William Henry Buck (1840-1888)
c. 1880
Oil on canvas
| Bayou Scene William Henry Buck (1840-1888) c. 1880 Oil on canvas |
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| William H. Buck, a
Norwegian native, spent much of his life in New Orleans.
He initially worked as a clerk for a cotton brokerage
firm and studied with local artists Richard Clague and
Ernest Cireri in his spare time. His well received
exhibitions of paintings at Seebold’s Art Store and
Wagener’s encouraged him to turn to painting full
time, and he opened a studio at Carondelet Street in
1880. Influenced by the style of Richard Clague, the leading Louisiana landscape artist, Buck painted the bayous, oak trees, and rustic vistas of the Mississippi River Delta. This scene of a rustic cabin in the dark swamp with two men fishing is typical of Buck’s depictions of rural Louisiana life. The Louisiana State Museum has several examples of Buck’s works on paper. In celebration of the New Orleans World’s Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-85, Buck published a color print of the exposition’s buildings and grounds in what later became Audubon Park. The museum also has an elaborate paper cutout entitled "Christ on the Mount." |