Hall Painting The Valley Below

The distinguished architect Ralph Adams Cram wrote glowingly of artist George H. Hallowell (1871-1926): “His feeling for colour, tone and colour composition, was unique and distinguished.” Cram gave Hallowell his first real break when he commissioned the young artist to paint the altarpiece for All Saints’ Church, in nearby Ashmont (where it can still be seen today). Cram was not Hallowell’s only admirer. John Singer Sargent, who owned eight paintings by Hallowell, considered him “the painter with the greatest power and promise in America.” The Valley Below, completed around 1905, reflects Hallowell’s lifelong interest in the landscape of northern New England. Its style is forward-looking, its purple moodiness typical of Hallowell’s work.