Orlando Gray Wales
Encyclopedia
Orlando Gray Wales (1865–1933) was an American landscape painter
and Pennsylvania impressionist
who lived and painted in Allentown
, Pennsylvania
and the Lehigh Valley
region of the United States
. Wales was considered to be one of the best still-life artists of the day.
Wales was born in Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with William Merritt Chase
and Alphonse Mucha.
He first exhibited in 1912 at the studio of fellow painter (and photographer) Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth
. A Wales' painting was one of the first 110 works acquired and exhibited by the Allentown Art Museum
upon their opening in 1936.
He maintained a studio at Tenth and Hamilton Streets in Allentown.
As a teacher, his students included John E. Berninger
and Clarence Dreisbach. Wales maintained a lifelong friendship with illustrator, painter and printmaker Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer
, who was also raised in Allentown and also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
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...
and Pennsylvania impressionist
Pennsylvania Impressionism
Pennsylvania Impressionism refers to an American Impressionist movement from the first half of the 20th century that was centered in and around Bucks County, Pennsylvania, particularly the area around the town of New Hope...
who lived and painted in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Wales was considered to be one of the best still-life artists of the day.
Wales was born in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with 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...
and Alphonse Mucha.
He first exhibited in 1912 at the studio of fellow painter (and photographer) Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth
Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth
Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth was an American landscape and portrait painter who lived and painted in Allentown, Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley region of the United States...
. A Wales' painting was one of the first 110 works acquired and exhibited by the Allentown Art Museum
Allentown Art Museum
The Allentown Art Museum is an art museum located in the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was founded in 1934 by a group organized by noted Pennsylvania impressionist painter, Walter Emerson Baum. With its collection of over 13,000 works of art, the Allentown Art Museum...
upon their opening in 1936.
He maintained a studio at Tenth and Hamilton Streets in Allentown.
As a teacher, his students included John E. Berninger
John E. Berninger
John Emil Berninger was an American landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist. He lived and painted in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
and Clarence Dreisbach. Wales maintained a lifelong friendship with illustrator, painter and printmaker Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer
Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer
Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer was an American illustrator, painter and printmaker known for her portrayals of Tennessee society women and their children. As a printmaker, she pioneered the white-line woodcut...
, who was also raised in Allentown and also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.