Lucy Bacon
Encyclopedia
Lucy Angeline Bacon was a California
n artist who studied in Paris
under the famous Impressionist, Camille Pissarro
. She is the only known Californian artist to have studied under any of the great French Impressionists.
Born in 1858 in Pitcairn, New York
, Lucy Bacon attended art school at the Art Students League of New York
and the National Academy of Design
in New York City
before leaving for France
in 1892. In Paris she enrolled at the Académie Colarossi
. However, she was dissatisfied with her studies there and asked expatriate American painter Mary Cassatt
for advice. Ms. Cassatt introduced her to Camille Pissarro
and Lucy wound up studying with him.
She then moved to Éragny
and did some paintings that are clearly Impressionistic. By 1898, she was exhibiting Impressionist style paintings such as "A San Jose Garden" at the San Francisco Art Association. But her letters to her family indicate she had ongoing health problems that prevented her from painting full-time. Thinking that the climate of California would assuage her chronic illness, she moved to San Jose
. Unmarried, she taught at Washburn School and painted from her home studio.
Her niece, Ruth, married Robert (Bob) Vickery, the son of William Kingston Vickery
, who in 1891 and 1893 organized the first exhibitions of Impressionism in San Francisco (acquired, at least in part, through Lucy's connections, along with the help of Mrs. William H. Crocker
.) The Vickery family owned Vickery, Atkins & Torrey
, an important gallery in San Francisco in the 1890s. In 1897, Lucy Bacon received a painting of Fortifications à la Glacière painted by Paul Cézanne. Ms. Bacon bequeathed this painting to her nephew, Bruce Jeremiah Bacon (the son of her brother, Albert Bacon and Mary E. Bacon.) This painting has remained in the family and been handed down from generation to generation.
In 1905, while Lucy Bacon renounced her painting career and devoted herself to religion, possibly finding it eased her health problems, she continued to teach art. By 1909, she was living in San Francisco where she died in 1932.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n artist who studied in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
under the famous Impressionist, Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
. She is the only known Californian artist to have studied under any of the great French Impressionists.
Born in 1858 in Pitcairn, New York
Pitcairn, New York
Pitcairn is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 783 at the 2000 census. The name is from that of Joseph Pitcairn, an early landowner and diplomat....
, Lucy Bacon attended art school at the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
and 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...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
before leaving for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1892. In Paris she enrolled at the Académie Colarossi
Académie Colarossi
The Académie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. First located on the Île de la Cité, it moved in the 1870s to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France....
. However, she was dissatisfied with her studies there and asked expatriate American painter Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists...
for advice. Ms. Cassatt introduced her to Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
and Lucy wound up studying with him.
She then moved to Éragny
Éragny-sur-Epte
Éragny-sur-Epte is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-References:* * *...
and did some paintings that are clearly Impressionistic. By 1898, she was exhibiting Impressionist style paintings such as "A San Jose Garden" at the San Francisco Art Association. But her letters to her family indicate she had ongoing health problems that prevented her from painting full-time. Thinking that the climate of California would assuage her chronic illness, she moved to San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. Unmarried, she taught at Washburn School and painted from her home studio.
Her niece, Ruth, married Robert (Bob) Vickery, the son of William Kingston Vickery
William Kingston Vickery
William Kingston Vickery was an Irish-American picture dealer who founded the San Francisco interior design firm and art gallery of Vickery, Atkins & Torrey...
, who in 1891 and 1893 organized the first exhibitions of Impressionism in San Francisco (acquired, at least in part, through Lucy's connections, along with the help of Mrs. William H. Crocker
William H. Crocker
-Biography:He was born in 1861 in Sacramento, California.He attended Phillips Academy, Andover and Yale University, where he was a brother of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity...
.) The Vickery family owned Vickery, Atkins & Torrey
Vickery, Atkins & Torrey
Vickery, Atkins & Torrey was an interior design firm and art gallery in San Francisco, California, that helped introduce California to Impressionism...
, an important gallery in San Francisco in the 1890s. In 1897, Lucy Bacon received a painting of Fortifications à la Glacière painted by Paul Cézanne. Ms. Bacon bequeathed this painting to her nephew, Bruce Jeremiah Bacon (the son of her brother, Albert Bacon and Mary E. Bacon.) This painting has remained in the family and been handed down from generation to generation.
In 1905, while Lucy Bacon renounced her painting career and devoted herself to religion, possibly finding it eased her health problems, she continued to teach art. By 1909, she was living in San Francisco where she died in 1932.