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Category: PAINTERS
A self-taught artist of the Liverpool School, John Hughes was born in that seafaring town in 1806. He was a very competent marine painter, the majority of whose works were done for export to America. It is interesting to note that of all the known works by John Hughes only a very few survive in his native England.
It is evident that Hughes acquired a sizeable reputation with American sea captains. He developed particularly good contacts with the visiting American ships and created his own quayside business for commissions. His paintings also generated many favorable reviews in the local Liverpool press, adding to his growing reputation.
Hughes early paintings show the influence of Robert Salmon and Samuel Walters. It was obvious that as an artist he studied the work of his local contemporaries as often as possible. As his career developed it became apparent that he was no mere copyist, but could assimilate the contributions of other artists into his own distinct and recognizable style.
The schooner yacht America to windward of other competitors |
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| Medium: | Oil on board |
| Size Notes: | 17 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches Framed: 27 1/4 by 21 inches |
| Description: | This dramatic rendering depicts the schooner AMERICA under full sail slicing through waves with spray in a stiff breeze on a port tack. She flies the American ensign from the spanker and at least seven crewmen are visible on deck. The painter has captured the instant in time with realistic detail down to the mast hoops, reefing lines and decorated billet. The scene is an open ocean yacht race with 3 other yachts on similar tacks and a 3-masted bark in the far distance. Painted at the peak of Hughes' career, this painting very possibly it is THE Royal Yacht Squadron's Regatta in which AMERICA won the America's Cup in 1851. |
USEFUL LINKS
- John Hughes (1806-1880) Biography and Maritime Paintings and Art - Vallejo Maritime Gallery
- FAMOUS YACHT PAINTING - West Sea Company : Nautical Antiques
