Edwardian Dreams by Charles Courtney Curran

June 14, 2016May 13, 2023 David James Dresses, impressionism, landscapes

Charles Courtney Curran was an American artist best known for paintings of Victorian and Edwardian women in graceful flowing dresses set against expansive romantic landscapes.

Many American artists spent time in Paris in the 19th century, and Curran was no exception. Paris was the center of the art world. To experience Paris was considered essential to American artists with a dream—a dream to excel at what they loved to do.

The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet , 1875

It’s not difficult to see the influence of French Impressionists like Monet

His paintings are compared with fellow American Impressionists who also spent time in Paris—Mary Cassatt, Edmund Charles Tarbell, and Frank Weston Benson. And it’s not difficult to see the influence of French Impressionists like Monet—especially works like The Promenade, Woman with a Parasol (1875).

Key Facts about Charles Courtney Curran

1500 works in his career, mostly oil paintings, some watercolors and illustrations for magazines.
Born in Hartford, Kentucky in 1861 but grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio.
Trained at the Fine Arts Academy of Cincinnati, the National Academy in New York City, and Académie Julian in Paris.
Traveled extensively—living in Paris, frequently visiting Europe and even China.

Imagine you are there gazing at the magnificent views from the heights of the Shawangunk Mountains in New York state.