"A Smithy in the Marne Valley,"
etching, pencil signed l/r, inscribed
l/l,
7" x 9.25" plate, 14.75"
16.5"
framed.
"Motif #1 and boats, Rockport",
pencil signed lithograph,
16" x 11" sight, 22.5"
x 18.5"
frame.
Condition: Both are very good.
Biography: The following is from a source whose grandmother,
Bertha Goodrich, was married to the artist:
Lester George Hornby was married
to Bertha
Grover Goodrich, his last wife.
They lived
in Rockport, Massachusetts until
his death
in 1956. Together they built
the "old
on purpose" house using
old materials
to build a "new" "old"
house. Lester is the one who
gave the name
"Motif #1" to the old
fish house
that has become so famous.
During WWI Hornby was a war correspondent.
As did most artists at the time
who did illustrations
in relation to the war, Hornby
had to have
war- related pictures approved
by the government
before being published. In one
case the war
department refused to give permission
because
they felt his illustration was
so accurate
and well done that the enemy
would have access
to too much information. Hornby
worked in
the trenches with the men and
his work reflects
this.
At a Philadelphia exhibit of
color etchings
in 1909 the critic called Hornby
"the
foremost exponent of this branch
of graphic
art that America has produced."
The critic Rowland Thomas wrote
in 1910 "Hornby
is beyond doubt a master etcher
with such
power of eye and hand as our
generation has
hardly known before. Not since
Whistler posed
with the Universe on his needle
point has
anyone scratched on solid metal
lines of
such electrifying, such insolently
simple
conciseness as these- a new old
Paris leaps
transfigured and revealed for
those who will
glory in her."
Boston critic W.H. Downes found
"Hornby's
etchings among the best and most
artistic
being done by any American, and
some of the
Marne set are masterpieces."
A 1928 exhibit of watercolors
at the Vose
Gallery in Boston won a rave
from critic
A.J. Philpott "He has been
compared
to Joseph Pennell but that is
not a fair
comparison. Hornby is a much
more versatile
genius than Pennell ever was!"
Hornby's work is in the permanent
collections
of 21 museums worldwide.
After Hornby's death the remainder
of his
works were in storage with, occasionally,
one of the then heirs making
a small effort
to bring his works into the public.
Peter
Falk has done a wonderful catalog
on Hornby
which lists a great deal of information
and
a listing of etchings. Much credit
goes to
Mr. Falk for this effort. -
from the archives of AskART.com.
"A Smithy" -
"Motif #1" -
inclusive of S/H/I*
For other payment options, or for further
information, please e-mail. *Additional shipping/insurance charges apply
to shipments outside the continental United
States.
Thistle Fine Art · P. O. Box 714 · 8A Main Street ·
Rockport, MA 01966 · 978-546-2020
