(New York, NY) Hawthorne Fine Art is pleased to present Joyous Color: The Art of Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1845-1930), an online exhibition and sale. A celebrated artist and educator, Nicholls was lauded as one of the finest painters at the turn of the century. This intimate exhibition features a dozen works in oil, watercolor and gouache and includes landscapes as well as portrait and figurative works. The exhibition places a special emphasis on the Venetian scenes for which Nicholls is well-known.

The English-born artist studied in London before spending three years in Italy. She was the 2nd woman elected a member of the Roman Watercolor Society. In 1884, Nicholls moved to New York with her husband, the American artist Burr H. Nicholls. As her reputation as an artist steadily increased, she became a sought-after instructor. Within a decade she was heading the watercolor department at William Merritt Chase’s Shinnecock Summer School and continued teaching throughout the northeast, in locations such as Hartford and Gloucester.

Among the work to be shown is Portrait of Woman, a sensitively painted bust-length watercolor defined by soft shadows and a light-filled gaze. Garden Stairs, Italy, a watercolor, is full of misty atmosphere and energetic brushstrokes while Harbor Scene, Gloucester, Mass, painted in gouache, radiates the warmth and color of the harbor on an autumn afternoon.

Shown together, the collection reveals Nicholls process from delicate washes and color notations as seen in the watercolor Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice to her mastery of sunlight effects in works such as Italian Woman and Child, and Reclining Figure with Dog.

About Hawthorne Fine Art:

Hawthorne Fine Art is a Manhattan based fine art gallery specializing in 19th and early 20th century American painting. To access the Joyous Color: The Art of Rhoda Holmes Nicholls (1854-1930) catalogue, please visit our website and click to download a digital copy: https://hawthornefineart.com/catalogues.