Biography from AskART:
| Born in New York, Francis Silva was a second generation Hudson River School painter, who did much
painting along the Hudson River and along the coastline from Chesapeake Bay to Cape Ann,
Massachusetts. His earliest known painting is titled Cape Ann.
He became one of the leading marine
painters of the luminist style of the mid to late 19th century,
especially known for his brilliant sunsets with atmospheric
effects. Of him, it was written: "For Silva, the subtle
manipulation of light and atmosphere was an aesthetic device that
transcended naturalism and became an almost abstract means of
expressing sentiment." (Zellman, 265)
Francis Silva was the son of a barber who had
emigrated from Madeira to New York in 1830. He showed early art talent and with no apparent
formal training, he apprenticed to a sign painter in New York and
decorated fire wagons, vans, stagecoaches, etc. He also exhibited pen and ink drawings at the American Institute.
In 1861, he
enlisted in a New York militia and became a Captain of the Ninth New
York Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. He was stricken with
malaria, and, wrongfully accused of desertion, received a dishonorable
discharge. He applied for reinstatement, which was granted, and
then received an honorable discharge.
In
1865, he began his career as fine artist, and in 1868 made his debut at
the National Academy of Design's annual exhibition. That same
year, he married Margaret Watts of Keyport, New Jersey.
From that time, he received much acclaim for his serene, atmospheric
marine
paintings, and his later paintings tended towards Impressionism in
style. In 1872, he was elected to the American Watercolor
Society.
Francis Silva maintained his studio in New York but moved to New
Jersey in 1880. He died in 1886.
Sources include:
Michael David Zellman, 300 Years of American Art
Peter Falk, Who Was Who in American Art
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Francis Silva is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
Hudson River School Painters
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