Ernest Lawson
Encyclopedia
Ernest Lawson was a Canadian-American
painter and a member of The Eight
, a group of artists which included the group's leaders Robert Henri
, Everett Shinn
, John Sloan, Arthur B. Davies
, Maurice Prendergast
, George Luks
, and William J. Glackens. Though Lawson mostly painted landscape
s, he also did some realistic urban scenes which were shown at the 1908 exihibition of The Eight. His painting style is heavily influenced by Impressionism
, especially the style of John Henry Twachtman
, Alfred Sisley
, and J. Alden Weir
.
Though considered an Impressionist, Lawson's work stylistically falls between Impressionism and realism. He became associated with Henri’s circle of insurgents and was included in the landmark 1908 independent exhibition of The Eight organized to protest the jury system of the National Academy of Design
annuals, though he also became involved with the Academy and showed there throughout his life.
, and arrived in America in 1888 and settled in Kansas City. In 1891, he went to live in New York and soon enrolled in classes at the Art Students League with Twachtman, who was important to his formative years, in part by introducing him to Impressionism. He later continued to study with Twachtman at Cos Cob, Connecticut
and also was a student of J. Alden Weir at their art school, in the summer of 1892. Lawson visited France in 1893 and studied at the Académie Julian
with Benjamin Constant
and Jean-Paul Laurens
. He practiced plein air painting in southern France and at Moret-sur-Loing
, where he met the English Impressionist Alfred Sisley. In 1894, Lawson exhibited two paintings in the Salon. Lawson shared a Paris studio that year with W. Somerset Maugham
, who is believed to have used Lawson as the inspiration for the character "Frederick Lawson" in his 1915 novel Of Human Bondage
.
in Upper Manhattan in 1898, and his work for the next two decades focused on subjects of that area. Like other realists, he worked directly from the subject, and traveled with some frequency to other places that served as subjects of his art, including Spain, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Kansas, Colorado, Tennessee, New Mexico, Connecticut, and Florida.
He had his first solo exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy in 1907, and won a prize in the annual for a winter landscape, the theme which became his single most identifiable subject. The following year, he joined the group that would become known as The Eight
(primarily through his friendship with William Glackens
) in their defining show at the Macbeth Galleries. Also in 1908, he was named an associate of the National Academy, of which he was made a full academician in 1917. He contributed three paintings in the landmark 1913 Armory Show
, and exhibited as a member of the Canadian Art Club
from 1911 to 1915.
Lawson won many prizes throughout his career and was highly regarded by his peers. William Merritt Chase
considered him America's greatest landscape painter. He had continual financial problems, however, as well as poor health in his later years.
Lawson first became acquainted with Florida
when he befriended Katherine and Royce Powell, who became his close friends, supporters, and patrons. Lawson first visited them in Coral Gables, Florida
in 1931, and he returned there often until permanently moving there in 1936. In his last years, he completed a post office mural in Short Hills, New Jersey
(which is no longer extant), but primarily he focused on painting the Florida landscape. With his health in rapid decline, he drowned under mysterious circumstances while apparently swimming on Miami Beach, Florida, in 1939.
Canadian-American
A Canadian American is someone who was born or someone who grew up in Canada then moved to the United States. The term is particularly apt when applied or self-applied to people with strong ties to Canada, such as those who have lived a significant portion of their lives in, or were educated in,...
painter and a member of The Eight
The Eight
The Eight may refer to:*Ashcan School, an American school of painters*The Eight , a Hungarian art movement*The Eight ...
, a group of artists which included the group's leaders Robert Henri
Robert Henri
Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. He was a leading figure of the Ashcan School in art.- Early life :...
, Everett Shinn
Everett Shinn
Everett Shinn was an American realist painter and member of the Ashcan School, also known as 'the Eight.' He was the youngest member of the group of modernist painters who explored the depiction of real life...
, John Sloan, Arthur B. Davies
Arthur B. Davies
Arthur Bowen Davies was an avant-garde American artist and patron.-Biography:He was born in Utica, New York and studied at the Chicago Academy of Design from 1879 to 1882...
, Maurice Prendergast
Maurice Prendergast
Maurice Brazil Prendergast was an American Post-Impressionist artist who worked in oil, watercolor, and monotype...
, George Luks
George Luks
George Benjamin Luks, was an American realist artist and illustrator. His vigorously painted genre paintings of urban subjects are examples of the Ashcan school in American art.-Early life:...
, and William J. Glackens. Though Lawson mostly painted landscape
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
s, he also did some realistic urban scenes which were shown at the 1908 exihibition of The Eight. His painting style is heavily influenced by Impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
, especially the style of John Henry Twachtman
John Henry Twachtman
John Henry Twachtman was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes, though his painting style varied widely through his career. Art historians consider Twachtman's style of American Impressionism to be among the more personal and experimental of his generation...
, Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life, in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedication to painting landscape en plein air...
, and J. Alden Weir
J. Alden Weir
Julian Alden Weir was an American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony near Greenwich, Connecticut...
.
Though considered an Impressionist, Lawson's work stylistically falls between Impressionism and realism. He became associated with Henri’s circle of insurgents and was included in the landmark 1908 independent exhibition of The Eight organized to protest the jury system of the National Academy of Design
National 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...
annuals, though he also became involved with the Academy and showed there throughout his life.
Youth
Lawson was born in 1873 in Halifax, Nova ScotiaCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, and arrived in America in 1888 and settled in Kansas City. In 1891, he went to live in New York and soon enrolled in classes at the Art Students League with Twachtman, who was important to his formative years, in part by introducing him to Impressionism. He later continued to study with Twachtman at Cos Cob, Connecticut
Cos Cob, Connecticut
Cos Cob is a neighborhood and census-designated place in the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. It is located at 41.033 north, 73.6 west, on the Connecticut shoreline in southern Fairfield County. It had a population of 6,770 at the 2010 census....
and also was a student of J. Alden Weir at their art school, in the summer of 1892. Lawson visited France in 1893 and studied at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
with Benjamin Constant
Benjamin Constant
Henri-Benjamin Constant de Rebecque was a Swiss-born French nobleman, thinker, writer and politician.-Biography:...
and Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens , was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style.Born in Fourquevaux, he was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexandre Bida...
. He practiced plein air painting in southern France and at Moret-sur-Loing
Moret-sur-Loing
Moret-sur-Loing is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.The town was a source of inspiration for Monet, Renoir and Sisley.-Twin towns:...
, where he met the English Impressionist Alfred Sisley. In 1894, Lawson exhibited two paintings in the Salon. Lawson shared a Paris studio that year with W. Somerset Maugham
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
, who is believed to have used Lawson as the inspiration for the character "Frederick Lawson" in his 1915 novel Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage
Of Human Bondage is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature, although Maugham stated, "This is a novel, not an autobiography, though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure invention." Maugham, who had...
.
Maturity
Upon his return to the States in 1896, he began formulating his own individualistic aesthetic. He was further encouraged by Henri and the other independent artists with whom he began to associate around 1903. Lawson moved to Washington HeightsWashington Heights
Washington Heights may refer to some places in the United States:*Washington Heights, Manhattan **Washington Heights , a 2003 film set in Washington Heights, Manhattan*Washington Heights, New York...
in Upper Manhattan in 1898, and his work for the next two decades focused on subjects of that area. Like other realists, he worked directly from the subject, and traveled with some frequency to other places that served as subjects of his art, including Spain, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Kansas, Colorado, Tennessee, New Mexico, Connecticut, and Florida.
He had his first solo exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy in 1907, and won a prize in the annual for a winter landscape, the theme which became his single most identifiable subject. The following year, he joined the group that would become known as The Eight
The Eight
The Eight may refer to:*Ashcan School, an American school of painters*The Eight , a Hungarian art movement*The Eight ...
(primarily through his friendship with William Glackens
William Glackens
William James Glackens was an American realist painter.Glackens studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and later moved to New York City, where he co-founded what came to be called the Ashcan School art movement...
) in their defining show at the Macbeth Galleries. Also in 1908, he was named an associate of the National Academy, of which he was made a full academician in 1917. He contributed three paintings in the landmark 1913 Armory Show
Armory Show
Many exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
, and exhibited as a member of the Canadian Art Club
Canadian Art Club
-The Canadian Art Club:Established in Toronto in 1907 to advance the standards of Canadian art exhibitions and to exhibit the work of Canadian expatriate artists at home. The annual exhibitions organized in Toronto, and in Montreal in 1910 , included the finest work being produced by Canadian...
from 1911 to 1915.
Lawson won many prizes throughout his career and was highly regarded by his peers. William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase was an American painter known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons The New School for Design.- Early life and training :He was born in Williamsburg , Indiana, to the family...
considered him America's greatest landscape painter. He had continual financial problems, however, as well as poor health in his later years.
Lawson first became acquainted with Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
when he befriended Katherine and Royce Powell, who became his close friends, supporters, and patrons. Lawson first visited them in Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
in 1931, and he returned there often until permanently moving there in 1936. In his last years, he completed a post office mural in Short Hills, New Jersey
Short Hills, New Jersey
Short Hills is an unincorporated area located within the township of Millburn, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a popular commuter town for residents who work in New York City...
(which is no longer extant), but primarily he focused on painting the Florida landscape. With his health in rapid decline, he drowned under mysterious circumstances while apparently swimming on Miami Beach, Florida, in 1939.
Other sources
- Henry and Sidney Berry-Hill, Ernest Lawson: American Impressionist 1873-1939. Leigh-on-Sea, 1968.
- Adeline Lee Karpiscak, Ernest Lawson, 1873-1939, a retrospective exhibition. University of Arizona Museum of Art, 1979.
- Valerie Ann Leeds, “From Prose to Poetry: The Landscapes of Ernest Lawson,” Fine Art Connoisseur, 3 (September/October 2006).
- Valerie Ann Leeds, Ernest Lawson (New York: Gerald Peters Gallery, 2000).