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Louis Aston Knight: A Study of Light and Water
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A Cottage in the MeadowLouis Aston KnightA Cottage in the Meadow A River Landscape - FallLouis Aston KnightA River Landscape - Fall A SummerLouis Aston KnightA Summer's Day, La Riviere
Along the River, BeaumontLouis Aston KnightAlong the River, Beaumont Cottage by the RiverLouis Aston KnightCottage by the River Cottage by the River, LaunayLouis Aston KnightCottage by the River, Launay
Cottage Garden, NormandyLouis Aston KnightCottage Garden, Normandy DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage in June
Garden Bench, NormandyLouis Aston KnightGarden Bench, Normandy In Full BloomLouis Aston KnightIn Full Bloom Le Pont Fleuri, QuimperléLouis Aston KnightLe Pont Fleuri, Quimperlé
Les Vieux Lavoirs, BeaumontLouis Aston KnightLes Vieux Lavoirs, Beaumont Les Vieux Lavoirs, NormandieLouis Aston KnightLes Vieux Lavoirs, Normandie Pink Phlox, NormandieLouis Aston KnightPink Phlox, Normandie
River LandscapeLouis Aston KnightRiver Landscape The Mill StreamLouis Aston KnightThe Mill Stream Along the River, Beaumont-le-RogerLouis Aston KnightAlong the River, Beaumont-le-Roger
The Blue CottageLouis Aston KnightThe Blue Cottage Summer Blossoms, St. GertrudeLouis Aston KnightSummer Blossoms, St. Gertrude A Beaumont-le-RogerLouis Aston KnightA Beaumont-le-Roger
Cottage by the RiverLouis Aston KnightCottage by the River The Risle at Le Riviere ThibouvilleLouis Aston KnightThe Risle at Le Riviere Thibouville The Old Harbor, Dordrecht, HollandLouis Aston KnightThe Old Harbor, Dordrecht, Holland
Flowers in BloomLouis Aston KnightFlowers in Bloom The Charentonne at SerquignyLouis Aston KnightThe Charentonne at Serquigny Cottage Garden at MartignyLouis Aston KnightCottage Garden at Martigny
Summer MorningLouis Aston KnightSummer Morning Cottage at LaunayLouis Aston KnightCottage at Launay The Little Mill Near Bec HeloinLouis Aston KnightThe Little Mill Near Bec Heloin
La Varenne at MartignyLouis Aston KnightLa Varenne at Martigny Sunlight & ShadowLouis Aston KnightSunlight & Shadow Cottage by the RiverLouis Aston KnightCottage by the River
Les Bords de la RisleLouis Aston KnightLes Bords de la Risle BeaumontelLouis Aston KnightBeaumontel A Cote de RiviereLouis Aston KnightA Cote de Riviere
Summer GardenLouis Aston KnightSummer Garden The Walker Cake, PutneyLouis Aston KnightThe Walker Cake, Putney Fleur au bord de la RiviereLouis Aston KnightFleur au bord de la Riviere
A Bend in the RiverLouis Aston KnightA Bend in the River My MillLouis Aston KnightMy Mill Along the SeineLouis Aston KnightAlong the Seine
DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage Summer Evening, BeaumontLouis Aston KnightSummer Evening, Beaumont Beaumont-le-RogerLouis Aston KnightBeaumont-le-Roger
Rio St. Aponal, VeniceLouis Aston KnightRio St. Aponal, Venice Apple BlossomsLouis Aston KnightApple Blossoms Maisonette a Cote de RiviereLouis Aston KnightMaisonette a Cote de Riviere
Riverside Farm – South Kortright, N.Y.Louis Aston KnightRiverside Farm – South Kortright, N.Y. Summer Garden, NormandyLouis Aston KnightSummer Garden, Normandy Summer Afternoon, NormandyLouis Aston KnightSummer Afternoon, Normandy
The Winding RiverLouis Aston KnightThe Winding River Cottage by the RiverLouis Aston KnightCottage by the River Le Soir, DordrechtLouis Aston KnightLe Soir, Dordrecht
La Vieux Lavoir, NormandyLouis Aston KnightLa Vieux Lavoir, Normandy Quiet Corner, a Cottage Near DieppeLouis Aston KnightQuiet Corner, a Cottage Near Dieppe The Long CottageLouis Aston KnightThe Long Cottage
Pont del Angelo, VeniceLouis Aston KnightPont del Angelo, Venice Summer, Beaumont-le-RogerLouis Aston KnightSummer, Beaumont-le-Roger Old Mill in NormandyLouis Aston KnightOld Mill in Normandy
The Risle Valley, NormandyLouis Aston KnightThe Risle Valley, Normandy Brittany EveningLouis Aston KnightBrittany Evening Market Place, RouenLouis Aston KnightMarket Place, Rouen
Market Place, RouenLouis Aston KnightMarket Place, Rouen Honfleur, FranceLouis Aston KnightHonfleur, France Summer FlowersLouis Aston KnightSummer Flowers
Goupilliere, FranceLouis Aston KnightGoupilliere, France A Cottage at Goupillieres (Normandy)Louis Aston KnightA Cottage at Goupillieres (Normandy) La Risle a Beaumont-le-RogerLouis Aston KnightLa Risle a Beaumont-le-Roger
Garden & Meadow, Normandy, Risle ValleyLouis Aston KnightGarden & Meadow, Normandy, Risle Valley DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage, Beaumont-le-Roger Sur le SoirLouis Aston KnightSur le Soir
Cottages Along the RiverLouis Aston KnightCottages Along the River Risle ValleyLouis Aston KnightRisle Valley DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage
Chaumiere, a bord de lLouis Aston KnightChaumiere, a bord de l'eau DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage DianeLouis Aston KnightDiane's Cottage at Sunset
A Canal in VeniceLouis Aston KnightA Canal in Venice The End of the VillageLouis Aston KnightThe End of the Village A River in NormandyLouis Aston KnightA River in Normandy

 

Louis Aston Knight, was the son of the American expatriate artist, Daniel Ridgway Knight. Born in Paris in 1873, Louis, unlike his father, had the privilege to be brought up in a home where he was surrounded by art and music. Raised and educated in Europe, Louis attended the Chigwell School in England for his Liberal Arts Education and began his artistic training, under the guidance of his father. Later he studied formally with the great French Romantic painters, Robert-Fleury and Jules Lefebvre.

In 1894 Aston Knight debuted at the Paris Salon, starting a highly acclaimed career. Among his many awards, he won 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.

Louis Aston Knight is most famous for his French landscapes executed in and around his home in Beaumont-le-Roger. Aston looked up to Claude Monet, and visited him from time to time at his home in Giverny. He was particularly impressed with Monet's gardens, and strove to cultivate a garden as beautiful as the master's. Knight also awarded prizes each year to the neighboring peasants who kept the nicest gardens. This ensured him of good models for his cottage landscape paintings.

Gradually Aston Knight became well known in the New York art scene and traveled to the United States many times – painting scenes in New York, Florida and California. In 1911, Knoedler and Co. held an exhibition of his landscapes of the U.S.A. and France. His exhibition at the Levy Gallery in New York, in 1931 attracted much attention. In fact, "Art News" critiqued the show (26 December issue) and described his fame and plein-air approach:

A group of new landscapes by Aston Knight, the popular painter of the Normandy Riverscape, is the Holiday attraction at the Levy Gallery. Mr. Knight sticks closely to his well established formula, doubtless due to the tremendous acclaim acquired in his earlier years when Hopkinson Smith publicized him as the "painter in the high rubber boots" for Mr. Knight was not content with studying the action of the Normandy streams from the comfortable banks.... used to [put] on a pair of waist-high rubber boots and setting up his easel in mid-stream, paint the purling waters at first hand.

Aston Knight was a favorite of American Presidents in his day. In 1922, President Harding purchased Aston Knight’s painting entitled The Afterglow, to hang in the White House. Knight even held a private exhibition at the White House for President Coolidge during his Presidency.

Many of his works have had international acclaim and are housed in the art collections throughout the world, including: the Luxembourg Museum; Musee des Colonies, Paris; the Museum of Fine Arts, Toledo, Ohio and the Delgado Museum, New Orleans.
Exhibitions:

John Levy Galleries, N.Y., Nov. 24 – Dec. 6, n.d.
Knoedler & Co., N.Y., Dec 26, 1911 – Jan 6, 1912
Detroit Museum of Art, March 18 – 30, 1914
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, May 1918
Biltmore Salon, L.A., CA., Exhibition of Landscapes by Aston
Knight, January 26 to February 7, 1931

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