Arthur Putnam

Arthur Putnam (September 6, 1873–1930) was an American sculptor from the turn of the 20th century who is recognized for his bronzes of wild animals and public monuments. He was a well-known Californian during his days in California and enjoyed a national reputation as well. Putnam was regarded as an artistic genius in San Francisco and life was chronicled in the San Francisco and East Bay newspapers.[1] Putnam won a Gold Medal at the 1915 San Francisco World’s Fair, known officially as the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. His works were exhibited in New York, Chicago, Paris and Rome. Putnam created a number of civic monuments; large works of sculpture that still stand in San Francisco and San Diego. His work was exhibited at the famous Armory Show in 1913.[2]

Contents

Childhood

Arthur Putnam was born on September 6, 1873 in Waveland, Mississippi, while his family was traveling. He was a middle child and had an older brother George, born in New Orleans and a younger sister, Clara Elizabeth, born in Mississippi. Their father Oramel Hinkley Putnam (1841–1880) was a civil engineer from Vermont.[3] He served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Their father worked for the railroad and so the family moved frequently in the sculptor’s early years. They settled in Omaha, Nebraska for an extended time, when Putnam was growing up. He enjoyed drawing animals and modeling them in clay. during his boyhood. He had a serious accident in childhood, falling forty feet out of a tree and suffering a head injury.[4]

Training and early career

In 1899 he married and moved permanently to San Francisco, where he worked primarily as a sculptor of architectural commissions.

Scripps commission

Arthur Putnam received his first major commission from the newspaperman E. W. Scripps (1854–1926) , the creation of five monumental figures from California history and lore. He met Scripps through his brother George, who worked for Scripps secretary and so he visited the Scripps Ranch at Miramar, where the newspaperman awarded Putnam with the commission. Five works were planned in all, which were initially intended to grace the Scripps estate. Each of the works was to be approved through sketches and studies that were to approved by Scripps.[5]

In San Francisco from 1900 to 1905

In San Francisco Putnam was friends with artist and stained glass designer Bruce Porter (1865–1943) and the tonalist painter Gottardo Piazonni (1872–1945), friendships that would help sustain him in the future. He shared a studio with sculptor Earl Cummings (1876–1936) and Piazzoni at 8 Montgomery Street, in the “Monkey Block” building where a number of the artists and other bohemians lived. Literary figures like Jack London (1876–1916) and George Sterling were known to gather in the studio.[6] He worked with progressive painters like Maynard Dixon (1875–1946), Matteo Sandona (1881–1964) and Xavier Martinez (1869–1943), to leave the San Francisco Art Association with Piazzoni and Putnam and form the California Society of Artists.[7] The breakaway group only held a single exhibition, held at Charles Peter Neilson’s studio in 1902.[8]

Illness and disability

Neurological problems that began in 1909 led to an operation for the removal of a brain tumor in 1911. As a result, Putnam was paralyzed on his left side and his formal perceptions were impaired.[9]

Panama-Pacific International Exposition

Putnam’s only contribution to the decorations of the fair was a mermaid that sat in the center of fountain designed by architect Arthur Brown. And, even this modest effort was not up to his standards. In Eugen Neuhaus’ book Art of the Exposition, he noted that the fair had been expected to be an opportunity for Putnam to impress the visitors, but the stoke made that impossible and he described the mermaid as not being representative of the sculptor’s earlier work. In the exhibition galleries of the fair, which was held from February 4-December 15, 1915, there was a case with a selection of Putnam’s bronzes and his bronze group “The Puma and the Snake” was on exhibit in another gallery. This work, which was in the fair's competition for honors, generated positive reviews:[10] Neuhaus wrote that "Arthur Putnam, whose case of animal sculpture is attracting most keen attention, a man for whom the word genius hardly seems too weighty, was awarded a gold medal."

The rediscovery of the Jack London Writing Tablet

One of Putnam's most interesting and personal works, the impressive Jack London Writing Tablet, had faded into obscurity after its presentation at the Children's Pet Exhibition of 1917 in San Francisco. Once lost to the world, this California Redwood sculpture was rediscovered by San Diego antique dealer Christian Chaffee in 1998.

There is still much to be revealed about the history of this piece, but it is known that the writing tablet was carved by Arthur Putnam in 1903. Putnam and Jack London were good friends and the animal depicted in this sculpture is clearly "Old Buck", the resilient dog from London's major work, "The Call of the Wild". It also has become clear, from researched assisted by The Huntington Library, that the tablet was the personal property of Jack London in 1916.[11]

Collections

Public Monuments & Sculpture Groups

Memberships

=Solo Exhibitions=:

Group Exhibitions

Commercial Gallery Representation

Notes

  1. ^ See Artistic Genius of the West Leaves for Paris Next Week, Laura Bride Powers, Oakland Tribune, May 23, 1921
  2. ^ He is listed on the list of exhibitors on the Wikipedia listing.
  3. ^ Dates verified on the Ancestry.com web site
  4. ^ Jeffrey Morseburg, Arthur Putnam: The Trials, Tragedy and Triumphs of a California Sculptor, Page 4
  5. ^ See J. Mayne, A Splendid Piece of Bronze Work, Granite Marble and Bronze, A. M. Hunt, Company, Boston, Massachusetts, Page 35 and Christian Chaffee's timeline on the Jack London tablet web site.
  6. ^ See Jeffrey Morseburg essay. Also letter on the Jack London tablet web site linked below.
  7. ^ The origins of the organization are covered in the Maynard Dixon book listed below.
  8. ^ See Desert dreams: the art and life of Maynard Dixon By Donald J. Hagerty, Page 31
  9. ^ Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  10. ^ Eugen Neuhaus, Art of The Exposition
  11. ^ History :: Jack London Writing Tablet

Book and essay references

Newspaper references

Periodical references

External links