The year that William Merritt Chase and Thomas Eakins died, 1916, was an eclectic year for painting, as the Masters of the nineteenth century handed over to the tigers of the twentieth century. Here is a selection of some of my favourite paintings of that year, which perhaps give a better feel for what was happening than any words. I’ll start with artists working from the East Coast of America.
USA, East Coast – Frank Duveneck (1848–1919)
Frank Duveneck (1848–1919), Brace’s Rock (c 1916), oil on canvas, dimensions not known, Private collection. The Athenaeum.
USA, East Coast – William Merritt Chase (1849–1916)
William Merritt Chase (1849–1916), Mrs. W.M. Chase and R.D. Chase (1916), oil on canvas, 157.5 x 127.6 cm, Private collection. The Athenaeum.
USA, East Coast – Colin Campbell Cooper (1856–1937)
Colin Campbell Cooper (1856–1937), Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco (c 1916), oil on canvas, 102.2 x 128.3 cm, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA. The Athenaeum.
USA, East Coast – Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935)
Frederick Childe Hassam (1859-1935), The Fourth of July, 1916 (1916), oil on canvas, 91.4 x 66.4 cm, Private collection. WikiArt.
USA, East Coast – George Bellows (1882–1925)
George Bellows (1882–1925), Builders of Ships / The Rope (1916), oil on canvas, 76.2 × 111.8 cm, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. Wikimedia Commons.
USA, East Coast – Charles Demuth (1883–1935)
Charles Demuth (1883–1935), The Jazz Singer (1916), watercolour and pencil on paper, 32.4 x 19.7 cm, Private collection. The Athenaeum.
USA, South – Julian Onderdonk (1882–1922)
Julian Onderdonk (1882–1922), A Hillside of Blue Bonnets – Early Morning, Near San Antonio Texas (1916), oil on canvas, 45.7 × 61 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.
USA, West Coast – Anna Althea Hills (1882-1930)
Anna Althea Hills (1882-1930), Fall, Orange County Park (1916), oil on board, 35.6 x 45.7 cm, Private collection. The Athenaeum.
France – Georges Rochegrosse (1859–1938)
Georges Rochegrosse (1859–1938), The Death of Messalina (1916), oil on canvas, 125.8 x 180 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.
Belgium & France – Théo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926)
Théo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926), Pine by the Mediterranean Sea (1916), oil on canvas, 81 x 199 cm, Centraal Museum, Utrecht. WikiArt.Théo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926), Sunset (1916), oil on canvas, 80.5 x 64 cm, Private collection. WikiArt.
Belgium – Émile Claus (1849-1924)
Émile Claus (1849-1924), (Sunset over Waterloo Bridge) (1916), oil on canvas, dimensions not known, location not known. WikiArt.
Britain – John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), Tristan and Isolde (1916), oil on canvas, 107.5 x 81.5 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.
Britain – Evelyn De Morgan (1855–1919)
Evelyn De Morgan (1855–1919), Angel Piping to the Souls in Hell (1916), oil on canvas, 50.8 x 61 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.
Poland – Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)
Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929), Portrait of Brigadier Józefa Piłsudskiego (1916), oil on board, 58 x 73.5 cm, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie, Warsaw, Poland. Wikimedia Commons.
Other Deaths
Sadly, several other artists died that year. Among those covered in articles on this blog are the following.
Marie Bracquemond, born on 1 December 1840, died on 17 January 1916 in Sèvres, Paris.
Marie Bracquemond (1841–1916), Under the Lamp (1887), oil on canvas, 68.6 x 113 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.
Léon François Comerre, born on 10 October 1850, died on 20 February 1916 in Paris.
Léon Comerre (1850–1916), The Flood of Noah and his Companions (1911), oil on canvas, dimensions not known, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, Nantes, France. Wikimedia Commons.
Odilon Redon, born on 20 April 1840, died on 6 July 1916 in Paris.
Odilon Redon (1840-1916), Venetian Landscape, or Fishing District in Venice (c 1908), oil on canvas, 52 x 67 cm, Musée des Beaux Arts, Bordeaux. WikiArt.
Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench, born on 11 January 1849, died on 18 October 1916 in Godella.
Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench, May (1898-9), oil on canvas, 70.6 x 98.8 cm, Museo Carmen Thyssen, Malaga. Wikimedia Commons.
Tina Blau, later known as Tina Blau-Lang, born on 15 November 1845, died on 31 October 1916 in Vienna.
Tina Blau (1845–1916), View of Heiligenstadt (1893-7), oil on panel, 41.5 x 58.1 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.
Births
I am sure that several other famous painters were born in 1916, but one who I commend to your attention is the wonderful Sylvia Sleigh (1916-2010) who was born on 8 May 1916, in Llandudno, North Wales.
