George Inness Jr.
American·1854–1926
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George Inness Jr. (1854–1926) emerged from his famous father's shadow to become one of America's foremost figure and landscape painters. Born in Paris, the first of six children to celebrated American Tonalist George Inness and his wife Elizabeth, he grew up immersed in art. He studied with his father and with French academician Léon Bonnat, gaining exposure to the Barbizon School, particularly the animalier Constant Troyon.
In 1875, the family returned to America, settling eventually in Montclair, New Jersey, where father and son shared a studio. Determined to distinguish himself, the younger Inness incorporated cattle, horses, and oxen into his landscapes, a specialty that set him apart. He worked as a magazine illustrator and painter of hunting scenes, building his own reputation.
When his father died in 1894, Inness Jr. claimed to have experienced a vision of him, prompting him to destroy about a hundred canvases he felt too closely resembled his father's style. He returned to Paris to study further at the École des Beaux-Arts. Back in America by 1900, he split his time between Cragsmoor, New York, and Tarpon Springs, Florida, whose landscapes he painted extensively. He was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1899. His Cragsmoor estate, Chetolah, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. He married the daughter of publisher Roswell Smith. Inness Jr. is recognized as a great Florida artist for his depictions of the state's unspoiled nature. His work is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Montclair Art Museum.
Notable Works by George Inness Jr.
1 painting catalogued with museum locations
Museums with George Inness Jr.'s Work
1 museum displays Jr.'s works. Click any museum to see visiting info and the specific works they hold.
About George Inness Jr.
Inness Jr. specialized in landscapes with animals, particularly cattle, horses, and oxen, in the manner of Barbizon animalier Constant Troyon. He deliberately chose animal subjects to distinguish himself from his famous father's mystical Tonalist landscapes. His later work focused on Florida scenes.
His work is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Montclair Art Museum in New Jersey. The Unitarian Universalist Church in Tarpon Springs, Florida contains eleven of his works, including murals painted directly on sanctuary walls.
Yes, he was the son of the celebrated American Tonalist George Inness (1825-1894). They shared a studio in Montclair, New Jersey, and George Jr. later published his father's biography and compiled an edition of his letters, becoming a major source of information about the elder Inness.
After his father's death in 1894, he claimed to have had a vision prompting him to destroy works too similar to his father's style, asserting his artistic independence. This dramatic gesture reflected his lifelong struggle to establish his own identity separate from his celebrated father's shadow.
He painted extensively in Tarpon Springs, Florida, where he established a 27-room house with a painting studio and artists' cottages. He hosted prominent artists including Charles Curran and Winfield Scott Clime. Florida inducted him into its Artists Hall of Fame for his depictions of the state's unspoiled nature.
In 1917, he published Life, Art, and Letters of George Inness, part biography, part autobiography. The book traced both men's artistic evolution and remains a key historical source. He also donated works and letters to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Montclair Art Museum to preserve his father's legacy.
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