John Edward Thompson

John Edward Thompson (1882 – 1945) was an American painter and university professor who is credited with introducing modern art to Denver, Colorado in 1918, much to the chagrin of local critics.[1] Due to his pioneering career, Thompson was referred to as the "Dean of Colorado Painters".[2] While he never enjoyed much national renown,[3] his work is still among the most desirable to collectors of Colorado art.[1]

Overview

Buffalo, New York, Thompson had begun his formal art studies with noted illustrator Lucius Hitchcock. After studying for two years at the Art Students League of New York, he enrolled in Paris' Academie Julien. Influenced by the tutelage of such renowned figures as Jean-Paul Laurens, he established a European reputation while still in his twenties. Spending a year in Laren, a famous painting village in the Netherlands, Thompson also met Jozef Israëls and Albert Neuhys. Returning to Paris, he found himself invited to the salon of Gertrude Stein and soon was living in the home of George Sand. In a picturesque French village of Gargilesse-Dampierre, Thompson found himself surrounded by natural light painting landscapes in the style of Paul Cézanne.

Driven back to the United States by World War I, Thompson found himself drawn to depictions of the American West. A railroad agent recommended Pine, Colorado for its fine quality of mountain light, which was enough to send Thompson packing. He soon landed in Denver, drawing friends and artists such as Joseph Bakos and Walter Mruk to his own small art colony. Though some soon departed to form the Santa Fe community known as "Los Cinco Pintores," Thompson's leadership introduced modernist European styles to a region long-resistant to nontraditional art forms.

As a member of the Denver Atelier, an exclusive network of leaders in the arts and architecture community, Thompson also used the studio as a social gathering spot. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr, Jacques Benedict, Burnham Hoyt, and other Denver notables interested in the American Beaux-Arts tradition joined him. Their monthly meetings would often feature nude models, enabling members to practice their sketchwork in a supportive environment while enjoying the pleasures of homemade juniper-berry wine.

Thompson's genius led to exhibitions in some of the most prestigious art galleries in the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, New York World's Fair, Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial Exhibition, San Francisco's Grand Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington D.C.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hamel, Ken. "Victoria H. Myhren:John Edward Thompson". Denverarts.org. Retrieved on March 17, 2011
  2. ↑ MacGregor, Alasdair Alpin (1961). Percyval Tudor-Hart, 1873-1954: Portrait of an Artist. P. R. MacMillan. p. 108. Google Books. Retrieved on March 18, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Best Bets" (08 January 2010). The Denver Post. Retrieved on March 18, 2011

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