Frank Vincent Dumond American, 1865-1951

Dumond once wrote of a painting he was doing “Its purely of the imagination and is that cherished land where all is peace and beauty.” Willows is just this although it is probably less purely of the imagination than a specific spot in Old Lyme and possibly near his home called “Grassy Hill”. Peace and beauty are two good descriptive words for many of his landscapes which are usually without drama or even much movement. Dumond does use color though in a way particular to him and Willows is a great example of this. His greens are of a hue that is slightly neon and very fresh and a tad artificial. He does this on purpose and he also evens out the picture in this hue. Dumond employed a bit of tonalism and he does this to elicit a feel from the viewer. This landscape is soothing and speaks of spring, freshness and vitality. Dumond was an artist who chose subtlety to communicate and there is a great allure to this. He had a methodical and clean way of laying down his brushwork that was just shy of being pointillist.

Private Collection, Florida.
Freeman's, Philadelphia, 2013.
Private Collection, Pennsylvania, acquired from the above, 2013 - 2021

Freeman's, Philadelphia, 2021