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Dennis Miller Bunker

Date: 1883

Credit Line: Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection

Object number: 1987.11

Text Entries: A solitary hunter stands at the edge of the woods with a rifle propped on his shoulder. The dense foliage has faded into autumnal shades of russet and yellow, while the gray skies and puddles in the foreground also indicate the change in season. Though painted in loose brushstrokes with just hints of detail, the full signature with date and title indicate that this painting was intended as an exhibition piece.In 1882, Dennis Miller Bunker arrived in Paris to refine the artistic skills he had been developing at the National Academy of Design under the guidance of William Merritt Chase. Upon the advice of fellow artists, he chose to enroll at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts where he would study rigorously for two years in the atelier of Jean-Léon Gérôme. After months cooped-up in painting studios in Paris, Bunker would spend his summers seeking artistic inspiration in the plein air of the French countryside with fellow painters. The present canvas depicts the landscape around the small town of Lacroix-St. Ouen at the edge of the forest of Compiègne, where Bunker chose to spend the summer of 1883.For many American painters, classical training in the French capital was a necessary rite of passage, and for Bunker it would play a crucial role in his artistic development. In France, he further developed his already skilful draughtsmanship and brushwork. Inspired by the Barbizon School and the work of Camille Corot, Bunker acquired a mastery of light and form. For years after his return to the United States, he would complain that he missed the gray skies of France that had allowed him to paint calmly. (French version)Un chasseur solitaire se tient à l'orée du bois, son fusil à l'épaule. Le feuillage épais a pris ses teintes rousses et jaunes d'automne. Le gris du ciel et des flaques au premier plan évoque aussi le changement de saison. Les traits de pinceau sont assez larges et les détails ne sont que suggérés. Cependant, la signature et le titre indiquent que le tableau était destiné à être exposé.Dennis Miller Bunker arrive à Paris en 1882 afin de perfectionner ses talents développés à la National Academy of Design sous la direction de William Merritt Chase. Sur les conseils d'autres artistes, il choisit de s'inscrire à la prestigieuse École des Beaux-Arts, où il étudie deux ans dans l'atelier de Jean-Léon Gérôme. Après des mois dans les ateliers parisiens, Bunker se rend l'été à la campagne cherchant l'inspiration en plein air en compagnie d'autres peintres. Cette toile représente le paysage aux environs de la petite ville de Lacroix-St. Ouen, à l'orée de la forêt de Compiègne. Bunker y séjourne au cours de l'été 1883.Pour de nombreux peintres américains, une formation académique dans la capitale française est un passage obligé. Cet enseignement joue un rôle crucial dans la carrière de Bunker. En France, il perfectionne ses talents de dessinateur et sa touche. Inspiré par l'école de Barbizon et l'œuvre de Camille Corot, Bunker apprend à maîtriser les effets de lumière et la composition. Des années après son retour aux Etats-Unis, il se plaint avec nostalgie de ne plus voir les ciels gris de France qui lui ont permis de peindre dans le calme de leurs tonalités.

Dennis Miller Bunker

Date: 1884

Credit Line: Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection

Object number: 1991.1

Text Entries: A brilliant manipulation of paint to express the fugitive nature of light, this canvas of the French coastal village of Larmor marks a turning point in the young artist's oeuvre-his academic artistic training from the United States synthesized with French en plein air concerns. Dennis Miller Bunker's career was furthered bolstered by the friendship of artist John Singer Sargent and the patronage of Boston socialite Isabella Stewart Gardner, yet was ultimately cut short by his untimely death at the age of 29.