(back to top)

William L. Carrigan

The Old Bridge

oil on canvas

23 x 31 in.

Gift of Mrs. John N. Carey

Learn More

Born in San Francisco, California, Carrigan studied art in the city’s School of Design.  After 1908 he lived in Falls Village, Connecticut and New York City where he was a pupil of Emil Carlsen.  During World War I, Carrigan served as U.S. Consul in Lisbon, Portugal. Very little is known about Carrigan’s art career or his paintings. He was an associate member of the National Academy of Design and exhibited in San Francisco and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  Carrigan died in Lakeview, Connecticut.

The Old Bridge suggests Carrigan’s awareness of the Impressionist movement, with its use of broken color and rich surface texture.  His brushwork has the visual effect of tapestry, knitting the elements of the composition together and reinforcing the flatness of the picture plane.  Geometry plays a prominent role in Carrigan’s composition, as the scene is bisected by a long, leaning tree and the bridge slices the top of the image, creating a high horizon line.  Since two of the young girls on the bridge carry American flags, the subject may relate to a Fourth of July celebration.

Reference

Edan Milton Hughes. Sacramento: Artists in California, 1786-1940, Crocker Art Museum, 2002.  ISBN-13: 978-1884038082