John Henry Hill

John Henry Hill (1839 – 1922)

John Henry Hill was a distinguished landscape painter of the American Pre-Raphaelite tradition. From a family of artists, he followed his father, John William Hill in his passion as a watercolorist. The elder Hill, himself the son of the English engraver John Hill, was among the founders of the American Watercolor Society.

A life-long resident (1839-1922) of West Nyack, New York, John Henry Hill was influenced by John Ruskin and David Johnson in their realistic examinations of nature. Using a brushwork technique that called for small and drier brushstrokes, he created the differing textures of trees, water and rocks in nature. John Henry painted primarily in the geography and time frame defined by the White Mountain and Hudson River Schools.

Typical subject matter included lakes and mountains in New Hampshire and New York, although Hill painted on both coasts. William Trost Richards, John La Farge and Samuel Colman were friends and contemporaries.

John Henry Hill is recognized as Co-Founder of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art.

Sources include:
“Masters of Color & Light” by Barbara Dayer Gallati, the Brooklyn Museum of Art
“New Hampshire Scenery” by Catherine Campbell

Biography from the Archives of AskART