View From An Upper Window by Lilla Cabot Perry (1848-1933), oil on academy board, 17 1/2″ x 20 1/2″, signed lower right.
In View from An Upper Window, Perry captures the excitement of even the most serene moments. Although the subjects are still, Perry uses style, particularly in her texture and color, to inject the scene with vivacity. The sky boasts a pastel gradient overlooking a silhouetted mountain, all behind a cluster of greenery dabbled with pink to emphasize dimension. Monet’s influence is especially apparent here, with Perry’s use of bright colors, coarse brushstrokes, and warm lighting.
Medium: Oil on academy board
Lilla Cabot Perry did not embark on artistic endeavors until the age of thirty six, and yet, managed to receive international acclaim for her mastery of impressionist scenes.
Born into a prominent Boston family, Perry spent her youth mingling with the likes of Louisa May Alcott and Ralph Waldo Emerson, among other prolific intellectuals. After marrying and moving onto a farm with her family, Perry began to take an interest in depicting domestic and rural scenes, producing her first painting Portrait of an Infant in 1878. Soon after, Perry began studying under artist Robert Vonnoh, from whom Perry learned about en plein air painting techniques and other methods popular among the French Impressionists. While in Boston and establishing herself as an impressionistic force in the art community, Perry translated and published a book of Ancient Greek poetry, speaking to her enduring and admirable intellectual curiosity.
Perry soon relocated to Paris, where she spent significant time in Giverny after viewing and being greatly inspired by Monet’s work. There, she spent several summers learning and receiving feedback from him on her own artwork. Monet’s influence can certainly be seen in Perry’s works; rapid and coarse brushstrokes, visible texture and light, and pastel colors are all hallmarks of both Perry’s and Monet’s paintings.
Perry lived in Japan with her family from 1898 to 1901, where she was exposed to many of the artistic elements that inspired Impressionistic styles, also known as Japonisme. Perry incorporated this influence into her aesthetics, which can especially be observed in her landscapes.
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