Roy Cleveland Nuse
Encyclopedia
Roy Cleveland Nuse was a Pennsylvania Impressionist
artist and a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
(PAFA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1954. For almost 60 years he lived and painted in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
, working in a plein-air, impressionist style. His six children were often the subjects of his paintings, depicted especially in rural, outdoor settings. Working primarily in oils, but also in pastels, Nuse painted landscapes, figures in the landscape, still lifes and portraits.
, Nuse helped out in his father’s barbershop until his father became ill and Nuse had to drop out of high school. He took a factory job hand-painting lamp shades, where he was recognized for his talent and encouraged to go to art school. His formal art education began at the Art Academy of Cincinnati
in 1905 and he remained there until 1912, studying under Vincent Nowottny and Frank Duveneck
. In 1915 he obtained a part-time teaching job at the Beechwood School near Philadelphia, which enabled him to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which was then one of the most renowned art schools in the nation.
A student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1915-1918, Nuse won all the major student awards: the Toppan and Thouron Prizes and two Cresson Scholarships to travel and study art in Europe.
During this time he moved his growing family to live on a farm in rural Bucks County. Between 1917 and 1925 he created many large canvasses of figures in the landscape, focusing on farm life of those times and painting his children and extended family mostly in outdoor settings.
In 1925, Nuse was offered a teaching position at PAFA, where he taught drawing and painting, life and portrait classes until 1954. That same year the Nuse family moved to Rushland, Pennsylvania
, a small town with a railroad station that permitted Nuse to commute easily to Philadelphia on his teaching days. Three streams converged in the Rushland valley. These streams, along with many nearby farms became the subject matter for many of the landscapes Nuse painted after 1925.
Although Roy Nuse lived in Bucks County most of his life, he shied away from being part of the New Hope School, a group of artists who followed the lead of William Langson Lathrop
and settled in the scenic area around New Hope, Pennsylvania
, a small town on the Delaware River. Nuse knew many of the artists in the group, but preferred to keep to himself and his family. At PAFA, Nuse first was a student of Daniel Garber
, after 1925 he became his teaching colleague and the two kept in touch infrequently.
and the Art Institute of Chicago
. However, by the 1930s, as the popularity of Modernism
grew, he was having little success and he stopped applying to shows. He became embittered toward the art world that was not interested in representational artists, but remained determined to continue painting in his Impressionist style. During this period, Nuse became known as a portraitist in the Philadelphia area and received a number of commissions to paint physicians and others.
In 1954, Nuse chose to retire from PAFA because of philosophical issues, even though his students begged him not to. He continued to teach privately at his home, and many of his students were devoted to him. Nuse continued to teach and paint, including portrait commissions, into his eighties.
When Roy Nuse died in 1975, he left a substantial body of his work to his six children. Although he clearly sold many paintings over the years, he never kept records of sales and there is no way to estimate how many of his works are in private collections. For reasons that are not clear he would not have anything to do with art dealers, preferring to sell his work himself.
In 2000, the James A. Michener Art Museum
in Doylestown, Pennsylvania acquired one of Nuse’s masterpieces, “Age of Speed” which depicts five children playing with a wheel in front of a barn. This painting was on display during the retrospective exhibit, “Roy C. Nuse – Figures and Landscapes” at the Michener Museum in 2002.
Another painting, “Artist’s Wife with Three Children” is in the permanent collection of the Woodmere Art Museum
. Other paintings by Nuse are in the permanent collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Swarthmore College, Moravian College and Thomas Jefferson University.
After years of critical and commercial neglect, interest in Pennsylvania Impressionism
and the New Hope School began to develop in the 1980s and has continued to gain momentum. The 2002 Michener Museum exhibition and some successful results from sales of Nuse’s work at Freeman’s auction house in Philadelphia have helped to establish his place in art history as a 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...
artist and a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
(PAFA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1925 to 1954. For almost 60 years he lived and painted in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, working in a plein-air, impressionist style. His six children were often the subjects of his paintings, depicted especially in rural, outdoor settings. Working primarily in oils, but also in pastels, Nuse painted landscapes, figures in the landscape, still lifes and portraits.
Biography
A native of Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, Nuse helped out in his father’s barbershop until his father became ill and Nuse had to drop out of high school. He took a factory job hand-painting lamp shades, where he was recognized for his talent and encouraged to go to art school. His formal art education began at the Art Academy of Cincinnati
Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, in Cincinnati, Ohio...
in 1905 and he remained there until 1912, studying under Vincent Nowottny and Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck
Frank Duveneck was an American figure and portrait painter.-Youth:Duveneck was born in Covington, Kentucky, the son of German immigrant Bernard Decker. Decker died when Frank was only a year old and his widow remarried Joseph Duveneck...
. In 1915 he obtained a part-time teaching job at the Beechwood School near Philadelphia, which enabled him to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which was then one of the most renowned art schools in the nation.
A student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts from 1915-1918, Nuse won all the major student awards: the Toppan and Thouron Prizes and two Cresson Scholarships to travel and study art in Europe.
During this time he moved his growing family to live on a farm in rural Bucks County. Between 1917 and 1925 he created many large canvasses of figures in the landscape, focusing on farm life of those times and painting his children and extended family mostly in outdoor settings.
In 1925, Nuse was offered a teaching position at PAFA, where he taught drawing and painting, life and portrait classes until 1954. That same year the Nuse family moved to Rushland, Pennsylvania
Rushland, Pennsylvania
Rushland, in the northwestern corner of Wrightstown Township, Pennsylvania, was originally known as Sackett's Ford. Joseph Sackett built a grist mill store, and blacksmith shop near the Mill Creek where it joined the Neshaminy Creek...
, a small town with a railroad station that permitted Nuse to commute easily to Philadelphia on his teaching days. Three streams converged in the Rushland valley. These streams, along with many nearby farms became the subject matter for many of the landscapes Nuse painted after 1925.
Although Roy Nuse lived in Bucks County most of his life, he shied away from being part of the New Hope School, a group of artists who followed the lead of William Langson Lathrop
William Langson Lathrop
William Langson Lathrop was an American Impressionist landscape painter and founder of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is sometimes referred to as a "Pennsylvania Impressionist". Lathrop was a member of the National Academy of Design and served on numerous exhibition juries during his...
and settled in the scenic area around New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope, formerly known as Coryell's Ferry, is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 2,528 at the 2010 census. The borough lies on the west bank of the Delaware River at its confluence with Aquetong Creek. A two-lane bridge carries automobile and foot traffic across the...
, a small town on the Delaware River. Nuse knew many of the artists in the group, but preferred to keep to himself and his family. At PAFA, Nuse first was a student of Daniel Garber
Daniel Garber
Daniel Garber was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his large impressionist scenes of the New Hope area, in which he often depicted the Delaware River. He also painted figurative interior works and...
, after 1925 he became his teaching colleague and the two kept in touch infrequently.
Career
Early in his career, Nuse exhibited works in juried national competitions, and had work accepted in the Corcoran Gallery of ArtCorcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
and the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. However, by the 1930s, as the popularity of Modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
grew, he was having little success and he stopped applying to shows. He became embittered toward the art world that was not interested in representational artists, but remained determined to continue painting in his Impressionist style. During this period, Nuse became known as a portraitist in the Philadelphia area and received a number of commissions to paint physicians and others.
In 1954, Nuse chose to retire from PAFA because of philosophical issues, even though his students begged him not to. He continued to teach privately at his home, and many of his students were devoted to him. Nuse continued to teach and paint, including portrait commissions, into his eighties.
When Roy Nuse died in 1975, he left a substantial body of his work to his six children. Although he clearly sold many paintings over the years, he never kept records of sales and there is no way to estimate how many of his works are in private collections. For reasons that are not clear he would not have anything to do with art dealers, preferring to sell his work himself.
In 2000, the James A. Michener Art Museum
James A. Michener Art Museum
The James A. Michener Art Museum is a private, non-profit museum in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania founded in 1988 and named for the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer James A. Michener, a Doylestown resident...
in Doylestown, Pennsylvania acquired one of Nuse’s masterpieces, “Age of Speed” which depicts five children playing with a wheel in front of a barn. This painting was on display during the retrospective exhibit, “Roy C. Nuse – Figures and Landscapes” at the Michener Museum in 2002.
Another painting, “Artist’s Wife with Three Children” is in the permanent collection of the Woodmere Art Museum
Woodmere Art Museum
Woodmere Art Museum, located in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has a collection of paintings, prints, sculpture and photographs focusing on artists from the Delaware Valley and includes works by Thomas Pollock Anshutz, Severo Antonelli, Jasper Francis Cropsey , Daniel...
. Other paintings by Nuse are in the permanent collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Swarthmore College, Moravian College and Thomas Jefferson University.
After years of critical and commercial neglect, interest in Pennsylvania Impressionism
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...
and the New Hope School began to develop in the 1980s and has continued to gain momentum. The 2002 Michener Museum exhibition and some successful results from sales of Nuse’s work at Freeman’s auction house in Philadelphia have helped to establish his place in art history as a Pennsylvania Impressionist.
External Links
- AskArt.com - more paintings, exhibition and biographical information on Roy C. Nuse.