Robertson Kirtland Mygatt
Encyclopedia
Robertson K. Mygatt or 'R.K.', (1861–1919) was an American landscape painter and etcher working at the turn of the 20th century. He is often associated with the Tonalist movement which was being experimented with in painting during most of his active years, having emerged as a movement in the 1880s that continued through about 1915. R. K. Mygatt was born in New York City in 1861, where he studied at the Art Students League of New York
with noted landscape artist John Henry Twachtman
and American impressionist painter William Merritt Chase
. He also studied painting in Europe.
Mygatt specialized in painting landscapes and much of his works could be categorized as impressionism
falling under the ‘Tonalist’ style. Tonalism
emerged in the 1880s, and he was clearly influenced by the trend. Mygatt was also a competent etcher, but his focus throughout his career was most certainly oil painting
. He exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, the National Academy of Design
, the Society of American Artists
and the Salmagundi Club
in New York City. One of his works was included in the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis in 1904, for which he was awarded a silver medal.
For nearly fifty nears after his death, his heirs did not circulate his work at all. It was not until the mid-1960s that many of them became available for sale for the first time after the last of his direct descendants died. As art historians, the gallery world and the public have become more familiar with Robertson Kirtland Mygatt’s work, he has grown in popularity.
Mygatt resided in Ridgefield
, Connecticut
, before dying in 1919 at 58 years old in New York City. He is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
in Westchester County, New York.
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
with noted landscape artist John Henry Twachtman
John Henry Twachtman
John Henry Twachtman was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes, though his painting style varied widely through his career. Art historians consider Twachtman's style of American Impressionism to be among the more personal and experimental of his generation...
and American impressionist painter William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase was an American painter known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons The New School for Design.- Early life and training :He was born in Williamsburg , Indiana, to the family...
. He also studied painting in Europe.
Mygatt specialized in painting landscapes and much of his works could be categorized as impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
falling under the ‘Tonalist’ style. Tonalism
Tonalism
Tonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
emerged in the 1880s, and he was clearly influenced by the trend. Mygatt was also a competent etcher, but his focus throughout his career was most certainly oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
. He exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, the Society of American Artists
Society of American Artists
The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the National Academy of Design did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative....
and the Salmagundi Club
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
in New York City. One of his works was included in the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis in 1904, for which he was awarded a silver medal.
For nearly fifty nears after his death, his heirs did not circulate his work at all. It was not until the mid-1960s that many of them became available for sale for the first time after the last of his direct descendants died. As art historians, the gallery world and the public have become more familiar with Robertson Kirtland Mygatt’s work, he has grown in popularity.
Mygatt resided in Ridgefield
Ridgefield
-Places:United States*Ridgefield, Connecticut**Ridgefield Playhouse, a theater located in Ridgefield*Ridgefield, New Jersey*Ridgefield Park, New Jersey*Ridgefield Township, New Jersey*Ridgefield, Washington*Ridgefield Township, Huron County, Ohio...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, before dying in 1919 at 58 years old in New York City. He is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York is the resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent Old Dutch Burying Ground. Incorporated in 1849 as Tarrytown Cemetery, it posthumously honored Irving's...
in Westchester County, New York.
Sources
- The Poetic Impulse: Robertson Kirtland Mygatt, an exhibition pamphlet published by the Schwartz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA. http://www.schwarzgallery.com/catalog.php?id=74&plate=111
- Ask Art, The Artist Bluebook at Askart.com: "Robertson Kirtland Mygatt" http://www.askart.com/askart/m/robertson_kirtland_mygatt/robertson_kirtland_mygatt.aspx
- New York Times, Art: "Celebrating a Little-Known Artist", published 6/30/91 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFD71E3AF933A05755C0A967958260