Bruce Crane
Encyclopedia
Robert Bruce Crane was an American painter. He joined the Lyme Art Colony in the early 1900s. His most active period, though, came after 1920, when for more than a decade he did oil sketches of woods, meadows, and hills. He developed into a Tonalist painter under the influence of Jean Charles Cazin
at Grez-sur-Loing
. Crane’s mature works were nearly always fall and winter scenes. He usually painted in his studio in Bronxville, New York
, where like many of the Tonalists he relied mostly on memories of his outdoor sketching experiences. Selected work can be found at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut
. He is a descendant of the Continental Congressman Stephen Crane Bruce Crane (1857-1937): American Tonalist. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84-81018.
, submitting his painting called Old Swedish Church, Philidelphia. He soon began to paint locations of East Hampton and Long Island which would bring him praise and critical approval (as well as a steady income.) One unnamed Critic stated:
“Crane had [by 1885] proved to the satisfaction of the art public that he handled one kind of landscape with as much ability as another. (His paintings) were treated as skillfully as his (his other works) with numerous variations of the leading motive of tone and color.”
He then left New York to study in France with Jean Charles Cazin
, a well known French painter of the 19th century. He experienced success there but things were about to change.
In 1909 he won a bronze medal at the Carnegie Institute
exhibition for his work November Hills, showing that he was still a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the first two decades of the 20th century, Crane won at least 10 major national and international awards. This included the Inness Gold Medal (1901), Gold metal at the St. Louis Exposition (1904), The Saltus Medal (1912), and the silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition (1915.) From 1929 to 1933, Bruce Crane was the President of the famed Salmagundi Club
of New York City (founded 1871) and its artist of the year in 1902 .
Descendants of Bruce Crane can be found living in Virginia and California .
Jean Charles Cazin
Jean Charles Cazin , French landscape painter and ceramicist, son of a well-known doctor, FJ Cazin , was born at Samer, Pas-de-Calais....
at Grez-sur-Loing
Grez-sur-Loing
Grez-sur-Loing is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France.-People:It is located 70 km south of Paris and is notable for the artists and musicians who have lived or stayed there...
. Crane’s mature works were nearly always fall and winter scenes. He usually painted in his studio in Bronxville, New York
Bronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
, where like many of the Tonalists he relied mostly on memories of his outdoor sketching experiences. Selected work can be found at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Main Street of the town is a historic district. The town has long been a popular summer resort and artists' colony...
. He is a descendant of the Continental Congressman Stephen Crane Bruce Crane (1857-1937): American Tonalist. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84-81018.
Early Artistic Work
Bruce Crane's father, Solomon Crane, was an amateur artist himself and interested his son in the New York art scene from a young age. However, it would be a summer trip to the Adirondacks that piqued Bruce's interest in painting after witnessing “a lot of young lady amateur (artists.)” In hopes of starting a career in this field, he approached the famous artist Alexander Wyant and asked to start an apprenticeship with him. Wyant asked to see some of Crane's work, but Bruce did not believe that his skills were adequate enough to impress Wyant. Therefore, he declined the request and spent the next year improving his skills before he showed his work to Wyant and began to work with him. They remained friends until Wyant's death.Fame
Bruce Crane began to then study at New York's Arts Student League and in 1876 he was featured for the first time in an exhibit at the National academy of designNational Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, submitting his painting called Old Swedish Church, Philidelphia. He soon began to paint locations of East Hampton and Long Island which would bring him praise and critical approval (as well as a steady income.) One unnamed Critic stated:
“Crane had [by 1885] proved to the satisfaction of the art public that he handled one kind of landscape with as much ability as another. (His paintings) were treated as skillfully as his (his other works) with numerous variations of the leading motive of tone and color.”
He then left New York to study in France with Jean Charles Cazin
Jean Charles Cazin
Jean Charles Cazin , French landscape painter and ceramicist, son of a well-known doctor, FJ Cazin , was born at Samer, Pas-de-Calais....
, a well known French painter of the 19th century. He experienced success there but things were about to change.
Family Crisis
Bruce Crane's first wife Jeanne Buchard Brainerd was institutionalized in an asylum, though it was never made clear if this was for an actual mental disease or a case of alcoholism, as Ann Crane (her daughter from a previous marriage)suggested. Jeanne began to publicly accuse Bruce Crane of adultery with his step-Daughter Ann but the case was dropped and the divorce finalized in 1902. Bruce would marry Ann Brainered two years later, despite a 25 year age gap. They would have a daughter, also named Ann .Return to Fame
This period of time caused many critics to believe that he had lost his touch and his skills. Though it was his return to the Adirondacks that caused his work to mature as he began to focus on the basics of nature. “I have come to like simpler subjects better” - Bruce Crane.In 1909 he won a bronze medal at the Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Institute can refer to:*Carnegie Institute, operator of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania*Carnegie Institution for Science , Washington, D.C....
exhibition for his work November Hills, showing that he was still a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the first two decades of the 20th century, Crane won at least 10 major national and international awards. This included the Inness Gold Medal (1901), Gold metal at the St. Louis Exposition (1904), The Saltus Medal (1912), and the silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition (1915.) From 1929 to 1933, Bruce Crane was the President of the famed Salmagundi Club
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
of New York City (founded 1871) and its artist of the year in 1902 .
Later Life
Bruce grew frail after breaking both of his hips in a fall in 1935, nearly immobilizing him. He spent the remainder of his years in Bronxville before passing on October 29th, 1937.Descendants of Bruce Crane can be found living in Virginia and California .
Further reading
- Stula, Nancy with Nancy Noble. American Artists Abroad and their Inspiration, New London: Lyman Allyn Art Museum, 2004, 64 pages http://www.lymanallyn.org
External links
- December Morn by Bruce Crane at Florence Griswald Museum