John Edward Thompson (1882–1945) was an American painter and university professor who is credited with introducing modern art to Denver, Colorado in 1917, much to the chagrin of local critics.[1][2] Due to his pioneering career, Thompson was referred to as the "Dean of Colorado Painters."[3] While he never enjoyed much national renown,[2] his work is still among the most desirable to collectors of Colorado art.[1]
Overview
editBorn in Buffalo, New York, in 1882 ,[2] Thompson had begun his formal art studies with noted illustrator Lucius Hitchcock.[4] After studying for two years at the Art Students League of New York, he enrolled in Paris' Académie Julian in 1902.[2][4] Influenced by the tutelage of such renowned figures as Jean-Paul Laurens, he established a European reputation while still in his twenties.[4] Spending a year in Laren, a famous painting village in the Netherlands, Thompson also met Jozef Israëls and Albert Neuhys.[4] Returning to Paris, he found himself invited to the salon of Gertrude Stein and soon was living in the home of George Sand.[4] In a picturesque French village, Gargilesse-Dampierre, Thompson was inspired by the natural light and scenery to paint landscapes in the style of Paul Cézanne.[4]
Driven back to the United States by World War I, Thompson found himself drawn to depictions of the American West.[3] A railroad agent recommended Pine, Colorado for its fine quality of mountain light, which was enough to send Thompson packing.[citation needed] He soon landed in Denver, drawing friends and artists such as Joseph Bakos and Walter Mruk to his own small art colony.[4] Though some soon departed to form the Santa Fe community known as "Los Cinco Pintores,"[4] Thompson's leadership introduced modernist European styles to a region long-resistant to non-traditional art forms.[1]
As a member of the Denver Atelier, an exclusive network of leaders in the arts and architecture community, Thompson also used the studio as a social gathering spot.[4] Frederick Law Olmsted Jr, Jacques Benedict, Burnham Hoyt, and other Denver notables interested in the American Beaux-Arts tradition joined him.[4] Their monthly meetings would often feature nude models, enabling members to practice sketching in a supportive environment while enjoying the pleasures of homemade juniper-berry wine.[4]
Among Thompson's works are murals, including one on the University of Denver campus which was finished in 1929, painted over in 1931, and only rediscovered in 2007.[1][4][5]
Thompson's genius led to exhibitions in some of the most prestigious art galleries in the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, New York World's Fair,[6] Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial Exhibition, San Francisco's Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington D.C.[4]
Thompson worked at the University of Denver from 1929 until his death in 1945.[1][3]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e Hamel, Ken. "Victoria H. Myhren: John Edward Thompson (press release)". Denver Arts. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Best Bets". The Denver Post. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ a b c MacGregor, Alasdair Alpin (1961). Percyval Tudor-Hart, 1873-1954 - Portrait of an Artist. P. R. Macmillan. pp. 106–108. Archived from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "John E. Thompson". Modernist West. Archived from the original on 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
- ^ "Church Art in America". The American Magazine of Art. 23 (6): 516. 1931. ISSN 2151-254X. JSTOR 23936221.
- ^ Bear, Donald (1939). "For the New York World's Fair Contemporary Art Exhibition". Parnassus. 11 (3): 14–18. doi:10.2307/771646. ISSN 1543-6314. JSTOR 771646. S2CID 195003926.
External links
edit- "AskArt". Discussion page on artist John Edward Thompson. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
Further reading
edit- Cuba, Stan (2015). The Denver Artists Guild. University Press of Colorado. ISBN 9781457195952.