DEWITT CLINTON BOUTELLE (1820-1884)
Catskill Mountains (1,279 m - 4,180 ft)
United States of America (New York State)
In Sunset in the Catskills, Oil on canvas, circa 1866, 50.8 x 76.2 cm , Private collection
The mountains
The Catskill Mountains (1,279 m - 4,180 ft) also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas close to or within the borders of the Catskill Park, a 700,000-acre (2,800 km2) forest preserve forever protected from many forms of development under New York state law.
Geologically, the Catskills are a mature dissected plateau, a once-flat region subsequently uplifted and eroded into sharp relief by watercourses. The Catskills form the northeastern end of the Allegheny Plateau (also known as the Appalachian Plateau).
The Catskills are well known in American culture, both as the setting for many 19th-century Hudson River School paintings and as the favored destination for vacationers from New York City in the mid-20th century. The region's many large resorts gave countless young stand-up comedians an opportunity to hone their craft. In addition, the Catskills have long been a haven for artists, musicians, and writers, especially in and around the towns of Phoenicia and Woodstock.
The painter
DeWitt Clinton Boutelle was a self-educated artist but began painting under the obvious influence of Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand at an early age. Both men who influenced him were well known Hudson River School members.
The year that Boutelle started working is unknown but records show that he was painting in New York City by 1846..
In 1855 he moved to Philadelphia. From the time Boutelle began painting to about 1857, he painted almost entirely in the Hudson River Valley, Catskills, New Jersey, and along the Susquehanna.
In 1855 he moved to Philadelphia. From the time Boutelle began painting to about 1857, he painted almost entirely in the Hudson River Valley, Catskills, New Jersey, and along the Susquehanna.
He did paint some subjects outside of this region, like Niagara Falls, but for the most part, he seldom left it.
In 1858, Boutelle moved one final time to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and settled there for good. He also became a member of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1862.
In 1858, Boutelle moved one final time to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and settled there for good. He also became a member of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1862.
Boutelle exhibited his work at the National Academy of Design (from 1846 to 1874). Between 1854 and 1869, his work could be seen at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Boutelle’s work was also displayed in the Boston Athenaeum (1854-61), the Washington Art Association (1857-59), and the American Art-Union (1845-52). On November 5, 1884, DeWitt Clinton Boutelle died after a nomadic life and career.
His paintings can be found today in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, the High Museum of Art, and the Newark Museum, among other institutions.