KEITH, William. Napa Valley
Item #8094
18"x26"; oil on canvas; signed. B. 1838, d.1911. A native of Scotland, he arrived in New York and worked as an apprentice to a wood engraver. He visited San Francisco in 1858 as an employee of Harper Brothers, but permanently moved there in 1859. Under the guidance of Samuel Brookes in 1868, Keith took up painting, while Keith's wife, Elizabeth Emmerson, taught him watercolor. Choosing to devote more time to painting, he and his wife traveled to Europe so he could study under Flamm and Achenbach. The Keiths returned to Boston where William shared a studio with artist William Hahn. In 1872, he and his wife returned to San Francisco, and Keith met famous naturalist John Muir, who acquainted him with the wonders of nature, teaching him the names of trees & plants . Keith's art can be divided into two periods: works influenced by the descriptive realism of the Dusseldorf School with the romantic vision of the Hudson River School; and smaller, darker, and more intimate paintings with an emphasis on mood aligned with the Barbizon style. He has been called a "Dean of California Artists" and California's Old Master". Additionally, he is a member of several prestigious art clubs and honors which include: streets in Oakland and Berkeley named after him, Bohemian Club, awards won at State Fair 1891, Pan-American Expo 1901, Alaska-Yukon Expo 1909, among countless others. [Hughes] . |
