KNIGHT, Louis Aston [163] ¹

  General Notes:

Louis Aston KNIGHT, son of American painter Daniel Ridgway KNIGHT, studied under his father, Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury. Aston KNIGHT was a landscape artist known for his representation of bodies of water. The painter was a master in capturing the differnet aspects of the element; he could replicate each wave or current of his subject, whether he be in Normandie, the United States, Holland or Venice. What Claude Monet achieved with lighting in his series of water lilies, Aston KNIGHT achieved with water. His style was at once romantic, symbolic, impressionist and independent, breathing life into the soul of his paintings.
Aston KNIGHT's depictions of Venice are troublesome and ?, his rivers of Normandie recall the texts of Flaubert and Maupassant, the Seine in Paris the "Hugoesque" halo shadowed by the smoke of industry. Whether his subject be in Yorkshire, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the Parisien suburbs, Aston KNIGHT dedicated himself to highlighting each's individuality.
The artist showed his work at the expositions of the Artistes Françaises from 1894 to 1924, at l'Union Artistique et Littérature, and at the Cercle Volney. Other exhibition locations included the Knoedler, Charpentier and Tedesco galleries, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Rochester, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark and the Knoedler, Scott and Fowles, and John Levy galleries in New York.
Aston KNIGHT was named officer of la Legion d'Honneur in 1927 and further commander. The painter recveived the bronze medal at the Universal Exposition of 1900, honorable mention in 1901, third place in 1905 and second place in 1906.
Aston KNIGHT lived in Poissy, Rolleboise, and later in Beaumont-le-Roger (destroyed in aug. 1944 by bombs) where he made his extensive property a tourist attraction. People came to see his studios, his daughter Diane's thatched house, bodies of water and beautiful gardens.
These bodies of water as well as those at Risle where his inspiration for many of his paintings.

MUSEUMS: Luxembourg; Nîmes; Rochester; Newark; Toledo; President Harding's museum in Marion.

COLLECTIONS: President Coolidge; Senator Frelinghuysen; Mr. Markle; Mr. Higgins; Mr. B. Baruch; J.C. Colgate; Mrs. C. B. Raymond; Mrs. A.B. McCreery; Mrs. H. Evans; Mrs. M. Burke; Mrs. J.J. Hoff; and the American Women's Club of Paris.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation. Painter (in english below)

D'après le Dictionnaire biographiques des artistes contemporains d'Edouard-Joseph publié en 1931 :

Peintre américain, fils et élève de Daniel Ridgway , il reçut également l'enseignement de Jules Lefebvre et de Tony Robert-Fleury. Paysagiste de haute valeur, il fut avant tout le peintre des eaux, le poëte de l'onde. Il en saisit les différent aspects, il sut donner à chaque pli, à chaque vague, à chaque courant sa physionomie propre.
Le principal souci de Aston KNIGHT sembla être de se renouvelerr tout en gardant le même sujet : un premier plan d'eau que ce soit en Normandie, aux Etats-Unis, en Hollande ou à Venise. Ce que Claude Monnet réalisa pour les fleurs et la lumière, Aston KNIGHT l'accomplit pour les eaux. A la fois romantique et symbolique, impressionniste et indépendant, il donna la vie et insufla l'ame à ses toiles.
Ses Venises sont troublantes et traitresses; ses rivières normandes rapellent Flaubert et Maupassant; sa Seine à Paris, c'est l'auréole hugolienne voilée par les fumées de l'industrie moderne. Qu'il s'agisse du Yorkshire, de Villeneuve-Sur-Lot, de la grande banlieue parisienne, il s'appliqua à dépouiller l'artifice conventionnel et facile pour rendre à chaque rivière sa figure et son atmosphère.
Il exposa au Salon des Artiste Français de 1894 à 1924, à l'Union Artistique et Littéraire et au Cercle Volney. On le vit également chez Knoedler, Charpentiet et Tedesco, à Chicago, Philadelphie, Pittsburg, Rochester, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit et surtout à New-York chez Knoedler, Scott and Fowles et John Levy.
Officier de la Légion d'honneur depuis 1927, il avait obtenu la médaille de bronze à l'Exposition Universelle de 1900, la mention en 1901, une troisième médaille en 1905 et une deuxième en 1906.
Aston KNIGHT habita Poissy, puis Rolleboise et Beaumont-le-Roger où il sut, d'un logis du XVII siècle, faire une propriété qui constitue avec ses studios, ses sources, sa chaumière de Diane et ses remarquables jardins, une curiosité touristique et artistique dont s'enorgueillit la région toute entière.
C'est à ses sources et à la Risle qu'il demanda l'animation de son domaine, lequel sort désormais de son caractère imobilier pour devenir une inspiration constante d'oeuvres d'art sylvestres et nautiques.
Il était nécessaire d'insister sur le caractère artistique de cette réalisation qui doit compter dans l'oeuvre d'Aston KNIGHT, création de goût et de mesure dont l'avenir lui sera reconnaissant.

MUSEES: Luxembourg, de Nimes, Rochester, Nework, Toledo, musée du Président Harding, à Marion.

COLLECTIONS: du Président Coolidge, du sénateur Frelinghuysen, de MM. Markle, Higgins, B. Baruch, J. C. Colgate, de Mmes C. B. Raymond, A. B. Mc Creery, H. Evans, M. Burke, J. J. Hoff, et à <<l'Americain Women Club>> de Paris.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Louis Aston KNIGHT, son of American painter Daniel Ridgway KNIGHT, studied under his father, Jules Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury. Aston KNIGHT was a landscape artist known for his representation of bodies of water. The painter was a master in capturing the differnet aspects of the element; he could replicate each wave or current of his subject, whether he be in Normandie, the United States, Holland or Venice. What Claude Monet achieved with lighting in his series of water lilies, Aston KNIGHT achieved with water. His style was at once romantic, symbolic, impressionist and independent, breathing life into the soul of his paintings.
Aston KNIGHT's depictions of Venice are troublesome and ?, his rivers of Normandie recall the texts of Flaubert and Maupassant, the Seine in Paris the "Hugoesque" halo shadowed by the smoke of industry. Whether his subject be in Yorkshire, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the Parisien suburbs, Aston KNIGHT dedicated himself to highlighting each's individuality.
The artist showed his work at the expositions of the Artistes Françaises from 1894 to 1924, at l'Union Artistique et Littérature, and at the Cercle Volney. Other exhibition locations included the Knoedler, Charpentier and Tedesco galleries, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburg, Rochester, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark and the Knoedler, Scott and Fowles, and John Levy galleries in New York.
Aston KNIGHT was named officer of la Legion d'Honneur in 1927. The painter recveived the bronze medal at the Universal Exposition of 1900, honorable mention in 1901, third place in 1905 and second place in 1906.
Aston KNIGHT lived in Poissy, Rolleboise, and later in Beaumont-le-Roger where he made his extensive property a tourist attraction. People came to see his studios, his daughter Diane's thatched house, bodies of water and beautiful gardens.
These bodies of water as well as those at Risle where his inspiration for many of his paintings.

MUSEUMS: Luxembourg; Nîmes; Rochester; Newark; Toledo; President Harding's museum in Marion.

COLLECTIONS: President Coolidge; Senator Frelinghuysen; Mr. Markle; Mr. Higgins; Mr. B. Baruch; J.C. Colgate; Mrs. C. B. Raymond; Mrs. A.B. McCreery; Mrs. H. Evans; Mrs. M. Burke; Mrs. J.J. Hoff; and the American Women's Club of Paris.

• Nationality. U.S.

Louis married Caroline Ridgway BREWSTER [101] [MRIN: 50], daughter of Elisha Franklin BREWSTER [104] and Sarah Ridgway MACY [1], on 15 Oct 1907.¹ (Caroline Ridgway BREWSTER [101] was born on 21 Sep 1882 and died on 26 Jun 1959.)