Richards is one of the most successful landscape artists in American art history, and was a strong proponent of watercolor. He joined the American Watercolor Society in 1874 to help elevate the medium’s fair reputation among fine art circles. Inspired by the English Pre-Raphaelites who adored nature and the Hudson River School movement whose artists produced realistic pictures of the Hudson River Valley, many of Richard’s landscapes appear heavenly and almost like photographs. The artist’s remarkable accuracy was accomplished through intense study of his subjects, sometimes standing for hours at a time. 

October, 2020