Percy Gray

Henry Percy Gray (born October 3, 1869 in San Francisco , California , † October 10, 1952 ) was an American painter.

Life

He was born into a San Francisco family with a broad literary and artistic background. He studied under Arthur Frank Mathews at the San Francisco School of Design and later under William Merritt Chase . Although it had Impressionist tendencies initially , its primary expression was tonalistic , as brought back from Paris by Mathews . He is known for his way of drawing beauty from the Northern California countryside .

Early years

Gray's father was born in England but found his way into a successful insurance business in San Francisco. As a result of a childhood illness, Percy recognized his artistic talent. From 1886 to 1888 he attended the California School of Design, which was then headed by Mathews. He then became a newspaper illustrator for the New York Journal . In New York he also studied at the Art Students League . He was sent to document the 1906 San Francisco earthquake , but he chose to stay in his hometown, where he began his career as a painter.

As a painter in San Francisco

Gray's first work, Headlands Seascapes , was exhibited in 1907; soon afterwards he used watercolors for eucalyptus trees and wildflower fields - objects that were to become characteristic of his work. Right from the start, the critics reveled in his ability to add a mystical and poetic quality to realistic images of nature. He clearly implemented the principles of his mentor, William Merritt Chase , of exaggerating light and color.

From 1912 to 1923 he lived in Burlingame ( California ) about twenty miles south of San Francisco, while he kept his studio in the city itself. He won a bronze medal for Out of the Desert, Oregon , a watercolor work at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition .

Later years

After 53 years as a bachelor, he surprised his friends with a wedding. The couple moved to Bonificio Adobe in Monterey , where seascapes and cypress trees dominated his later work. In 1939 the Grays sold their home and returned to San Francisco. Restlessly after the outdoors, the couple moved to San Anselmo at the foot of Mount Tamalpais in 1941 . After ten years in Marin County, Gray's wife died and he returned to San Francisco. The following year, on October 10, 1952, he died of a heart attack at his easel.