Arthur Frank Mathews
Arthur Frank Mathews (born October 1, 1860 in Markesan , Wisconsin , † February 19, 1945 in San Francisco ) was an American tonalist painter and one of the founders of the Arts and Crafts Movement . Trained as both an architect and an artist, he had a significant impact on the development of California art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His students include Granville Redmond , Xavier Martínez , Armin Hansen , Percy Gray , Gottardo Piazzoni , Maynard Dixon and Francis McComas .
Early years
Mathews lived in Markesan until the age of 6. His father was an architect and moved to San Francisco in 1866. Mathews learned architecture from his father, then studied painting at the San Francisco School of Design under the influence of Virgil Williams. In San Francisco he also worked as an illustrator in a lithography business. He studied art in Paris at the Académie Julian from 1884 to 1889 and his wife Lucia Kleinhans Mathews (1870–1955) at the Académie Carmen , whereupon both of them returned to San Francisco, he brought with him the color intensity of Paul Gauguin and the tonalism of James McNeill Whistler .
Life in San Francisco
On his return from Paris, he became director of the San Francisco School of design until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . He and his wife then opened the Mathews Furniture Shop in San Francisco. This enabled him to live out his skills as a craftsman, designer and painter. He was seen as one of the driving forces behind the rebuilding of the arts after the destruction of 1906, culminating in the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915) . He shied away from the Impressionist style, cultivated classical tonalism and promoted the Arts and Crafts Movement as a style. Sometimes his work is referred to as Art Nouveau .
Some of Mathews' masterpieces include Spring Dance at the Smithsonian and Afternoon Among the Cypress on permanent display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art . A hallmark of his work are his allegorical paintings of female figures in classic clothing, often in Gauguin's bright colors.
His travels took him to Santa Catalina Island , Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey . His main working techniques were oil paintings , watercolors , pastels , gouaches and frescoes . In his decorative work, he and Lucia enjoyed painting picture frames and other furniture. Excellent examples of his hand-painted frames by the couple can be found in the Oakland Museum of California's permanent exhibition .
Important permanent exhibitions
Mathews' work hangs in the following major museums:
- Crocker Art Museum , Sacramento, California
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco , MH DeYoung Memorial Museum
- New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Oakland Museum of California
- San Diego Museum of Art
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
Web links
- Biography (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mathews, Arthur Frank |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American tonalist painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 1, 1860 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Markesan , Wisconsin |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 19, 1945 |
| Place of death | San Francisco |