Walter Elmer Schofield (September 9, 1867 – March 1, 1944) was a prominent American Impressionist landscape painter. He is best known for his large-scale, panoramic winter landscapes and coastal scenes, and he is frequently associated with the New Hope School of Pennsylvania Impressionists.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Schofield began his formal artistic training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) from 1889 to 1892, studying under Thomas Anshutz and Robert Vonnoh. He subsequently moved to Paris to continue his education at the Académie Julian, where he was mentored by artists such as Henri-Lucien Doucet and William-Adolphe Bouguereau. During his time in Europe, Schofield was influenced by both the French Impressionists and the Barbizon school of landscape painting.
Schofield’s artistic style is characterized by a vigorous, bravura technique and a commitment to en plein air painting. He was noted for his physical stamina, often working outdoors in extreme winter conditions to capture the authentic light and atmosphere of snowy landscapes. His compositions typically feature wide, sweeping views of rivers, hills, and villages, rendered with a broad, textured application of oil paint.
While Schofield maintained strong professional ties to the American art world and frequently returned to Pennsylvania to paint, he spent a significant portion of his adult life in England. After marrying an Englishwoman in 1896, he established a home in Cornwall, becoming an active member of the St Ives artist colony. This dual residency allowed him to contribute significantly to the art scenes of both the United States and Great Britain.
Schofield received widespread critical acclaim during his lifetime. His honors included the Jennie Sesnan Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1903), the First Hallgarten Prize from the National Academy of Design (1904), and a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco (1915).
His work is represented in the permanent collections of numerous major institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Schofield died in 1944 in Cornwall, England, leaving a legacy as a central figure in early 20th-century American landscape painting.