Provincetown Printers were a group of artists, most of them women, who created art using woodblock printing techniques in Provincetown, Massachusetts during the early 20th-century. It was the first group of its kind in the United States, developed in an area when European and American avant-garde artists visited in number after World War I . The "Provincetown Print", a white-line woodcut print, was attributed to this group. Rather than creating separate woodblocks for each color, one block was made and painted. Small groves between the elements of the design created the white line. Because the artists often used soft colors, they sometimes have the appearance of a watercolor painting.
22-667: Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt has been credited with developing the technique, based upon Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printing, though there is evidence that a lesser-known Provincetown artist, Edith Lake Wilkinson , was making white-line prints in 1913, a year earlier than Nordfeldt's first known efforts. Blanche Lazzell is said to have mastered the technique. Other artists in the group included Ethel Mars , Ada Gilmore , Mildred McMillen , Maud Hunt Squire , Ellen Ravenscroft , Karl Knaths , Juliette S. Nichols , Agnes Weinrich , Tod Lindenmuth Ferol Sibley Warthen , Marguerite Thompson Zorach and William Zorach . Edna Boies Hopkins ,
44-687: A flattening of form and distortion of space, creating stylized images. He chose subjects laden with emotional power, especially nature and religious scenes. Nordfeldt exhibited in numerous museums and galleries and received many significant awards and prizes in the course of his career. His works are held in the Art Institute of Chicago , the Hirshhorn Museum , the New York Public Library , New Mexico Museum of Art , Metropolitan Museum of Art , Newberry Library , Two Red Roses Foundation , and
66-522: A friend of Squires and Mars from the Art Academy of Cincinnati , also visited the community. Bill Evaul, a writer for Print Review in the late 1970s, was asked to write an article about "printmaking in Provincetown", but by that time many of the artists were no longer alive. Through research with Myron Stout and meeting with some surviving members, like Ferol Sibley Warthen, he learned the history about
88-640: A garden spot protected by mountains." Native Americans had lived for centuries in the pueblo just outside the village of Taos. There a peace-loving, democratic society has maintained, and continues to maintain, its history, culture, dress and way of life over centuries. Ernest Blumenschein returned to New York City for a time while Phillips stayed behind. Blumenschein kept up correspondence with Phillips and discussed setting up an artist colony in Taos. Blumenschein also wrote other artists in New York and Paris of Taos about
110-752: A museum infrastructure in New Mexico: Edgar L. Hewett , the director of the Museum of New Mexico ; and Frank Springer, whose donations helped to build the Museum of New Mexico’s Fine Arts Museum in Santa Fe. During World War I , the Taos society artists served on United War Work Committees, designed posters, and exhibited canvases at Red Cross bazaars. Most notably they created "range-finder paintings", 50 by 100 foot landscapes of Belgium and France used as military teaching tools. Several of these paintings were exhibited in
132-634: A trip through New Mexico in 1893. While there he became interested in the people of the Taos Pueblo and the landscape, an interest he shared with Ernest Blumenschein when they were studying art in Paris. Having heard of the degree to which Sharp was interested in painting the western United States , and the Indian pueblo of Taos in particular, Blumenschein came to Taos with fellow artist Bert Phillips in 1898. Planning only to visit Taos, they became so enamored by
154-570: The Académie Julian . For several years he worked as an illustrator in Europe and North Africa for Harper's Magazine , where he also practiced etching. He adopted his mother's surname to avoid confusion with the maritime artist (Alfred) Julius Olsson , whose work was then becoming popular in Europe and America. During World War I he was in San Francisco where he registered for the draft. During
176-847: The Chicago Society of Etchers both before and after the war, showing between 1911-1918 and 1926–1929. In 1940 he relocated to Lambertville, New Jersey . Throughout the 1930s, Nordfeldt taught at various schools including Utah State College , the Wichita Art Association and the Minneapolis School of Art . From 1941 to 1943, he was a guest professor for the Department of Art of the University of Texas . Nordfeldt worked in diverse styles and media, including etchings and prints, portraiture, still lifes, and landscapes. Nordfeldt strove for
198-587: The Taos Valley and its people that they decided to stay. This was the beginning of the Taos art colony . Blumenschein described his first sights of Taos, "The month was September, and the fertile valley a beautiful sight, and inspiration for those who ply the brush for happiness. The primitive people of this out-of-the-way region were harvesting their crops by sunlight and by moonlight. Brown people they were, both Mexicans and Indians , happy people with happy children, in
220-608: The Taos art colony , and was distinguished by depictions of Native Americans in traditional clothing, area Hispanics and Anglo-Americans and landscapes. The group's first exhibition was held at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe soon after their formation. By 1917 they were sending travelling exhibits of their work across the United States. Initial critical reaction of the works
242-794: The Weisman Art Museum , as well as many other venues. Biographical sketches for Nordfeldt are published in most standard art reference works. His papers are held in the Manuscript Collections of the Archives of American Art . Nordfelt was first married to Dr. Margaret Doolittle in 1910. They divorced in 1944. His second marriage was to fellow artist Emily L. Abbott in 1944 in New Jersey . He died in Henderson, Texas on April 21, 1955. Taos Society of Artists The Taos Society of Artists
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#1733092939500264-508: The "beauty and artistic promise of northern New Mexico ." On July 19, 1915 Joseph Henry Sharp , E. Irving Couse , Oscar E. Berninghaus , W. Herbert Dunton , Ernest Blumenschein , and Bert Phillips formed the Taos Society of Artists. The six founding members were known as the "Taos Six". E. Irving Couse was the Society's first president. Their work defined the first several decades of
286-513: The 1918 Taos Society of Artists' annual exhibition held at the Museum of New Mexico The Great Depression was the precipitating factor for the dissolution of the Taos Society of Artists. Taos was devastated by the Depression and the artist's patrons were not spending money on art during that time. Victor Higgins the most financially devastated by the Depression made two of his most important paintings during that time, Winter Funeral heralded by
308-511: The New York press, and Sleeping Nude similarly praised by the Chicago Herald Examiner writer Inez Cunningham Stark. Cunningham likened Higgins to a phoenix rising out of the ashes, "what heights of intellectual and emotional fire. He is one of those fortunate few who continued their career into maturity." The "Taos Six" applied academic techniques to Native themes to produce a uniquely American school of painting. Each artist's style
330-536: The Provincetown Print and later learned how to create works of art with the technique. Since then, he has promoted the white line woodcut technique in his historical research paper "Provincetown Printers: Genesis of a Unique Woodcut Tradition", taught and lectured about the technique, and has created and shown his version of the Provincetown Prints in exhibits. An exhibit of 75 works of art from this group
352-665: The requirements was to ensure that the artists were well-intentioned and capable of capturing the character and spirit of the people. Later members included Julius Rolshoven , E. Martin Hennings , Catharine C. Critcher (the only female member ), Kenneth Adams, Walter Ufer , and Victor Higgins . Some artists from Santa Fe , another developing arts center, were included as Associate members: Robert Henri , Albert L. Groll , Randall Davey , B.J.O. Nordfeldt , Gustave Baumann , Albert Groll , Birger Sandzén , and John Sloan . Honorary memberships were extended to men who helped create
374-683: The war, Nordfeldt was assigned to San Francisco to supervise the camouflage of merchant ships. After his service in World War I, he went to Santa Fe, New Mexico upon the suggestion of William Penhallow Henderson and ended up moving there. Norfeldt was an early member of the Provincetown Printers art colony in Massachusetts. In 1921, Nordfeldt was elected an associate member of the Taos Society of Artists . He exhibited his work frequently with
396-426: Was an organization of visual arts founded in Taos, New Mexico . Established in 1915, it was disbanded in 1927. The Society was essentially a commercial cooperative , as opposed to a stylistic collective , and its foundation contributed to the development of the tiny Taos art colony into an international art center. Joseph Henry Sharp , who made paintings of Native Americans throughout his life, visited Taos on
418-683: Was born in Tullstorp, Malmö , Skåne County , Sweden the son of Nils and Ingrid (Nordfeldt) Olsson. The family immigrated to the United States in 1892. He first worked as a typesetter for the Swedish language newspaper, Det Rätta Hemlandet . He attended the Art Institute of Chicago and studied with Frederick Richardson . He later apprenticed with Albert Herter in New York City , and studied in Paris at
440-616: Was held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from September 9, 1983 to January 8, 1984. This technique is continued today by the Australian artist Cressida Campbell . 42°03′29″N 70°10′44″W / 42.058°N 70.179°W / 42.058; -70.179 Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt (April 13, 1878 – April 21, 1955) was an American artist who painted seascapes and depictions of New Mexico's indigenous culture. He
462-481: Was that they were unrealistic and overdone: vivid colors, too emotionally evocative and strong vibrational quality. The artists questioned the critics veracity, since they had never been to the southwestern desert , nor the Taos Pueblo . Member artists had to have worked in Taos for three consecutive years, shown an interest and aptitude for painting Native Americans and have shown in reputable galleries or New York salons (ongoing art exhibits). The primary reason for
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#1733092939500484-476: Was unique, though cross influence can be noted as can elements of their European Academic artistic training . Aside from the inspiration of their environment, one quality early Taos art colony paintings share is their vibrant palette of colors - not a common sight when paired with more traditional representational images and application of paint. Today, these artists are recognized for their contribution to artistic development and their scenes of Taos locales hang on
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