Paul Sample American, 1896-1974

Paul Sample was an American painter best known for his finely observed landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in New England. Associated with American Regionalism, Sample developed a distinctive style that combines precise draftsmanship with a restrained modern sensibility, emphasizing structure, atmosphere, and narrative clarity.

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Sample studied at the Art Students League in New York and later at Dartmouth College. He continued his training in Europe, studying at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he absorbed classical compositional principles and a respect for pictorial order. These foundations remained central to his work, even as he embraced contemporary American subject matter.

Sample is most closely associated with Vermont and New Hampshire, where he lived and worked for much of his career. His paintings frequently depict farms, village streets, seasonal labor, and quiet moments of rural life. Rendered with crisp detail and controlled color, these scenes convey a sense of permanence and balance rather than nostalgia. Unlike some Regionalist contemporaries, Sample avoided caricature and overt drama, favoring understatement and compositional rigor.

During the 1930s, Sample achieved national recognition and was frequently discussed alongside artists such as Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. While sharing their commitment to American themes, Sample’s work is more restrained and classically structured, reflecting a synthesis of European training and American realism. His paintings often suggest narrative without resolving it, inviting sustained viewing and interpretation.

In addition to easel painting, Sample was an important muralist and educator. He served as artist-in-residence at Dartmouth College for more than three decades, where he produced murals and shaped the college’s visual culture. His long tenure at Dartmouth allowed him to influence generations of students while maintaining an active studio practice.

Sample exhibited widely during his lifetime at major institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. His work was collected by leading museums and private patrons, reflecting his standing within mid-20th-century American art. Today, his works are held in major museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Hood Museum of Art.