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Reuben LeGrande Johnston

19th Century Fine Art Legacy

Reuben Legrande Johnston (American 1850 – 1918)

"Mr. Johnston paints with much freedom and facility, with that chic which renders a picture crisp and sparkling. In his studio are several studies of sheep, a charming study of the first snow of winter, made near this city, and a recent study of the recent spring time, made near the Capitol. All of these show the touch of genius, the true artistic feeling.” He has the true feeling for color and harmony and also expresses a delicate sentiment. It is gratifying that such artists choose Washington for the scene of their labors." [1]

Reuben Legrande Johnston (variously spelled as Le Grand or LeGrand) was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1850. He displayed artistic genius early in life – when he was 18 one of his paintings was displayed in the window of an Alexandria jewelry store and garnered much attention [2] and so began his art career. Although, primarily self-taught, Johnston took study with Dr. Adalber John Volck in Baltimore, Maryland, and pursued additional art training in England, France, "under the criticism of Bonnat, one of the foremost of French artists," [3], Spain, Tangiers and Morocco during the early 1880s [4].

Johnston moved to Washington, D.C. in 1885, joining the Washington landscape school of artists, and taking study with Edmund Messer and Frazer Eliphalet Frazer Andrews [5]. He met artist Virginia del Castillo at an art show where she was exhibiting one of her paintings, and at which Johnston was a judge – they were married in 1886 [6]. In the 1890s Johnston taught at the Art Students League of Washington, D.C. [7].

Johnston was a member Society of Washington Artists and exhibited at the National Academy of Design (1877, 1879-80, 1888); Royal Academy, London (1882); Art Institute of Chicago (1888-89); Cosmos Club (1890); Society of Washington Artists (1891-1919); V.G. Fisher Gallery (Washington, D.C., 1897, solo); and Corcoran Gallery (1907-08).

Reuben Legrande Johnston died in Riverdale, Maryland in 1918.

Use only with permission of Bedford Fine Art Gallery.

References:

[1], [3]. Alexandria Gazette, Apr 11, 1887, p. 3, NewspaperArchive.com.

[2]. Alexandria Gazette, Jun 19, 1918, p. 2, NewspaperArchive.com.

[4], [7] Falk, Peter, ed., 1999, Who Was Who in American Art, Vol. 1, Sound View Press, Madison, CT.]

[5] Gerdts, William H,1990, Art Across America, Vol. 1, Cross River Press, Ltd.

[6] www.askart.com, biography Virginia Johnston.

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