Tremezzo, Lake Como

Smillie trained as an engraver with his father and developed an interest in landscape painting while touring Europe in 1862. During the 1890s, he lived in southern Connecticut where he was likely exposed to the works of American Impressionists. He made his only professional trip to Europe in 1898, seeking inspiration and new subjects when the demand for his art was lagging. This watercolor was painted at Tremezzo, on the northern shore of picturesque Lake Como, near the border between Italy and Switzerland. Tremezzo was celebrated in contemporary guidebooks for its beautiful gardens, which thrive due to the temperate, sheltered climate. In an inscription at the lower left corner, Smillie indicates that his delicate rendering of the verdant foliage spilling over the walls of the enclosed villa was done "From Nature."