Heade, Martin Johnson

Heade, Martin Johnson (hĕd), 1819–1904, American painter, b. Lumberville, Pa. He studied briefly with Edward Hicks and in Europe, and later traveled in Central and South America. Heade is associated with American luminism, particularly in his uniquely lit canvases of coming thunderstorms. He painted dramatic seascapes and landscapes of New England. In his nature studies, scientifically exact birds and plants are set against poetic backgrounds in eerie colors. His notable paintings include Orchids and Hummingbirds (Detroit Inst. of Arts) and Approaching Storm: Beach near Newport (Mus. of Fine Arts, Boston).

Bibliography

See T. E. Stebbins, Jr., The Life and Works of Martin Johnson Heade (1975, rev. ed. 1998).

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Heade, Martin Johnson

(born Aug. 11, 1819, Lumberville, Pa., U.S.—died Sept. 4, 1904, St. Augustine, Fla.) U.S. painter. He studied in Europe and Britain, then returned to the U.S. to take up portrait and landscape painting. An avid naturalist, he made extensive trips in South and Central America and the Caribbean (1863–70), where he produced luminous, meticulously detailed images of the tropical forests and landscapes. The New England coast and the rocky shore of Lake George, N.Y., also inspired notable paintings. He was a leading exponent of luminism.