The Life and Art of Erastus Salisbury Field

Erastus Salisbury Field (1805-1900) was born and raised in Leverett, MA, and after a long life of creative pursuits, was laid to rest in the North Amherst Cemetery, in Amherst, MA. Field’s paintings are held in museums and numerous private collections and are considered excellent examples of the naïve style of portraiture that was prevalent in rural America during the first half of the 1800s. This presentation by artist Neal Parks will survey Field’s artistic growth following his brief but informative experience as a teenaged student in the New York atelier of famed artist and inventor, Samuel Morse, which was to profoundly influence his career, starting as an itinerant portraitist. For several decades following, Field successfully plied his trade in the Pioneer Valley and around New England. In his mature phase, he moved away from painted likenesses to illustrating scenes of the Bible in what is now seen as a proto-surreal manner, along with dramatic depictions of political figures and other decidedly dream-like imagery, notably his folk magnum opus, The Historical Monument of the American Republic, which resides in the permanent collection of the Michelle and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts. Presented by Neal Parks, MFA, visual artist Image: Historical Monument of the American Republic by Erastus Salisbury Field. Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts. The Morgan Wesson Memorial Collection. Join us in-person or online! If you plan to attend in person at the Museums, tickets are available on the day of the lecture in the Welcome Center. Members: FREE Springfield residents: $4 Nonmembers: $4 To attend via ZOOM, please register in advance. Online Registration