The Cazenovia Public Library Museum has acquired a historic painting of Cazenovia done by the American landscape painter William Boardman. The painting, probably done in the 1840s, is a birds’-eye view of the village and its surrounding countryside viewed from the southwest, and portrays the end of the lake and the tops of village buildings, as well as unpaved roads leading into and out of the village, along with a tiny Lorenzo.
A second version of the painting is, in fact, owned by Lorenzo. The main difference between the two paintings is the placement of several cattle and several people (their placements are reversed in the two paintings), according to Cazenovia art consultant Jonathan Holstein, who also is a member of the library’s museum committee.
Local historian Russell Grills noted that Boardman might have painted one here and one in his New York studio; equally, they might both have done here, or there.
“Boardman was an excellent artist, and had absorbed the ethos of the Hudson River school. The work presents a clear and informative view of the village and its surroundings, in a sense almost photographic in its presentation of accurate information, but it is also infused with a compelling lyrical aesthetic,” Holstein said.
Holstein said that he considers the two Boardman paintings, Lorenzo’s and the library’s, the most important overall views of Cazenovia from the first half of the 19th century.
Boardman’s painting of Cazenovia was probably painted in the mid-1840s, when he also worked in New Haven, Conn., and Charlestown, Mass, according to Holstein.
George Thompson, of Cazenovia, a patron of the library, acquired the painting in the 1970s. It descended to his son Jonathan Thompson, who passed away this past July. The family decided it should remain in Cazenovia, and, through their generosity, and with the help of the Constable Foundation, that goal was achieved. It was formally given by Jonathan’s widow, Mary Thompson, on behalf of the family and in honor of Jonathan.
“The library is thrilled to add this beautiful Boardman painting to our art collection of local scenes by local artists. It is a fitting memorial to our friend, Jon Thompson,” said library executive Director Betsy Kennedy.
William Boardman was born in Cazenovia in 1817, and enrolled in Cazenovia Seminary at the age of 13 to study painting. His career began in the 1840s in Cleveland, Ohio, where he painted portraits, but he was ultimately known as a landscape painter.
Boardman maintained a studio in New York from 1848 to 1871, and from there traveled to the Hudson River Valley, New Hampshire’s White Mountains and West Virginia, where he produced the landscapes which were his forte. He lived and worked in Providence, R.I. for three years, 1868-71, and then Boston from 1874-77.
Boardman was a member of the National Academy of Design, and exhibited there from 1846-71. The American Art Union Bulletin of 1848 described him as “very clever.” He was a friend of the painter George Inness.
The Boardman painting is now on public display in the library’s parlor.
