: - "Florence Robinson In Italy," an exhibition of paintings at
Childs Gallery, will be on view through November 8.
Florence Robinson, born in the Boston area in 1874, made her way
as an independent woman and painter, even in the face of family
disapprobation. Her earliest known solo show, at the
distinguished gallery of Williams & Everett in Boston,
already proved she had traveled extensively in Europe just by
noting the subjects: France, Spain, Venice and, perhaps more
shockingly, Algiers in North Africa. She was 17 when it opened in
January of 1892 with 47 watercolors.
The show must have been a success: Her dealers had additional
solo shows in 1893, 1895 and 1896. Her very first exhibition
included at least 11 Venetian views, although her training in
Europe was based in Paris where she studied with Pierre Vignal,
Henri Harpignies and Dagnan Bouveret. She is also said to have
studied with Whistler. In 1892 she began her salon exhibition
career at the Boston Art Club and followed that by exhibiting at
the Pennsylvania Academy, the Paris Salon, the Art Institute of
Chicago and the Royal Academy London.
Over the next 45 years, until her death in 1937, Robinson painted
and exhibited watercolors of New England, Holland, Spain and
Belgium; but it was to France and Italy - and especially Venice
-- that Robinson returned to ply her art year after year. From
1907 to 1915 she held a series of exhibitions at the Gallery of
Charles E. Cobb in Boston, and in the 1920s she exhibited at the
Brown Robertson Galleries and J.H. Strauss Gallery in New York.
At the time of her death the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the
Brooklyn Museum represented her work in their collections. Her
"Street Scene in Venice" is in the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard.
The distinguished Boston painter and teacher Philip Hale wrote in
the Boston Herald about 1910: "Miss Robinson has at least
two qualities which distinguish her work from that of many modern
watercolorists. She draws well - as far as landscape and
architectural drawings are concerned; and she knows how to avail
herself of some of the distinguishing qualities of watercolor
painting so as to gain brilliancy of effect..."
In "Florence Robinson in Italy" Childs Gallery exhibits a dozen
of the artist's watercolors of Rome, Venice, Verona, Ravello,
Capri, Pompeii and Perugia as well as Italian gardens to show the
consistency of quality and vision of Robinson's watercolor over
nearly 45 years.
The gallery is at 169 Newbury Street. For information, call
617-266-1108 or visit . Hours are Monday and Saturday, 10 am to 5
pm; Tuesday-Friday, 9 am to 6 pm.
