Louis Aston Knight “A Cottage in the Meadow”
Source: A Cottage in the Meadow – sometimes a painting hits all the right buttons and here is one of them, a beautiful French landscape by Louis Aston Knight (1873-1948). Louis was the son of the American expatriate artist Daniel Ridgway Knight and began studying art with his father and then, more formally, with Robert Fleury and Jules Lefebvre. He made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1894, at the age of 21, and continued to exhibit there throughout his career.
Knight was a fan and friend of Claude Monet and would visit him from time to time, always impressed by his gardens. He strove to create a garden as beautiful and even went as far as awarding prizes to his neighbors for their gardens … a great way to make sure he had ample subject matter for his work.
Aston Knight’s alluring depictions of the French countryside were sought after by collectors across the globe and during his long and successful career he received numerous medals, among them were: a Bronze medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, an honorable mention at the Paris Salon in 1901, a gold medal in Lyon in 1903, a gold medal in Geneva and in Nantes in 1904 and Gold medals at the Paris Salon in both 1905 and 1906, earning him the title Hors concours as the first American to win two gold medals at the Salon in two consecutive years. Knight, was also made a knight of the Legion of Honor in 1924 becoming an officer in 1928 and eventually a commander in 1934.