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In 1866 the
Cropseys purchased 45 acres of land in Warwick, NY, on which Jasper designed and built
"Aladdin", a 29 room Victorian mansion, in which the Cropseys would live until
1884. Aladdin was complete with a full artist’s studio in which Jasper would work.
In the 1870’s, the Hudson River
School style of painting was in decline. Darwinist theory and the Civil War contributed to
a movement away from spiritual and national themes. The "God as Nature" view of
Cropsey was becoming less popular as people no longer believed that America was the
"Promised Land" or the new "Garden of Eden". As a result of the
disillusionment in America, European art began to dominate the American art market.
The Barbizon
School of France, impressionism, and other movements soon supplanted and nearly eliminated
interest in American landscape painting.
In 1884, the Cropseys were so debt ridden, they sold Aladdin
and eventually relocated to a modest home in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY.
Cropsey soon added a working studio to the house (Ever Rest) where he
continued to paint. In 1893, Jasper suffered a severe
stroke, yet within months he recovered well enough
to continue to work. These latter years were spent
mainly painting with watercolors, as they were
easier to manage than oils |
