The Life and Art of Aldro Hibbard
Aldro Thompson Hibbard was an American plein air painter recognized for his landscape paintings, with a particular focus on his winter scenes in Vermont. He primarily worked with oil paint, finding watercolor difficult to use during the winter months in the Vermont mountains. Born in Barnstable County, United States, Hibbard spent much of his life in Rockport, Massachusetts.
His formal training began at the Massachusetts Normal Art School, where he studied under Ernest Lee Major, Joseph DeCamp, and Frederic Andrew Bosley. He later attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, studying with Frank Weston Benson, Phillip Leslie Hale, and Edmund Charles Tarbell. In 1913, Hibbard received the Paige Traveling Scholarship, which allowed him to travel through England, France, Spain, Morocco, and Italy to study and sketch works by European masters.
Artistic Achievements and Legacy
Throughout his career, Hibbard received several prestigious honors, including the 1922 First Hallgarten Prize for Late February and the 1928 Second Altman Prize for Snow Mantle. He was also awarded gold medals from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1922, 1927, and 1931. As a leader in the art community, he helped establish the Rockport Art Association, serving as its president for over 20 years, and founded the Hibbard School of Painting in Rockport.
Hibbard was a National Academician of the National Academy of Design, holding the title of Associate National Academician in 1923 and National Academician in 1933. His works are held in various collections, including:
