Research - The Hecker Triptych

Abstract

The Hecker triptych, completed in 1893 to adorn the walls of Col. Frank J. Hecker’s music room, represents a collaboration between artists, collectors, and tastes. It is argued that Col. Hecker’s collecting habits take strong cues from his neighbor, Charles L. Freer which is certainly the case for Spring, Summer and Autumn. Correspondence between the artists and Freer illuminate how ideas of decoration, harmony and composition were primary concerns for Dewing and Tryon. Considering the painters’ interest in decoration, the commission manages to express a shared aesthetic that blends Hecker’s home, Freer’s interest in the visual, Thomas Wilmer Dewing’s ethereal scene, Dwight William Tryon’s landscapes and the frame designs of architect Stanford White.

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