William Charles Anthony Frerichs

"A native of Ghent (then under Dutch rule), Williams Charles Anthony Frerichs was born in 1829 and trained as an artist at the Brussels Academy and the Royal Academy at the Hague. He was twenty-one when he decided to move to the United States, arriving in New York City and residing there for a short period of time. While in the area, he joined the New York Sketch Club and also met his wife, Clara Butler. Frerichs and his new family subsequently moved to North Carolina, where he taught as a professor of painting, drawing, and French at Greensboro Female College. After a fire destroyed the college, the artist was briefly an instructor at Edgeworth Female Seminary and the New Garden Boarding School, both in Greensboro. With the advent of the Civil War, however, his career was disrupted, and Frerichs was soon conscripted by the Confederate Army to serve as inspector of iron mines. Afterwards, Frerichs and his family departed for the New York metropolitan area, where he continued to display his enthuisiasm for art instruction by teaching classes for the Essex Art Association. Throughout his life Frerichs continuously painted, evidenced by his large body of work. The artist died on March 16, 1905 in his home in Tottenville, Staten Island.

Frerichs is mainly known as a landscape painter, with his works reflecting a romantic aesthetic favored by the Hudson River School,although he was never formally associated with this group of artists. During his time in North Carolina, the artist made frequent trips to the mountains of Western North Carolina, painting romantic vistas and often incorporating bodies of water into the compositions. Along with mountain landscapes, he showed a strong interest in representing the four seasons, with a large part of his oeuvre describing cold winter days. Frerichs also painted areas of New England, including the White Mountains of New Hampshire. His work is held by several museums, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Columbus Museum, and the Cameron Art Museum, and is also sold by several galleries." [Source: Museum staff]