Lot 33: James Augustus Suydam (1819-1865)

Conway Meadows, circa 1857 signed “Suydam” (lower left) oil on canvas

11 x 20 in. (28 x 50.8 cm)

R. Sanford, Esq., 1859
Private Collection since 1960

Exhibited
New York, National Academy of Design, Annual Exhibition, 1858, no. 551
Boston, Boston Athenaeum, Annual Exhibition, 1858, no. 67
Washington, D.C., Washington (D.C.) Art Association, 3rd Annual Exhibition, 1859, no. 112

Literature Daniel Huntington, J.A. Suydam, typescript of handwritten biography, New York, 1866, New York, 1866, National Academy of Design Archives

Financially comfortable from birth, James Suydam only gradually discovered his artistic vocation. Sketching trips in the 1840s with the painter Miner K. Kellogg, first in Europe and then in the northeastern United States, served to awaken his interest, and led to his establishing lasting friendships with John F. Kensett and Sanford R. Gifford. In the words of Daniel Huntington, the “educated, accomplished,” and multitalented Suydam “might have been contented with a superficial cultivation of his talents for art, [but] his earnest nature forbade this. [His] care, fidelity and patience …proved him to be a true devotee” [Huntington, “J. A. Suydam”]. By 1856, Suydam had begun exhibiting his often modestly sized paintings, to ever-increasing acclaim for their atmospheric delicacy, simplicity and freshness of view. Conway Meadows is almost certainly a scene of the North Conway Meadows in New Hampshire, with the Presidential Range – including Mount Washington – in the far distance, and the Saco River in the foreground. Compared to what had already become the more familiar scenery of the area, such as Mount Chocorua and Moat Mountain, Suydam’s expansive, sun-struck meadow belies the height of the distant mountains, and emphasizes instead the pastoral qualities of the landscape and the brilliant light of a late summer day. By placing the viewer at ground level, Suydam also resists the easy temptation of a symbolic “prospect,” first enclosing us with golden-hued trees, quietly rippling waters, and long, cooling shadows, before we discover the majestic vista beyond. The empty rowboat on the riverbank seems to invite the conclusion that it is we who have just disembarked to enjoy both the warmth and the scenery, and to meditate upon the simple gifts of natural beauty that our travels with this artist have afforded us. It is just these qualities – together with Suydam’s unstinting generosity and impeccable character – that won the deep affection both of Suydam’s fellow artists and of collectors of his paintings. Repeatedly, his admirers, such as the National Academy’s President, Daniel Huntington, spoke of “his sweet quiet feeling and expression of the pensive moods of Nature,” “his peculiar gentleness and subtle rendering of calm and soothing effects.” Huntington, in fact, singled out Conway Meadows as a key example of Suydam’s artistic virtues, noting that its “delicacy and truth [first] established his reputation as a faithful student of Nature” and led to his election as an Honorary Member of the Academy [Huntington, “J. A. Suydam”].