Hello everyone! For my article today, I would like to discuss an established artist from our area, Dunmore, PA! I recently learned about John Willard Raught after my trip to the Everhart Museum, and I thought I should share some information about him with you all as he would be a great local art history figure to include in your lessons!
John Willard Raught was a painter from Dunmore, PA known for his work depicting Northeastern Pennsylvania, cityscapes, and industrial landscapes. Raught trained at the National Academy of Design in New York and the Academie Julian Paris during his early adulthood before returning back to Pennsylvania. He utilized the styles of Impressionism, Tonalism, and Realism in his work. He may have painted a lot of natural landscapes, but he also painted dramatic scenes of the coal industry that was prominent in Scranton. He exhibited his work at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, National Academy of Design, Paris Salon, and The Art Institute of Chicago. Today you can see many of his works exhibited at the Lackawanna County Historical Society and the Everhart Museum in Scranton!
What really stood out to me about Raught’s work was the versatility of his work. From still life’s, to portraits, to landscapes, to impressionist paintings, he could do it all. I was particularly drawn to his oil portraits because of the blend of his paintings. Even looking up close, they were so blended that I could barely see the brushstrokes unless they were intentional! When oil painting this is something that I find myself aiming for, so it was inspiring to see his technique of painting portraits this way.
When teaching our students, it is important to include prominent art history figures from our area of both the past and present. Learning about a prominent art history figure from our area who was well established and recognized for their work could be very inspiring for students. I know it was inspiring for me to hear that there was such an established artist from my area when learning about Raught at the Everhart Museum, so it is also important to give our students that connection and inspiration.