Note Type
Antony Hayton, Exhibit DirectorNote
Lemuel "Lem" Newton (1950-2014)
"Moonlit River"
Oil on Upson Board circa 1970
Image size 24" X 36"
Lem Newton was the youngest of the 3 Newton brothers. Both he and Sam were taught to paint by their older brother Harold. He began painting as a teenager in the late 1960s after moving to Fort Pierce, where his brother Harold was having success as a landscape painter. Lemuel and Willie Daniels began by working with Alfred Hair, preparing the Upson Board. He was less prolific than his elder brothers. Harold's influence on Lem's art was considerable and evident to a trained eye. The three brothers have a distinctive style that says "Newton Brothers".
This older work features a bend in the St. Lucie River at night, illuminated by the moon. This location, or one similar, is a common theme in the exhibit. Most of the Highwaymen artists painted from "memory," rather than using the "en plein air" technique of French Impressionists, which loosely translates to "in the open air." For 19th-century French artists, this usually meant creating the painting from what they saw directly in front of them. In contrast, the Highwaymen did paint outdoors, but typically in their outdoor studios, which could be their backyards or garages. It is remarkable to consider that the Highwaymen were recreating these scenes from memory, perhaps envisioning the same location along the river at different times of day and under various skies and natural lighting conditions.