Curator's introduction to Edwin Austin Abbey: By the Dawn’s Early Light

Useful online lecture from the National Gallery introducing their exhibition of studies by Edwin Austen Abbey for the state capital of Pennsylvania.

Christopher Riopelle, the curator of the exhibition, introduced us to this American artist who came to London in 1878 and never left. He rapidly made a name for himself in England including being commissioned to paint the coronation of Edward VII.

Through his friend, John Singer Sargent, he was commissioned to design the murals for a room at the Boston Public Library and as a result of that he was then commissioned to design more murals for the state capital of Pennsylvania. He did studies for these in England and sent them to the US where Violet Oakley managed the project and completed it from Abbey’s studies after his death.

Riopelle took us through the seven works in the exhibition on loan from Yale University explaining how Abbey had a studio built at his house in Sussex to undertake the project. He explained how Abbey produced compositional drawings as well as detailed studies for particular figures.

I went to see the show a few days later and it was very useful to have had this detailed introduction to it as the show was small and the narrative was sparse.

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