Sanford Robinson Gifford
(1823-1880)

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Sanford Robinson was an American landscape painter of the Hudson River School. Gifford's landscapes are known for their stylistic use of light called “luminism”. Gifford was born in Greenfield, New York but spent many of his early years in Hudson, New York. Gifford studied at Brown University before pursuing a career as an artist in New York City. Gifford studied the fundamentals of art under the direction of the British watercolor artist, John R. Smith. Gifford also took anatomy classes at the Crosby Street Medical College and drawing classes at the National Academy of Design.

In 1847 Gifford exhibited for the first time at the National Academy. Gifford continued to work at the Academy as an associate. Gifford fully pursued landscape painting and became one of the greatest artists of the Hudson River School.

Gifford traveled a great deal, painting landscapes worldwide. Gifford traveled to Europe extensively as well as making regional trips around New England. Gifford’s journeys took him as far as the Middle East, including Egypt.

Gifford would return to his New York City studio to document his travels on canvas. One of Gifford’s paintings of Vermont was submitted to an annual show at the National Academy of Design in 1859 and is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Gifford painted more than seven hundred paintings during his career. Do you think you own a painting by Sanford Robinson Gifford? Contact us. We are the Sanford Robinson Gifford experts.