Connecticut, the Cradle of Impressionism: Cos Cob and Silvermine

At the burgeoning turn of the 20^th century, Connecticut offered artists beautiful rural landscapes not far from the big cities where they transformed European Impressionism into a uniquely American form. The idea was to recreate the young American students' experience of living in the numerous French art colonies. Connecticut offered the ideal environment for six art colonies, more than any other state in the country. This three-part series presented by Tom Davies, a New Canaan resident and collector of American art for over 55 years, will explore the development of these important centers of Impressionism.

Cos Cob became the earliest gathering place and teaching center with John Henry Twachtman and J. Alden Weir. Their strong influence attracted scores of artists and shaped the development of Impressionism from roughly mid 1880 to the early 1920s. Silvermine first attracted sculptor Solon Borglum in 1906. This wooded area had been the home to eleven lumber mills and many small farms. As the lumber business moved South and farms were abandoned, studio space became available and what would become the Silvermine group of artists flocked to the region.