Frederick R. Wagner Pennsylvania (1864-1940) RIVER LANDSCAPE IN WINTER oil on canvas, framed, signed: lower left, F. Wagner H19 3/4" W23 3/4" *Artist biography: A native of Pennsylvania, Frederick Wagner was a painter of impressionist urban scenes, often views of Philadelphia, and was not highly recognized during his lifetime. His many cityscapes including views of bridges and skyscapes were a distinct genre in the United States at the turn of the 20th century, and he began these subjects as early as 1906. The suggestion of many of his paintings is that the city is overwhelming and that human beings are diminished in importance and are fragile. He was born in Valley Forge and became a student of Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1879 to 1884. He worked as an illustrator for the "Philadelphia Press," spent time in the West, and returned to Philadelphia in 1902. There he was influenced by Robert Henri, William Glackens, and John Sloan who espoused realism in subject matter and rebellion against the romantic aura of impressionism. He was a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club and exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy where he won prizes in 1914 and 1922. His working method was to sketch something of interest and to complete the work in his studio by painting on coarse burlap, glued to canvas.