William Trost Richards
Details of American Realism
William Trost Richards (November 14, 1833 – November 8, 1905) was an American landscape artist. He was associated with both the Hudson River School and the American Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Richards was a leading member of the American Pre-Raphaelites and was a prolific artist who embraced the Ruskinian principle of truth to nature. Sketching outdoors played an important role in his quest for accuracy of representation and expression.
Richards rejected the romanticized and stylized approach of other Hudson River painters and instead insisted on detailed factual renderings. His views of the White Mountains are almost photographic in their realism. In later years, Richards painted almost exclusively marine watercolours.
Sources: William Trost Richards, Brooklyn Museum
