Lot 5182
Frederick Ballard Williams (American, 1871-1956), Arcadian Afternoon
Lot Details & Additional Photographs
Stretcher size 25 x 30 in.; Frame dimensions 32 x 36 1/2 in.
Private Collection, Roanoke, Virginia
Frederick Ballard Williams was an American painter and illustrator known for his romantic landscapes inspired by the French Rococo tradition, particularly the work of Antoine Watteau. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at Cooper Union, the New York Institute of Artists and Artisans, under John Ward Stimson, and at the National Academy of Design. Travels to England and France exposed him to the Barbizon School, whose influence can be seen in his harmonious integration of figures and landscape. Although best known for his decorative compositions, Williams was also a skilled realist landscape painter.
Living much of his life in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Williams found inspiration in the local countryside while also painting throughout the American West and North Carolina. He participated in the famed 1910 Santa Fe Railway expedition to the Grand Canyon alongside artists such as Thomas Moran and Edward Potthast, helping to promote the landscapes of the American West. A respected member of the National Academy of Design and numerous other art organizations, he received many honors during his career, including the National Academy’s Isidor Gold Medal in 1909, and served as the founding president of the American Artists Professional League in 1928.
Age cracking.
