers “going into” the scene further. We are sup-
of the surface it is cast upon, and the same goes for a highlight
posed to look at only the specific scene that Quincy has chosen
or reflection. Violet is a more delicate color than black or white
for us and take in what it means; we are “spectators” of Quincy’s
as well, and it complements a palette with more pastel colors
vision. This act of making the viewer a “spectator” is something
like green and blue than more vibrant colors like red. Quincy
that is also seen in the paintings of Edward Hopper, a contem-
used this same technique in this landscape with violet. He
porary of Quincy. In his book on Hopper, Lloyd Goodrich
applied violet in the sky as a highlight and in the grass and trees
observed that, “Even when no window is physically present, the
as a shadow, giving his painting a similar appearance to that of
impression is sometimes conveyed of a remote observer….”2
an Impressionist painting. Quincy embraced the “impressionist
This effect can be seen in Hopper’s painting, Pamet River Road
ideal” in this painting, as he did in others such as Background of
(1934).3 In this painting, a scene of a dirt road cutting through
Metropolitan Industry, Venice Canal, and The Garden Wall.
a residential area is very similar to the effect in Quincy’s Rural
Hilary Smith
Landscape with Distant Church. In Hopper’s painting, as well,
the viewer is set slightly off the road and is put into the role of a
“spectator.” In both paintings, the viewer is being guided to see (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 12-13.
2. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Henry N. Abrams, 1993), 105.
something specific. In Rural Landscape with Distant Church, one 3. Goodrich, 226.
could suggest that Quincy was capturing the simplicity of an 4. Ross, 21.
5. Lionello Venturi, “The Aesthetic Idea of Impressionism,” The Journal of Aesthetics and
agrarian society, something that had been lost in the fast mov- Art Criticism 1 (1941): 34-36.
ing, industrial age of the early twentieth century. This idea is 6. Paul Hays Tucker, Claude Monet: Life and Art (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995),
146.
supported by the presence of a church which can be read as a
sign of tradition and stability.4
Quincy’s manner of painting and his color choices are
other issues that should be discussed in regard to this painting.
Quincy could be characterized as a “representational” painter:
22
23
10 “human presence” in the painting, as though there is someone,
A Windy Day, Paris, n.d. be it the artist or the viewer, watching the scene. One critic in
Art Digest suggested of Quincy’s paintings, “They may have
Oil on canvas, 21 x 27 1/5 in. (53.3 x 69.1 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy; c.b.: Greendale LI Anco, Inc. been painted on the spot.”7 This indication of the presence of
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New the artist or viewer was also an aspect of Childe Hassam’s
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). cityscapes, and may be the case in his Charles River and Beacon
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 23, Hill. Heisinger noted a procedure Hassam used: “To capture
37, cat. 23. street level scenes he often painted from a hansom cab, looking
out the window and using the small seat in front of him as an
Quincy’s A Windy Day, Paris is set apart from his other works in easel for his panel or canvas.”8 In Charles River and Beacon Hill,
the exhibition by its flat, poster-like appearance. A woman it appears that the artist painted this scene of a little boy look-
walks along a boutique-filled street shielding herself from the ing at the river directly from the middle of the street, and the
wind and her movements are lyrical and rhythmic. Toulouse- dramatic use of perspective indicates that the artist was
Lautrec’s lithographs of the Moulin Rouge (1891) immediately approaching him, as opposed to remaining stagnant. The image
come to mind. Lautrec “silhouetted” his figures with a visible of the artist painting from a horse-drawn carriage, if not literal,
outline and, as Daniele Devnyck remarked, “with color applied is appropriate in a figural sense in Quincy’s A Windy Day, Paris.
in flat, clear bright areas.”1 Lautrec also incorporated numerous Not only does it appear that Quincy, too, is on the street (as
diagonal lines across the picture plane, keeping the viewer’s eye previously mentioned), but also that the woman’s dress indicates
moving.2 Quincy utilized similar techniques of flat color appli- a turn-of-the-century timeframe (when Hassam painted, a time
cation and the incorporation of diagonal lines to allow for in which hansom cabs were more common) rather than that of
movement. One critic said of Quincy, “His drawing is clear, and Quincy’s life. Whether or not Quincy painted from a carriage,
his forms simply defined.”3 Despite the two-dimensional quality the vantage point of the viewer immediately establishes him or
of the image, however, the strong diagonal in the painting adds her just outside the picture plane. Such a viewpoint, combined
to the movement and action of the woman, just as the lines did with the “breathable atmosphere” (or believable portrayal of
in Lautrec’s paintings and lithographs.4 These techniques of the subject matter), immediately helps to establish the presence of
flat appearance of the picture, strong diagonals, and clear ren- the viewer as well as the artist: we are watching her.
dering of images combine to transport the viewer to Paris, One critic said of Quincy, “It is a soft-spoken enthusiasm
where he or she watches this woman walk down the street. for the small things that become significant for the moment
Quincy’s use of viewpoint and color scheme help to estab- because the artist has taken the trouble to shed dignity upon
lish an obvious human presence in the painting, be it the viewer them.”9 Just as Quincy allows the viewer to be transported to
or the artist himself. The viewer feels close to the woman the street, he also ensures that what we are watching is not an
because of the eye-level viewpoint as well as the harmonious anonymous scene: it is a specific moment in time.
atmosphere created by Quincy’s specific palette. Both the view- As already mentioned, the diagonal line of the sidewalk
point and the “atmosphere” share similar traits with Childe establishes movement. Also, the wind is an obvious indicator
Hassam’s cityscapes, such as his Charles River and Beacon Hill that not only is it a specific moment, but also that specific
(1892). In Hassam’s painting, the entire background of the weather is causing this moment. The woman’s skirt is being
landscape is painted in varying shades of violet and blue. Ulrich blown behind her as she strains to keep her hat on. Light flick-
Heisinger noted that, “He [Hassam] was unapologetic about his ers off the glass of the store-front windows as if the air is mov-
Impressionist viewpoint and palette, and, if those belonging to ing rapidly. Although there is no epic action in this painting,
what he termed the ‘molasses and bitumen school’ thought his Quincy’s suggestion of the instant leaves an imprint in the view-
canvases were too blue, he answered that he liked ‘air that is er’s mind: we are experiencing this moment along with the
breathable.’”5 In Quincy’s A Windy Day, Paris, an assortment of woman in the picture.
blues and purples dominate the palette in the painting, from Edward Hopper conveyed similar notions of importance in
the woodwork on the stores to the shadows of the woman’s seemingly “lackluster” situations that make a painting of an
dress. One critic summarized Quincy’s use of color: “He uses everyday situation appear profound. Anna Landi said of
color to heighten the atmospheric and decorative quality.”6 The Hopper’s work, “You feel the figure has been caught in a
blues and purples work together to create a believable atmos- moment of self-awareness: I’m sitting in this ratty bed, or I’m
phere. The harmony created by the colors creates a sense of real waiting for someone in this restaurant. It’s not the dramatic
place in the subject matter. The colors allow the viewer to “see” peaks of life, but it’s the little moments that everyone’s life is
the air to the point where it appears “breathable,” or believable, made of.”10 Quincy’s portrayal of a “little moment” seems to
just as Hassam mentioned. carry the same essence. The scene appears to be an everyday
The eye-level viewpoint also contributes to the idea of occurrence: a woman getting caught in the wind. However, the
24
very specific portrayal of this scene makes this “little moment” 1. Daniele Devynck, “Style and Technique,” in Toulouse-Lautrec (New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 1991), 55.
profound. Lindsay Pollock attempted to explain what drew 2. Douglas Cooper, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: Great Art of the Ages (New York: Harry N.
viewers to Hopper’s work when she said, “Hopper is the most Abrams, n.d.), 24.
3. “‘Quai de Plaisance, Monte Carlo’: A Painting by Edmund Quincy,” Christian Science
important photographer [with]…his use of storytelling with Quarterly (n.d.): n.p., Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives, as cited in Zachary D. Ross,
Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York:
unresolved narratives.”11 Quincy, too, draws the viewer in with Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 22.
a snapshot-like image of an unextraordinary moment that is 4. Ross, 13.
5. Ulrich W. Heisinger, Impressionism in America: The Ten American Painters (Munich:
made extraordinary through his artistic vision. Presetel-Verlag, 1991), 101.
In A Windy Day, Paris, Quincy used a specific color 6. “‘Quai de Plaisance, Monte Carlo’: A Painting by Edmund Quincy,” n.p.
7. Maude Riley, “Nostalgia for France,” Art Digest XIX, no. 16 (May 15, 1945): 10, as cited
scheme, viewpoint, and linear sensibility in order to transport in Ross, 22.
the viewer to Paris, and to experience the situation in this 8. Heisinger, 101.
9. Undated newspaper clipping, Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
moment. We are immersed in this portrait of a specific street as 10. Anna Landi,“Who Hails from Hopper?” Artnews 97, no. 4 (April 1998): 167.
a specific woman struggles to keep her hat on. This “impres- 11. Lindsay Pollock, “Why Hopper is So Hot,” Artnews 103, no. 9 (October 2004): 156.
12. Meyer Shapiro, Impressionism: Reflections and Perceptions (New York: George Braziller,
sionist” notion of the viewer being involved with the work is 1997), 24.
explained by Meyer Schapiro: “One had a ‘sensation’ of place, a
person, a work of art, a whole milieu, even of a life situation, as
a unique nonverbal quality, a distinctive essence that seems to
pervade the complex whole and could be sensed in an immedi-
ate intuition.”12 Quincy’s A Windy Day, Paris does just that; we
are immediately aware that this is no mundane windy day.
Anna Alston Donnelly
25
1
26
3
27
5
28
8
9
29
10
11
12
30
13
14
15
31
16
17
32
18
19
33
11 her face, there is a visual tension in the scene between the view-
The Writer, n.d. er and subject. The viewer is pulled into the figure’s space but
with the figure shielding her face, the viewer questions the pres-
Oil on canvas, 20 x 15 1/4 in. (50.8 x 38.7 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy ence of a spectator as part of the scene.
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New Behind the figure is a poster on the wall by Toulouse-
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). Lautrec. This poster is entitled Moulin Rouge-La Goulue, origi-
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 33, nally made in 1891. This image was found posted all over
cat. 10. France during the 1890s to 1900s to advertise the Moulin
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC Rouge.1 The visual entry into The Writer is similar to Toulouse-
Lautrec’s spatial constructs in this poster. As Gotz Adriani
In the painting, The Writer by Edmund Quincy, the viewer’s
observed, “Lautrec achieved an impression of immediacy and
eyes are immediately pulled into the image by a solid line pro-
movement by means of an off-centre composition, which gives
viding a diagonal entry into the painting. The line is a thick,
the effect of a random view.”2 Quincy achieved a “random
dark, brown diagonal bar that begins in the lower right-hand
view” by choosing a specific section of the bar and cutting it off
corner of the painting and takes the viewer to the middle of the
at a diagonal angle, allowing another area of the restaurant to be
composition where it ends. The weight and massive presence of
seen. Similar to Lautrec’s poster, the scene is chopped off by two
the bar are interrupted by two white sheets of paper placed
objects that frame the composition at what seems to be a ran-
upon it. One sheet of paper sits in the foreground and seems to
dom, off-center view. Adriani wrote that Lautrec’s “scene is cut
be parallel to the edges of the bar. The other sheet of paper dis-
off by the edge of the picture without regard for the composi-
rupts the brown and attracts the viewer’s eyes to a figure of a
tion as a whole or for meaningful connections between the fig-
woman seated at the bar. The light blue color of the woman’s
ures, so that some of the truncated elements at the margin of
blouse immediately draws attention to her because the color
the picture loom larger than the centre of the image.”3 Lautrec’s
stands out against the dark elements like the bar and green wall
technique is also visible in the random glimpse of two figures
behind her. One of the figure’s arms stretches out onto the bar
incorporated in the background of The Writer that draw atten-
while the other arm draws the viewer’s attention upward to
tion to themselves and to the absence of interaction between
where her hand is casually placed covering the side of her face.
them and the woman at the bar. Lautrec and Quincy also both
The bottom of her hand and fingers follow the same line as the
show techniques in their work similar to those of the
diagonal entry of the bar. The light color of the woman’s shirt
Impressionist painter, Edgar Degas. For example, Degas fre-
and her placement in the center of the composition allow her to
quently showed “decentralizing methods of composition, with
become the immediate focus in the painting.
bold foreshortenings, and his organization of space around steep
The colors in the painting draw the attention of the viewer
diagonals,”4 as seen in his painting L’Absinthe (1876).5 The tech-
to the woman and the room in the rear of the restaurant. The
nique of foreshortening is apparent in the bar and the arrange-
restaurant itself is mainly depicted in dark tones. The wall
ment of space around a diagonal is visible in The Writer. The
behind the figure and bar that intersects her body surrounds her
strong diagonal line of the bar pulls the viewer toward the fig-
with dark elements, drawing attention to the light tone of her
ure. Quincy’s use of techniques similar to Degas and Toulouse-
blouse. The figure’s blouse and the white wall in the far back-
Lautrec suggests that he might have studied their works.
ground provide a wide range of tonality with the dark wood
The Writer is both a portrait of a figure as well as of a place.
and her navy skirt. Light tones next to dark tones allow the
The Lautrec poster, dark green walls, and large brown bar con-
light tones to stand out in the painting. Lack of a strong light
tribute to the environment of the restaurant and a specific
source contributes to the small range of color. Although there is
moment in time. However, Quincy incorporates a Toulouse-
an absence of a wide color palette, the relationship between the
Lautrec poster made before he was born. Quincy also depicts
tones creates a strong contrast. The dim ambience of the bar
the woman at the bar using a quill pen. Quill pens were not still
provides a glimpse of the atmosphere for the viewer.
common and were probably out of style during the time in
The viewer looks directly onto the figure seated at the bar
which Quincy painted The Writer. The inclusion of the poster
at eye-level. The bar, however, sits between them, separating the
and quill pen, along with the hat shelf in the rear could suggest
two and restricting interaction. The viewer becomes part of the
that Quincy was painting something he never saw. Zachary
woman’s space and is placed in an atmosphere with her, but is
Ross described Quincy as “an optimistic young man, full of
not invited to see her face. The space between the viewer and
nostalgia or the simpler life of times past.”6 Quincy may be
figure is close enough to be comfortable and allow them per-
returning to a time period before he was born and incorporat-
haps to interact, but the viewer is also shut off from seeing her
ing elements from that time. Quincy captures the temporality
identity and therefore, the viewer is invited in, but is not fully
of a moment in time that he might have never actually seen.
embraced as a spectator. Since the woman is depicted covering
Rebecca Magrane
34
1. Edward Lucie-Smith, Toulouse-Lautrec (Oxford: Phaidon Press, 1983), 9.
2. Gotz Adriani, Toulouse-Lautrec (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1987), 124.
3. Adriani, 124.
4. Adriani, 124.
5. Melissa McQuillan, Impressionist Portraits (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1986), 20.
(New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 29.
35
12 against the war, found fascist Italy too oppressive and so he left
Venice Canal, c. 1942 shortly after he married Josephine Biamonti in 1940.4
Quincy did a great deal of traveling back and forth to
Signed: l.l.: Quincy Europe throughout his career which allowed him to draw on a
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New number of different experiences while creating his paintings. He
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000); Exhibition of Paintings by spent a significant amount of time studying in Paris in the
Edmund Quincy (Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Art Museum, 1945).
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1920s after being urged to by his mentor and fellow Bostonian
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 26, painter, George Loftus Noyes.5 It is evident that his travels to
38, cat. 53; Exhibition of Paintings by Edmund Quincy exh. cat. France affected Quincy’s style in terms of color choice, brush-
(Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College Art Museum, 1945), cat. 16.
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC strokes, and the temporality of a composition. These stylistic
qualities were characteristic of the Impressionists who were pop-
Edmund Quincy spent a number of years in Italy throughout ular in France during the later part of the nineteenth century
his career. He first spent time there early on in his career during preceding his career. Quincy used similar techniques to those of
the 1920s when he was starting out as an artist and later Monet, which are evident in loose brushstrokes Quincy painted
returned to Italy in the middle of his career during the 1940s, with in his rendering of the sky, buildings, and water in Venice
going back once again in the 1960s.1 During his time in Italy, Canal. He also painted with high contrasting colors which was a
he produced a handful of paintings from several different loca- technique that Monet often used in his paintings.6 Quincy’s
tions, however, he did not exhibit any of his works from Italy depiction of the water loosely reflects other areas in Venice
until his exhibition at the Everson Museum exhibition in the Canal such as the boats, buildings, and sky. Quincy selected
early 1940s and Wellesley College in 1945.2 violet undertones for many of the colors in the painting, which
In Quincy’s composition of Venice Canal, he shows a small was a trend for French Impressionists and for Monet.7 Quincy
side street in Venice. Quincy represents a canal receding into the was able to combine examples and techniques from his travels
background with empty gondolas in front of buildings that lead to create “character” in his paintings.
down the street on a diagonal as a few pedestrians stroll by. In Quincy’s use of diagonals is a critical element in the com-
Venice Canal, Quincy demonstrated a keen sensitivity to the position of his images. In Venice Canal, he painted the diagonal
environment in the way he rendered each part of his composi- of the canal to lead the viewer into the scene from the bottom
tion in order to give an “accurate” impression of the city. Thus, of the painting. In addition, he utilized the diagonal lines in the
it was not unusual for Quincy to select his palette based on his architecture of the buildings to lead the viewer around the
location. The colors he painted with are based in an attempt to work. Quincy created a dynamic spatial relationship. He chose
capture what he sees. Quincy’s color choice can be illustrated distinguishable architecture in the vanishing point of the work,
through the similarly saturated colors he used in his paintings perhaps to draw attention to the specific location of the
done near the Mediterranean, for example, A Mediterranean cityscape.
Church and Quai de Plaisance, Monte Carlo.3 Quincy painted He chose a dynamic viewpoint which he connected with
with striking colors in his paintings produced in the same the setting. The scene was painted from some distance, which is
region, which reveals how Quincy viewed his subjects in these clear from his relation to the figures and the buildings. He par-
areas. ticularly excelled in his landscapes and cityscapes, so it is not
Another quality of Quincy’s awareness of the setting in surprising that he chose to focus more on the buildings and the
Venice Canal can be seen through his consistent use of tonal setting than the figures in it; perhaps this is why he preferred to
variations of just a few colors and strong contrasts. For instance, stay at a slight distance from them. He framed the work as
Quincy captured the rich quality of light falling across the though he was painting from a footbridge over the canal. The
buildings. The light is bright but soft, suggesting that it is prob- viewpoint suggests that Quincy was an observer, looking in as
ably afternoon. By paying such close attention to his palette, he kept a certain amount of distance between himself and the
Quincy carefully described the nature of northern Italian light figures he painted. This distance gives the painting a quality of a
in every part of the painting. passing moment through the voyeuristic quality of “spectator-
Quincy’s depiction is exactly what a modern-day audience ship” as the figures pass by. The painting exhibits the plein-air
thinks of when it hears “Venice” and it allows the city to be quality of Quincy’s style as he captured a quick instant as figures
identified even if one has never been there before. To the broad walk by the canal. The mood of the scene appears tranquil and
American public during the time Quincy painted this image, relaxed.
most illustrations of Italy were negatively influenced by politics Quincy captured the essential eminence of Venice and cre-
and propaganda. Italy and America were more politically driven ated a sensitive and vivid portrayal of the city.
as the United States was on the brink of entering World War II, Susannah Haworth
and Italy was already well engaged in it. Quincy, who was overtly
36
(New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 12, 21, 26, 28.
2. Exhibition pamphlets from Everson Museum, c. 1942, and Wellesley College Art
Museum, 1945, Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
3. Ross, 20, 33, 34.
4. Ross, 21.
5. Ross, 11.
6. Paul Hayes Tucker, Claude Monet: Life and Artist (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1995), 4.
7. Tucker, 5.
37
13 high level of naturalism and intimacy in the rendering of his
Portrait of a Young Girl, n.d. subject and the composition of his painting. In Portrait of a
Young Girl, Quincy achieved the psychological and emotional
Oil on wood panel, 18 x 13 3/4 in. (45.7 x 34.9 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy depth of depiction that Eakins was known for, capturing the
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New subtleties of his sitter’s personality.4
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). To best capture the particular personality of this young girl,
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 38, Quincy likely spent several hours studying her closely to get to
cat. 41. know her temperament and her individual expressions. He may
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC have even known her well already. Perhaps she was the daughter
of a friend or she may have been related to Quincy himself.
In his Portrait of a Young Girl, Edmund Quincy effectively
Regardless, there seems to be a closeness between painter and
depicted the mood of his sitter. Carefully rendering the girl’s
sitter in this portrait, which is reflected both in the believability
down-turned mouth and sad eyes, Quincy conveys a juvenile
of the girl’s appearance, and in the visual space of the painting.
melancholy with a clarity and an attention to detail that makes
In the portrait, Quincy reveals his proximity to the girl as he
his depiction quite believable. He has represented a young girl
was painting her, a distance of only a few feet. Just as in
in her fancy dress with her hair neatly braided and tied with rib-
Thomas Eakins’ Portrait of Amelia C. Van Buren, the sitter’s
bons. Her apparent demeanor hints at the idea that she would
body extends beyond the edge of the painting, symbolically
rather be playing than sitting for a portrait. She holds a small
entering the “real” space of the viewer. Because the girl is not
bird, either a toy or favorite pet which, one might conjecture,
confined to the space of the portrait, the viewer has access to
she may have been allowed as a sort of pacifier to sooth her
her and can seemingly enter the painting, and vice versa. The
boredom. Quincy, like all portraitists, would likely have done
viewer takes the visual perspective and position of the artist
various preparatory drawings for the painting.1 One can only
who, as the original observer and “documenter” of the scene, is
imagine the girl’s impatience as she tried to remain still in her
implicitly present in the work. The girl thus becomes more
heavy coat as the artist did studies, and the burst of energy with
physically present, more “real,” while the viewer/artist becomes
which she surely abandoned the stately, rigid armchair, discard-
a part of the painting.
ing her wool coat and beret as she left to do more exciting
The naturalism of the young girl created by Quincy’s atten-
things.
tive depiction of her reflects the fact that this was a real person.
The subtlety with which Quincy depicts the girl’s passing
This is a “true” portrait, not a rhetorical one. The child is not
mood is reminiscent of Thomas Eakins’ formal, but still natura-
meant to be seen as an allegory for youth or beauty, but as a real
listic, portraits such as Portrait of Alice Kurtz (1903) and
person represented at a certain moment in her life. It is unfortu-
Portrait of Amelia C. Van Buren (c. 1891). Quincy would likely
nate that such an intimate and specific depiction should be
have been acquainted with the work of Thomas Eakins, a
entitled Portrait of a Young Girl; clearly the actual identity of the
painter in Philadelphia at the turn of the century who greatly
girl has been lost. There are titles of Quincy’s other portraits
influenced the evolution of American realism as well as the aca-
listed in old exhibition catalogues, featuring names like “Betsey”
demic painting style taught in art academies for at least the first
and “Sophie.”5 There is, however, no strong evidence that any
half of the twentieth century.2 Eakins was known for the
of these could have been this young girl. It seems ironic that
extreme realism of his paintings, especially his portraits, in
this girl’s identity should be lost since the purpose of a portrait
which he attempted to depict not only the particular details of
is to record the appearance and, essentially, the identity of an
his subjects’ appearance, but also their essential character.3
individual so that there can be some sort of “physical” evidence
In his own portrait, Quincy chose a light, neutral back-
of who that person was. Children’s portraiture is even more
ground, similar to that in Eakins’ painting of Ms. Kurtz, in
rooted in the temporality of human life, since it preserves the
order to focus attention on the sitter’s aspect, rather than on her
appearance of a child, who, of course, will grow up quickly.
surroundings. Quincy painted with a muted palette like that of
Quincy’s portrait was meant to capture a single, fleeting stage in
Eakins to portray the girl subtly and naturalistically, not glam-
this girl’s life. Just as Quincy was surely trying his best to keep
orously. Quincy also created the Eakins-like effect of diffused,
this young girl from running off to play, the painting itself is an
indoor natural light falling upon his subject, illuminating the
attempt at capturing the essence of that girl at a fleeting
nuances in her expression and the details of her face. As in
moment in time.
Eakins’ portrait of Ms. Van Buren, Quincy posed his sitter in a
Laura Hahn
chair close to him so that her legs extend beyond the space con-
tained within the canvas. He also, similarly, depicted his subject
with a single prop: in this case, a bird rather than the fan that
Ms. Van Buren holds. Quincy, like Eakins, worked towards a
38
1. Jim Aplin, “Groundwork, Dignity, and Children’s Portraits,” American Artist 69 (May
2005): 41.
2. Edward Lucie-Smith, American Realism (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1994), 33.
3. Darrel Sewell, ed., Thomas Eakins (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art in associa-
tion with New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001), 259.
4. Lucie-Smith, 33.
5. Paintings by Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (Newport, RI: The Art Association of Newport,
1943), n.p., and Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (New York: Contemporary Arts Center,
1942), n.p., Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
39
14 trasting relationship with the natural surroundings. Nature is
A Shady Street, n.d. not static and rigid like the architecture and the street; it has the
opposite effect. Nature is swift, such as can be seen in the trees
Oil on wood panel, 18 1/2 x 14 7/8 in. (47 x 37.8 cm)
Signed in ink: c.b.: “Estate of Edmund Quincy” [estate stamp] blowing in the wind or the clouds floating in the sky. Charles
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New Burchfield, an American artist working during the 1930s, used
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). similar techniques to those of Quincy in portraying motion in
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 38, nature. Burchfield’s work entitled Black Iron (1935) is an exam-
cat. 55. ple of how he captured the fleeting effects of nature. The brush-
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC work of the clouds in the distance creates a rhythm of motion
as they seem to descend upon the machinery below. Burchfield
Quincy has created a “portrait” of the relationship between
commented on the effects of nature when he said, “Allow your
manmade things and nature in his work entitled A Shady Street.
mind to grow by letting it follow the whimsy of the moment.”3
Edward Hopper is often compared to Quincy in many elements
Quincy, like Burchfield, also captured the swift motion of
of design and technique. The scene of A Shady Street, like many
nature in his painting.
of Edward Hopper’s paintings, captures the swift nature of the
In comparison to Burchfield, Quincy used a similar tech-
trees and sky versus the straight lines of the buildings.1 Viewers
nique of portraying motion in A Shady Street. The trees are full
are able to identify the character of the street by analyzing
of color and saturation, which enhance their prominence within
Quincy’s point of view.
the scene, thus providing greater contrasts with the static build-
Edward Hopper’s use of light and the contrasting relation-
ings. Quincy filled the background with the motion of the sky
ship between architecture and nature are characteristics that are
and intensity of light. The highlighted edges conflict with the
also evident in Quincy’s works. Cape Cod Morning (1950) is an
shadowed sections of the trees and in turn, they enhance each
example of how Hopper portrays the relationship of the swift-
other. Claude Monet can be compared to Quincy in his effects
ness of nature versus the static quality of architecture. The
of light to create movement in trees.4 Monet used highlights
painting is divided into two parts; a stationary house is situated
and swift brushstrokes to create activity in trees as they dangle
on the viewer’s left, which contrasts with the fluidity of trees on
over the road in his painting entitled Garden at Giverny (1902).
the viewer’s right. Hopper represents movement in the trees
Each tree seems to be placed purposefully along the path to cre-
using light, airy brushstrokes, and solid more bold brushstrokes
ate a pattern of shadows on the street. A pattern is formed in a
for manmade structures. Straight lines of architecture counteract
similar way in Quincy’s painting as shifting clouds and rays of
the fluid motion of the trees, which are also characteristics with-
sun shine brightly onto the static quality of A Shady Street, cre-
in Quincy’s A Shady Street. In A Shady Street, the buildings and
ating abstract forms of shadow. Light and shadow have a con-
wall are inert as they counteract the motion of the overhanging
trasting relationship like that of nature and manmade things;
trees and the background of sky. Quincy captures the contrast-
they enhance each other because of their differences.
ing association of nature and manmade things by creating a
Quincy’s point of view within A Shady Street captures the
“portrait” of their relationship.
pictorial characteristics of the scene. The angle of the view,
Quincy not only used the manmade elements for structure,
slightly above the street, enables a viewer to see the relationship
he also used them to add character to A Shady Street. The ele-
of the manmade elements and nature as an observer of the
ments of light enhance the character of the architecture and the
scene. If the viewer was placed onto the street within the scene,
street. Manmade objects such as the traditional white building
he/she could not see the whole dimension of the work. This
on the viewer’s right, and certain areas of the street stand out
high, upper-story perspective was common for Quincy, as
because they are highlighted. The highlights stand out against
Zachary D. Ross observed: “most of his plein-air painting
the somber effects of the shadows, effects which enhance
seemed to have been limited to views from hotel windows or
Quincy’s design. Edward Hopper also used light to enhance the
studios.”5 Quincy could have possibly painted A Shady Street
character of a scene, and received recognition in the 1920s for
while observing it from a hotel window. Ross further noted that
his architectural paintings in which light characterized his sub-
Quincy recorded details of historic places, but positioned him-
jects.2 Hopper demonstrates this technique in his work entitled
self at a “physical and psychological distance.”6 In A Shady
Early Sunday Morning (1930), where he used light as an element
Street, Quincy has recorded details of the architecture and tex-
of design against a building. Light creates irregular shapes which
ture of the street from a distant position, possibly a window,
heighten some areas of the building, while others are hidden in
where he could contemplate what he was capturing within the
shadows. The abstract shapes of highlight portray character on
scene. He has not only painted the scene as an artist, but also,
the otherwise flat building, and the manmade elements are both
Quincy’s position in relation to the things represented in the
purposeful in design and structure.
work suggests that he was an “observer.” The angle of reference
The manmade elements within A Shady Street have a con-
for the scene allows the viewer to see the characteristics of the
40
relationship between nature and manmade things. 1. Lloyd Goodrich, Edward Hopper (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993), 119.
2. Virginia M. Mecklenburg, Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation
Quincy created a “portrait” of the shady street, the charac- Collection (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press for the National Museum of
teristics of which enhance the relationship between the two con- American Art, 1987), n.p.
3. John I.H. Baur, The Inlander: Life and Work of Charles Burchfield, 1893-1967 (New York:
trasting elements of manmade things and nature. Architecture Cornwall Books, 1982), 118.
would not have stood out as much without the light effects and 1995), 21.
the contrasting motions of the trees overhead. In turn, the 5. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat.
nature of the scene would not have portrayed motion without 6. Ross, 13.
the structure of the architecture below. Zachary D. Ross noted
that, “His work clearly reveals the strengths of an academic edu-
cation: the strong diagonals of the street scenes, gentle treat-
ment of the landscape, and clear portrayal of sky and sunlight.”7
Quincy used his skills to turn an ordinary street scene into a
“portrait” full of character and motion.
Dorothy Paige Litz
41
15 most notably Jane Avril au Jardin de Paris (1893) and Moulin
Vaudeville Stage, n.d. Rouge-La Goulue (1891).
These posters show the wild movement and bright lights of
Oil on academy board, 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
Signed: c.b.: ESTATE OF EDMUND QUINCY [estate stamp] the theatre, capturing the spontaneity and temporality of the
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New theatrical medium. The colors Quincy chose for his Vaudeville
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000); The Paintings of Edmund Quincy Stage mirror those used by Lautrec in the poster of Jane Avril.
(Newport, RI: The Art Association of Newport, 1943); Edmund Quincy
(New York: Contemporary Arts Center, 1942). In the works of both artists, the bright hues of the performers
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, contrast with the dark colors of the orchestra and spectators to
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 38, emphasize the line where the stage ends and the audience
cat. 56; Paintings by Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (Newport, RI: The Art
Association of Newport, 1943), n.p., cat. 21; Edmund Quincy exh. cat. begins.7 In the poster of the famous (and infamous) dancer “La
(New York: Contemporary Arts Center, 1942), n.p., cat. 12. Goulue,” the silhouettes of various audience members surround
the performer, framing her movement. In Lautrec’s posters, the
elements of theatre outside of the stage (i.e., the accompanists
Edmund Quincy’s Vaudeville Stage presents a glimpse of
and the audience) take on almost as essential a role as the per-
American vaudeville theatre, which was the main form of enter-
formers themselves. Quincy similarly asserts the importance of
tainment beginning at the turn of the twentieth century until
these “outside” participants, placing himself, and thus the view-
around 1932.1 With its roots in the minstrel shows of the nine-
er, within the audience.
teenth century, vaudeville was a variety show very popular
Edgar Degas created the same sense of separation in his
amongst the working classes that often featured slapstick or
depictions of the theatre. In his Ballet à l’Opéra (1877), Degas
satirical comedy, musical performances, and dance. However, at
depicted the distance between the audience and the performers.
the time that Quincy would likely have been producing this
The view of the stage, as in Quincy’s painting, is partially
painting (c. 1941, judging by the exhibition dates for the paint-
obscured by the musicians in the orchestra pit; the dancers are
ing), vaudeville’s popularity had already diminished.2 Most of
blurred, and the details of their faces and costumes are difficult
the theatres had been converted to movie houses and vaudeville
to decipher. The lack of clarity in the depiction of the perform-
was no longer that appealing to the public.3
ers emphasizes the anonymity of the theatre. The performers are
Still, it seems that Quincy had chosen the subject matter as
playing parts and, in a sense, concealing their true identities.
representative of a certain time and place: America before World
The anonymity of the audience is also implied in this represen-
War II. The choice of such a “low” form of entertainment as a
tation. Intense light falls on the stage, while the audience
subject reflects the ideas of the Ashcan school of the nineteenth
remains in shadow thus “hiding” the faces of the spectators
century, the artists of which purposely chose to depict everyday
from the performers. In Quincy’s painting, too, the audience is
life in a “realistic” manner.4 Ashcan school artists like George
a dark, somewhat formless mass, and its individual members are
Bellows and John Sloan painted scenes of working class leisure
unidentifiable. This reciprocal anonymity is an essential part of
activities, such as boxing matches and dancing at clubs. These
theatre’s fictional nature, preserving the illusion of the show.8
artists, who were influenced by the teachings of the famous realist
The manner in which Quincy portrays his Vaudeville Stage
Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, were
is also reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s Girlie Show (1941), a
interested in depicting the “grittiness” of urban life in America.5
depiction not of vaudeville, but of its slightly more risqué coun-
Many of the Ashcan artists were trained as newspaper reporters
terpart, the burlesque theatre. Quincy and Hopper use similar
and, as such, recorded what they saw in as spontaneous a manner
techniques to capture the environment and atmosphere of the
as possible.6 The liveliness of their compositions was evocative of
theatre. Both artists convey the physical space of the theatre by
the types of people, places, and events they were depicting in
including the curtain and architectural details around the stage,
their works. Quincy was also able to capture that same lively
rather than focusing solely on the performer. They both depict
tone in his depiction of the vaudeville show.
the orchestra in front of the stage playing the accompaniment
Quincy’s representation, most notably in his palette and
and marking the separation between the performer and the
composition, evokes the excitement and energy of vaudeville
audience. Quincy emphasizes this separation even more by
theatre. Quincy captures the flashiness and gaudiness of the
including greater visual distance between himself and the per-
show by using a vivid, saturated palette and by creating the
former. Judging by his simulated distance from the dancer and
effect of the intense stage lights. He conveys the excitement and
the musicians and by the level of the stage in his visual field, it
spontaneity of the theatre by seemingly pausing time and sus-
seems as though Quincy was painting from one of the central
pending motion. He depicts the dancer mid-stride, the conductor
orchestra seats farther back in the theatre (certainly not the best
still completing his direction to the orchestra, and the musicians
seat in the house).
in the midst of their accompaniment. The suspended movement
By including the audience between himself and the stage,
of the painting echoes the cabaret posters of Toulouse-Lautrec,
Quincy reveals his presence there. He is part of the darkened
42
audience, and is just another spectator. However, in depicting 1. Barbara Haskell, The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-1950 (New York: Whitney
Museum of American Art in association with W.W. Norton and Co., 1999), 73.
this distance, both paintings also convey the sense of “spectator- 2. Paintings by Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (Newport, RI: The Art Association of Newport,
ship” that is essential to theatre. These painters are not observ- 1943), n.p., and Edmund Quincy exh. cat. (New York: Contemporary Arts Center,
1942), n.p., Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
ing something natural, but rather something choreographed and 3. Haskell, 73.
4. Ian Bennett, A History of American Painting (London: Hamlyn, 1973), 153.
composed. Whereas in some of his other paintings, Boston Street 5. Bennett, 153.
for example, Quincy is a passive observer watching the random 6. Haskell, 64.
7. Claire Frèches-Thory, Anne Roquebert, and Richard Thomson, Toulouse-Lautrec (New
scene out his window, in Vaudeville Stage he is a spectator, the Haven: Yale University Press, 1991), 298.
difference being that the dancer (the subject) is not only aware 8. Robert Gordon and Andrew Forge, Degas (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988), 169.
of his presence, but is also performing for him as a member of
the audience. He is not a passive observer, but is an essential
part of the scene before him. In this painting, Quincy’s presence
is not simply implied, but necessary. In identifying with Quincy
as a member of the audience of the vaudeville show, the viewer
is made to embrace fully his or her role as not just a passive
observer, but a spectator.
Laura Hahn
43
16 The focus in Table by the Window is not on a street corner,
Table by the Window, n.d. canal, or field. Instead, Quincy uses a single figure to represent
the mood of the surroundings. The slight glimpse of chimneys
Oil on canvas, 27 x 21 1/4 in. (68.6 x 54 cm)
Unsigned and a building through the large window is all that indicates the
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New specific location of the restaurant. However, Quincy presents
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000); Paintings by Edmund Quincy more information about the restaurant with some of its charac-
(New York: Contemporary Arts Center, 1945).
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, teristics, such as the lace curtain and ironed tablecloth. The inti-
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 25, mate, secluded space allows for a select part of the restaurant to
33, cat. 6. be seen by the viewer. It is not necessary to see the entire restau-
rant because Quincy shows the specific atmosphere of a public
In the painting, Table by the Window by Edmund Quincy, the place.
viewer is placed directly at eye level with a figure of a woman The presence of the observer in the secluded area of the
seated alone at a table. The sun shining on the table immediately restaurant is apparent through proximity to the figure. It is pos-
draws the viewer’s attention by bringing out the warm cream sible that the viewer is sitting at the table with the figure or
and white tones of the tablecloth. The sun is shining through a takes the place of a waiter standing by the table. The lack of
large window behind the figure, which takes up almost half of space between the viewer and the figure creates a close, comfort-
the composition. Four ranges of horizontal lines split up the able environment. However, the woman’s face is covered, mak-
composition. The front edge of the table is the lowest horizontal ing it impossible to establish eye contact with her. Her elbow
line and the far end of the table sets a strong horizontal contrast resting on the table and hand clenched under her chin pull the
between the table and the red wall. The red wall runs into the viewer’s attention to her covered face. The woman is therefore
white windowsill and a wall outside is visible through the win- inviting the viewer to her, but the viewer has no real access.
dow. The wall outside forms another horizontal line ending Table by the Window is strikingly similar to a painting by an
right in front of the figure’s face and takes the viewer’s attention artist contemporary to Quincy. Edward Hopper’s Automat,
to the woman. The horizontal lines, however, are contrasted by painted in 1927, is also a portrait of a woman in a restaurant
vertical components in the painting. A beam behind the figure, seated by herself. Rather than placing the viewer at the table
the bottle and glasses on the table, and the architecture through with the figure, Hopper separates the viewer and subject with
the window as well as the figure’s vertically-placed arm, pull the space. Although Hopper and Quincy have similar subject mat-
viewer’s attention upward without dividing the composition. ters in their paintings, Hopper disconnects the viewer and the
The arrangement of the composition causes the left side of the subject. Like Quincy, Hopper painted women in interiors and
painting to look busier because the seated figure is not centered, placed the figures near windows. The subject matter of a lone-
but rather is arbitrarily placed on the left side. A wall behind some woman is an example of Hopper’s skill for depicting soli-
the figure and the building through the window on the right- tude.3 As Gail Levin stated, “solitude as a reoccurring theme in
hand side set up a framing device. The figure is framed within Hopper’s oeuvre is often expressed through the portrayal of a
these architectural elements. lone figure in situations where other artists would depict
The light source is directed through the window and lightly crowds.”4 A restaurant is a public atmosphere where many fig-
touches the inside of the wall and the chair behind the figure. ures could be depicted. Quincy could also have possibly placed
The windowsill is illuminated by the light, and a shadow is cast the figure in solitude by the window to show a desire to get
on the white tablecloth by the wine bottle. There is a wide away from an overbearing crowded city. Levin discusses the idea
palette of vibrant colors ranging from a dark navy hat and rich of Hopper frequently using windows to indicate the need to
red wall, to the light pink flower and bright blue sky. The highly- “escape from the company of others.”5 Quincy may also be
pitched tonal value in the curtain and tablecloth contrasts with depicting his desire, or the desire of a working-class woman, to
the dark tones in the wine and sweater providing a wide tonal get away from the overpopulated city in Table by the Window.
range. The woman in this painting is depicted at a specific
This painting is not only a portrait of a woman, but also is moment in time. One hand is clenched in a fist under the chin
a portrait of a restaurant. By depicting the light shining through and the other is grasping the side of the table with her head
a window on the woman seated by herself at a table, Quincy slightly tilted down. The composition shows temporality not
was able to capture “the mood of a girl dining alone.”1 Quincy only in her body language, but also in the random cutting off of
achieved this effect by depicting not only her character, but also the scene. The restaurant or café also shows the temporality of
the character of the restaurant. This “portrait of a place” differs Quincy’s time reference. Quincy created this painting at a time
from other paintings by Quincy, for example, Street Scene, when various cafés in Paris were directed towards the working
Boston where Quincy depicts a lively, energetic street corner.2 class. The workers’ café is described by Francisque Michel and
Edouard Fournier as, “shelter for workers who want to eat a
44
snack and to wash it down with a glass of wine; the table always solitude and therefore, a need to escape from crowded city life.
ready for someone who wants to eat a cutlet or cheese; the Rebecca Magrane
room is open to all comers.”6 This description characterizes the
scene and the time period in which this woman could be dining. 1. Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat.
Quincy challenges the role of the viewer in this painting. 2. The phrase, “portrait of a place,” was inspired by a statement from Henry James in
The viewer is placed in the personal space of the figure and is Athenaeum Items: A Library Letter from The Boston Athenaeum 61 (March 1955): n.p., as
cited in Ross, 29.
surrounded by and is part of the atmosphere. At first glance, the 3. Gail Levin, Edward Hopper (New York: Crown Publishers, 1984), 66.
painting is simply a woman seated alone with shadows and sec- 4. Levin, 69.
5. Levin, 69.
tions of horizontal color surrounding her. However, the proximity 6. Francisque Michel and Edouard Fournier, Les Hotelleries
ˆ et les cabarets en France depuis la
fin du XVI siècle à nos jours (Paris: Delahys, 1859), 399, as cited in Scott W. Haine, The
to the figure forces a viewer to contemplate further the scene. World of the Paris Café: Sociability among the French Working Class, 1789-1914
The painting is an image of a solitary woman eating alone, but (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), 60.
there is also an underlying meaning of a desire for simplicity and
45
17 diagonals lead the viewer into the background and back to the
Firenze, Strade sotto Villa Mercede, Voltato L’Angolo, foreground. The composition works in a circular way with the
c. 1942 buildings and landscape responding to the figure in the fore-
ground, allowing the viewer’s eye to move through the work
Signed and inscribed: l.l.: Quincy; c.l.b: FIRENZE/STRADE SOTTO VILLA over and over again. The depth created in the composition acts
MERCEDE, VOLTATO L’ANGOLO as a conversation between the figure and the cityscape. The rela-
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New
tionship of the figure to the rest of the setting gives the painting
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000).
Published: Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, a tranquil and reflective quality as the figure is alone, gazing out
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 38, onto the Tuscan scene.
cat. 44.
The figure seems paused in a moment that does not give
this painting the same kind of bustling effect that is more obvi-
It is probable that Quincy created Firenze, Strade sotto Villa ous in some of Quincy’s other works like Street Scene, Boston,
Mercede, Voltato L’Angolo with his other Italian paintings, where figures are shown in motion. Quincy did a number of his
including Venice Canal, in the early 1940s. It was after that trip works in industrialized and populated New England and
that he began to exhibit his Italian paintings.1 Quincy admitted European areas. These regions were more developed and indica-
to revising some of the titles of his works for his exhibition at tive of an active urban culture. Through placing the figure
Wellesley College in 1945. Therefore, it is possible Firenze, paused in a serene setting, this painting reveals the slower pace
Strade sotto Villa Mercede, Voltato L’Angolo may have been exhib- of life in this region outside of the central parts of the city.
ited under a different title in the Wellesley exhibition.2 Quincy took a “voyeuristic” approach in looking onto a
Quincy selected a scene that is identifiable as Italy primarily quiet moment of a solitary man as he gazes onto the landscape.
from the cypress and olive trees scattered in the landscape. The Quincy was positioned behind the figure and painted while the
image is set in the outskirts of Florence, perhaps in the figure may have been unaware of his presence. The way in
Belvedere area. Quincy captured a side of Florence that is quieter which Quincy framed the composition suggests he was interfer-
and more removed from the central urban areas. ing with the figure’s solitary moment.
Firenze, Strade sotto Villa Mercede, Voltato L’Angolo shows Quincy painted the figure fairly close-up and only included
how Quincy manipulated his palette to find the “character” of the one person. The figure is awkwardly positioned in the fore-
the location he was painting. Quincy often tailored his color ground. The way in which Quincy painted the figure is not as
choices to reveal his perception of the location. In this painting, strong, technically, as the rest of the work. Quincy invites us in
Quincy captured a clear day in Tuscany as the daytime light to share the same view as the man, but the figure is unbeliev-
subtly washed over the scene. In a few of his other works, like able, visually, which prevents the viewer from comfortably con-
Venice Canal and A Mediterranean Church, he used brighter, necting to the human aspect of the scene. Even if the figure was
dramatically different colors. Quincy painted with a soft and not intended to be a focal point, it is so undeveloped that it
tonal palette in Firenze, Strade sotto Villa Mercede, Voltato becomes the primary visual focus and consequently, the figure
L’Angolo and excluded many contrasting colors. Instead, in his acts as a curious juxtaposition to the rest of the composition.
color selections, he included variations of the violet hue for Quincy created this work in the middle of his career after he
many of the undertones and highlights. Quincy’s obvious appli- had years of experience with the figure. By the 1940s, Quincy
cation of violet and tonal colors can also be related to a few of already successfully completed a number of paintings, including
Monet’s works that were done as studies of light throughout the figural depictions and even portraits.4 In 1927, he studied in
day, such as the Rouen Cathedral and Haystacks series.3 Monet Paris under Georges-Leo Degorce who was known for land-
dramatically showed the function of light on one subject at vari- scapes and the nude. After he returned to Boston later that year,
ous times throughout the day. Therefore, it is not surprising Quincy continued to work on his own landscapes, still life, and
that the color range Quincy used appears to be more limited, nudes.5 Therefore, it is difficult to understand why Quincy
which is probably due to the time of day he is depicting. In shows the figure in such a nondescript manner.
addition, the paint is densely layered onto the surface which can Quincy did not always include many figures in his paint-
also be related to “impressionist” techniques of using thick lay- ings. However, he always suggested a human mark on a land-
ers of paint. scape or cityscape. In his painting of the Haystacks, Giverny, he
Quincy carefully intertwined cityscape and landscape to depicted the hay bundled up for the harvest which shows that
create balance and depth in his composition. A figure looks out the landscape had been touched by people.6 Figures, however,
onto the scene as a row of trees recedes back into a landscape are not necessarily what Quincy tried to capture but rather, the
with buildings scattered and layered into it. The buildings are atmosphere of a specific location. On the other hand, Quincy’s
each shown at an angle that creates diagonals and depth. These consistent effort to include figures helps the viewer to connect
to the setting. In Firenze, Strade sotto Villa Mercede, Voltato
46
L’Angolo, he included a figure and manmade structures, both of
which are set into a landscape. Through his intricate incorpora-
tion of these images within his composition, Quincy shows his
ability to capture the beauty of a place.
Susannah Haworth
1. Passports with Italian stamps, Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.

2. A letter to Miss Abbott dated October 10, 1945 about his show, Wellesley College
archives.
1995), 4.
4. Exhibition pamphlet from before 1940, Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.
6. Tucker, 135, made this observation with respect to Monet’s haystack paintings.
47
18 ingly rapid and active brushwork. There is a strong resemblance
Elevated Train, Boston, n.d. between the visible canvas that remains in this image and the
effect achieved by painting with watercolor on paper, which is
Oil on canvas, 16 1/2 x 19 in. (41.9 x 48.3 cm)
Signed: l.r.: Quincy usually a more rapid and less detailed medium often used for
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New quick studies and exercises in painting.
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). Through Quincy’s shaping of perspective from the left side
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 37, of the road, and the angle showing the sidewalk extending just
cat. 35. in front of the viewer, the painting creates the illusion that the
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC viewer is not only observing the scene, but is also within it. The
viewer appears to be standing, and possibly walking, down the
Elevated Train, Boston is a painting of a Boston street that runs
street toward the vanishing point a block behind and opposite
under a railroad track. It is one of Edmund Quincy’s variety of
the figure on the right side of the image. Placing the viewer at
cityscapes, images that make up a vast portion of his known
the edge of the composition in this way is engaging, especially
body of paintings. This painting captures a moment on this city
when conveying the personality of a space or location like
street through simple forms and blended color patches in
Quincy does with his images of Boston.
Quincy’s style of very visible brushwork. Elevated Train, Boston
The lighting in Elevated Train, Boston, which creates long,
is an idealized perception of a small street in Boston, giving the
soft shadows, expresses a distinct time of day when the sun is
viewer a vision of a picture-perfect American city with a subtle
either rising or setting. These indicators of surrounding are very
beauty in the color of the buildings and the gentle light falling
important to Quincy, shaping his perception of the location and
across the scene.
the moment, and conveying them to the viewer. Lighting allows
Quincy shows a strong attachment to his home city of
the viewer to focus on Quincy’s interpretation of the scene by
Boston in a number of his cityscapes. B.J. Kospoth of the
depicting “the sensation produced by a landscape,”3 which was
Chicago Tribune commented in 1930 that, “his eyes are full of
one of the ideals of the early Impressionists that appears to
the beauty of ancient red-brick mansions facing on quiet
inform the majority of Quincy’s paintings. His sense of familiarity
squares and he paints them with the strength and delicacy that
in his work promotes the “personification” of place that Quincy
is born of affection and understanding.”1 Quincy depicts dis-
crafts from his reaction to his location.
tinctly “American” city qualities through architecture, layout of
Elevated Train, Boston contains other elements that give the
streets and buildings, trees and parks, figures, and activity in his
viewer a sense of paused time. The three smaller forms in the
images. Maude Riley of Art Digest wrote in reference to
image are a dog, a figure, and a car. The car appears to be
Quincy’s final exhibition in New York City at the
parked, but the figure is in motion walking away from the viewer
Contemporary Arts Center in 1945 that, “Quincy also paints
on the other side of the road. The dog is looking down the
Massachusetts towns and gardens near his present home. Again
street with his tail curled up in the air, a very active position for
atmosphere of place is strong and he makes charming scenes—
such an animal. The painting’s sense of motion and changing
stepped up, of course, in color; for none but the most unobser-
surroundings create a temporality that captures a shifting
vant ever paint France and the U.S. in the same light or with
moment. Gail Levin has remarked about the paintings of
the same palette.”2
Edward Hopper, a contemporary of Quincy who painted
Quincy had a connection to Boston and painted it as a
cityscapes and architectural images, that “when figures do
known and cherished location. He often placed his viewer at
appear in a cityscape they are often diminished, insignificant in
ground level in his Boston cityscapes to show his familiarity
relation to the massive architectural environment.”4 Though
with the various neighborhoods, from large brownstones to
Quincy’s architecture is not quite as massive in appearance as
quaint colorful suburban homes, to industrial areas with smoke
Hopper’s, the figure is used as a similar device by appearing
and water tanks. Though he had strong ties to Europe, there
faceless and walking away from the compositional entry to the
was more opportunity for originality in painting Boston because it
image, just as the dog is facing away from it as well. The figure
lacked the history of having been rendered in paintings in contrast
stands as a fraction of the visual expression of the moment and
to European cities which were more commonly represented.
assists in developing a context for the painting. These forms are
The linear elements shape the image by creating a composi-
also all facing toward the focal point of the image and assist in
tion that has been broken into sections: the architecture lining
creating a sense of motion toward the center of the composition.
the sides, the road below the tracks, and the skyline above the
This sense of time is then enforced by the changing light
tracks. Though these lines directing the angles of the composi-
that forms many darkly shadowed portions in the painting and
tion have a sharp linear effect, most of the brushstrokes in this
leaves powerful highlights, such as the green tower that stands
painting are noticeable and textured, and there are sections
in the center of the image. The brightness of the tower contrasts
where gaps in the paint are visible as a result of Quincy’s seem-
with the shadow on the tracks that is facing the viewer and sets
48
the sun at a particular angle, determining this gently lit hour of 1. B.J. Kospoth, “Edmond [sic] Quincy’s American Paintings,” Chicago Tribune (Paris edi-
tion), June 1, 1930, n.p., as cited in Zachary D. Ross, Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of
day. The colors within the image are extremely saturated and Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 14.
help to create vibrancy and glow in this softly-lit setting. 2. Maude Riley, “Nostalgia for France,” Art Digest XIX, no. 16 (May 15, 1945): 10, as cited
in Ross, 25.
The sense of observation is apparent in the alternating 3. Jules-Antoine Castagnary, “The Exhibition on the Boulevard des Capucines,” in Art in
Theory 1815-1900, ed. Charles Harrison and Paul Wood with Jason Gaiger (Oxford:
highlights and shadows, which are then mimicked by the alter- Blackwell, 1998), 573.
nating red and yellow buildings. These color patterns and com- 4. Gail Levin, Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist (New York: W.W. Norton & Co.,
1980), 45.
pliments are rhythms that Quincy experiments with in his
paintings to activate motion in the image and reaction in the
viewer. These choices express Quincy’s talent for compositional
construction and his focus on providing the viewer with a dis-
tinctly Bostonian experience from his personal perspective of
the city. This combination leaves the viewer not only aestheti-
cally satisfied with the compositional elements of the painting,
but also with a strong sense of the essence of Quincy’s devotion
to his location.
Cassie Lynott
49
19 with very little detail in the background. Quincy incorporates
Haystacks, Giverny, n.d. the haystacks as an aspect of his landscape in the composition,
along with the changing colors of the grass, the verticality of the
Signed: l.r.: Quincy trees, and the curvilinear shapes of the hills.
Exhibited: Spirit of the Past: The Paintings of Edmund Quincy, 1903-1997 (New Quincy did not include humans or architecture in
York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000). Haystacks, Giverny and therefore, it is his purest landscape.
1903-1997 exh. cat. (New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 24, Quincy captured the vast landscape of agriculture within the
38, cat. 52. scene where the rolling hills and the patterned fields enhance
Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC the environment. Natural color and design evoke an unrefined
atmosphere of crisp agriculture. The essence of nature is repre-
Edmund Quincy constantly traveled back and forth to Europe
sented in the simplicity and elegance of the landscape. Small,
throughout his career. He spent the majority of his time study-
quaint haystacks draw the viewer into the foreground, which
ing in Paris during his early years as an artist where his style
then lead him or her over the rolling hills and into the back-
began to develop. In the late 1920s, Quincy began to show his
ground. The complexity and structure of architecture and people
paintings in group exhibitions and then in 1930, he exhibited
are not needed within this landscape; the simple pattern of
his paintings in his first one-man show at Galerie d’Art
nature is enough to evoke a viewer’s interest.
Contemporian in Paris.1 Quincy’s exhibition was widely
The range of tonality in most of Quincy’s works, and
acclaimed and helped launch his career.2 Quincy continued to
specifically in Haystacks, Giverny and The Garden Wall, illus-
exhibit his American and European paintings in Paris all the
trates both depth and perspective. The loose application of paint
way through the 1950s.3
in these works creates the visual effect of luminosity in the leaves
Quincy’s Haystacks, Giverny depicts the popular and fre-
of the trees and ground. Quincy also used light to create depth
quently painted countryside of Giverny in northern France,
in both paintings, which is important to the sense of movement
made famous by Monet’s series of haystack paintings completed
in both. These landscapes have manmade elements, which are
in the late 1880s. Despite the frequent portrayals of this site,
distinguished from the fluidity of their natural surroundings.
Quincy’s painting is a unique rendition of Giverny because it
While the manmade elements are fixed in Quincy’s The Garden
presents the landscape the way that he wanted to see it. The
Wall, the manmade elements in Haystacks, Giverny are suggested
painting’s saturated color palette, warm highlights, and natural
only by the baling of the haystacks.
elements, untouched by manmade structures and figures, create
Quincy created an atmosphere in this painting that sur-
a harmonious, idyllic atmosphere that celebrates the charm and
rounds the spectator. Instead of focusing on a single haystack,
beauty of this popular location. Quincy has captured the
Quincy depicted not only the haystacks themselves, but also the
essence of Giverny, and he presents a scene that is unique to this
environment around them. Therefore, the trees and fields
particular place as well as to his own experience of it.
around the haystacks provide a location with which the viewer
Haystacks, Giverny has a texture and style that resemble the
can relate to the haystacks. The viewer is placed within the envi-
works of Impressionists, such as those by Monet that also repre-
ronment at the bottom of the hill, taking the place of Quincy as
sent the haystacks and landscape of Giverny. Quincy’s focus on
he made the painting. This placement allows for the spectator
light and shadow, both of which contain a soft violet hue, is
to be located where a haystack may have been standing. The
reminiscent of many Impressionist depictions of light. His visible
spectator is therefore able to perceive the essence of the location
brushwork layers colors with small paint strokes, adding dimen-
and take the place of the painter within the composition.
sion to the image. These obvious layers of careful over-painting
Quincy was able to portray a particular moment in time in
show that Haystacks, Giverny was not completed as an “impres-
his painting. He conveys the time of day (most likely after-
sion” on sight, but rather the shifting light and motion in the
noon), through the intensity of the light and the long, dark
brushwork create a painting that compels the viewer to recall
shadows cast by the haystacks. He also shows the season in
the paintings of the Impressionist movement.
which the scene takes place since hay is gathered at a certain
There is an obvious connection to Monet in the subject
time of year, after the flush of the farming season. More subtly,
matter of this painting. Monet also painted a series of haystacks
Quincy created a sense of movement in his painting. The clouds
in Giverny in different light, weather conditions, and times of
look as if they are rolling through the sky, being pushed by the
day during the late 1880s. Like Monet, Quincy utilized an
wind—a wind that is perhaps blowing with the change of sea-
“impressionist” palette. Various shades of violet dominate the
sons and suggesting that this scene is only temporary. Haystacks,
shadows in both Monet’s and Quincy’s works. Rough brush-
Giverny epitomizes Quincy’s unique vision, and that of the
strokes reveal numerous different colors in every centimeter of
viewer, in depicting the temporality and character of his subject.
the paintings. However, Quincy’s haystacks differ from Monet’s
in their compositional layout. Monet’s haystacks were depicted
50
Anna Alston Donnelly, Laura Hahn, Susannah Haworth,
Dorothy Paige Litz, Cassie Lynott, Rebecca Magrane,
Courtney Scally, Kristin Schmehl, Hilary Smith
(New York: Hirschl & Adler Galleries, 2000), 13, 14.
2. Ross, 17.
3. Ross, 26.
51
s e l e c te d
pa i n t i n g s

Quincy Selected Paintings

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Quincy Selected Paintings

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Quincy Selected Paintings

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

s e l e c te d

January 27 – March 11, 2006

Anna Alston Donnelly

Paintings of Edmund Quincy (1903-1997) courtesy of

THE TROUT GALLERY / Dickinson College / Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Cover Image: Edmund Quincy (1903-1997)

the most successful effects of Quincy’s imagery. Rich hues and

view of a common location that offers the quaint scenery of a

1. Passports with Italian stamps, Hirschl & Adler Galleries archives.

You might also like