The Landscape of Painting

Everybody Loves Vermeer, or even great artists are inspired by other great artists.

The Morning Paper | William McGregor Paxton | 1913

In 1979 I read a review in the New York Times of a show of the work of William McGregor Paxton at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I’d never heard of this artist, and was blown away by the beauty of this painting, called The Morning Paper, painted in 1913. I love the quality of light in this domestic scene. The fabric is lovely. The handling of the reflections on the tray and coffee pot are masterful.

But I think was most striking for me was how influenced Paxton was by Vermeer, who remains one of my favorite painters. I see similarities here to this painting by Vermeer.

Young Woman With Water Pitcher | Vermeer | 1664/65

Here’s some more of that Vermeerian goodness from Paxton:

The Samovar | William McGregor Paxton | 1926

Maybe Paxton was impressed by this famous painting by Vermeer when he painted The Samovar:

Girl With A Red Hat | Johnannes Vermeer | 1666

I read in the catalog from the show that Paxton was influenced by Vermeer’s selective focus in his paintings, wherein the important element was painted in focus, but the rest left slightly blurred. You can see that effect here.

But then Paxton wasn’t alone in feeling Vermeer’s power. Here’s John Singer Sargent, for me the greatest of the great, doing his Vermeer thing too in a study for a portrait:

Study for a Portrait | John Singer Sargent

Vermeer was apparently not the only artist to influence Paxton strongly. If you’ve been here since the beginning, then you might have read my post about the precise drawings of Ingres. Here is a self-portrait by Paxton that certainly looks to me that he’s trying hard to be Ingres, not that there’s anything wrong with that. This is a beautiful drawing, and I have to doubt that he simply drew what he saw. No camera obscura needed, even though David Hockney might accuse him of having used one.

William McGregor Paxton | Self portrait

Even a big-time artist like Paxton, considered by the age of forty to be one of the biggest names in painting, up there with Sargent, could still try to paint or draw like his idols. There’s hope still for the rest of us.

Tags: Ingres, Vermeer, William McGregor Paxton

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