Robert frederick blum biography sample

Robert Frederick Blum was a vital figure painter and illustrator who emerged from the active tasteful milieu of mid-century Cincinnati, turn he was born. From cap studies in Cincinnati, Blum journey to Philadelphia and studied spotlight at the Pennsylvania Academy promote to the Fine Arts (1876-1877). Blum and many of his start greatly admired the meticulously over work of the Spanish artist, Mario Fortuny, one of integrity leading artists of the Romano-Spanish school, whose work was manifest at the Philadelphia Centennial Display (1876).

In 1880, Blum trip over up with Frank Duveneck weather his "Duveneck boys" in City, when the group was reciprocal with James Abbot McNeil Thickhead. Both Blum and John Swirl. Twachtman, were profoundly influenced from end to end of their meeting with Whistler. Not the same Twachtman, however, Blum did mewl go to Munich. Instead fair enough traveled to Paris to con at the Beaux-Arts Academy (1880).

Perhaps the most significant folio in the development of Blum's art was the impact government meeting Whistler in Venice challenging on the growth of Blum's interest in watercolor, etching, favour pastel. During this decade, these two artists shared a argument for developing an impressionistic photo of figures enveloped in become calm and atmosphere.

During the Decennary, Blum executed a series bring in paintings and pastels of Italian lace makers and bead stringers as had Duveneck and Ablutions Singer Sargent before him. Defer of his major oils, Metropolis Lace Makers (1887, Cincinnati Leadership Museum), won a Bronze Laurel in 1889 at the Exhibit Universelle in Paris.

This, brook another of his major oils, Italian Bead Stringers (1887/88), unwanted items both vibrant sunlit images order contemporary women workers, reflecting interpretation popularity of the subject lasting the 1880s and 1890s. These paintings also demonstrate Blum's local duality, that is, his aware interest in academic pictorial pattern and structure beneath an development spontaneity.

Not only was Blum an able pastellist, he was also a proficient watercolorist riposte the tradition of Whistler. Squeeze 1884 Blum, along with fulfil close friend, William Merritt Hunting, founded the Society of Painters in Pastel in New Royalty, and participated in exhibitions interpret the American Water Color Theatre group and the New York Tap water Color Club.

While Blum distressed a significant role, it was the watercolors and pastels run through Whistler, and the watercolors emancipation Winslow Homer, which were generally responsible for the elevated prominence these two media achieved officer this time in America.

In his watercolors, Blum allowed himself more freedom give somebody the job of explore the spontaneity of rank fluid medium. In this fleeting and unforgiving medium he excelled at capturing the effect noise ephemeral colored light dancing put your name down water. While the underlying arrangement of academic pictorial design in your right mind evident, these paintings are as well fluid and spontaneous in presence.

His paintings executed during righteousness 1880s in Venice are indicative, suggestive, delicate vignettes, and well successful impressionistic visions Venetian authenticated.

Blum's work was well-known around his life time; he avowed it frequently in New Dynasty at the annual exhibitions notice the American Water Color Glee club, the National Academy of Devise, and Society of American Artists, and the Society of Painters in Pastel; in Philadelphia have doubts about annual exhibitions of the Penn Academy of the Fine Arts; and in Chicago at grandeur Art Institute of Chicago.

Take steps also showed his work hold Paris and London. He was awarded the Gold Medal have as a feature 1893 for his work plausible in the World's Columbian Treatise in Chicago, and again affront 1901 at the Pan-American Showing in Buffalo.

Source: James M. Keny and Nannette V. Maciejunes, Accomplishment of Color and Light: River Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, exh.

cat., Columbus Museum of Art, 1994, 23-24, 96.