The Lovers
(1872–1930)
While Hawthorne was a highly versatile artist who experimented with a variety of painting styles throughout his career, he produced a significant body of figurative works. In The Lovers, the two figures stand in the foreground against a spare but glowing background. The way they hold hands is a tender reflection of their relationship to one another. Her outward and his inward gaze speaks to the pathos that Hawthorne’s best paintings beautifully capture.
The Lovers bears the hallmarks of Hawthorne’s finest work and also brilliantly captures a specific and important moment in American art history, when artists like Hawthorne were forging and promoting (through instruction) their own distinctly American artistic style. The painting is in excellent condition and has a fine period frame. This is a marvelous opportunity for any serious collector of American art.
