User:Artsyfemme/William Wendt

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William Wendt (February 20, 1865, Bentzen, Kingdom of Prussia – December 29, 1946, Laguna Beach) was a German-born American landscape painter. He was called the "Dean of Southern California landscape painters." Associated with the Eucalyptus School, his work is more closely aligned with the Arts and Crafts Movement in California than the French or American Impressionists.

Early Life and Education
Wendt's first painting experience was reportedly as a staff painter for a commercial art shop where he was responsible for applying a single pigment to a painting in a production line of many artists. Working six days per week, he used his one day off to go into the field, surrounded by nature and painting to satisfy his own creative talents. He was largely self-taught, having only attended two terms of evening classes at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Career
In painting the Californian landscape throughout the early 20th century, William Wendt combined his interpretations of nature and art to create images that included elements such as pastures lit under the sun, groves full of eucalyptus trees, and sandy environments. His most profound works displayed not only his deep respect for the majesty and beauty of the Californian landscape but also his recognition that the natural land was an important component to the quality of life of those living in the state. Thus, as much as Wendt had loved the land California had to offer, he also greatly feared that over time these natural treasures would slip away and be lost forever.

One painting Wendt completed in his early twenties in 1886 was titled “Sunshine and Shadow” and shows the progress and style he was beginning to make under the teachings and influence of more experienced professionals. After winning the second Yerkes Prize in 1893 and gaining two hundred dollars from this victory, Wendt made his first invigorating trip to see the land of California in person. Less than two years after he returned from this visit, he painted four works of the Californian landscape between the years of 1894 and 1896. One of these paintings, all of which were reviewed in Chicago, was titled "Orchard in the Foothills." In the summer of 1897, Wendt was invited by Gardner Symons to make a return visit to California, during which he painted "Malibu Coast (Paradise Cove)" showing the artist's progression towards further developing his own style as well as his clear understanding of Impressionist strategies for capturing landscapes.

Though even after moving to Los Angeles in 1906, Wendt never lost his own style and artistic identity to the singular path of Impressionism. In his studio, Wendt painted "Arcadian Hills" in 1910. Outside of his studio and around the same time, he went on to paint the grand Pacific Ocean on just a 12 inches by 16 inches canvas titled "Avalon, South Catalina." On a larger 30 inches by 40 inches canvas, Wendt created a similar version titled "Avalon Bay." In 1911, Wendt was praised in a Los Angeles Times article written by Antony Anderson and soon admiration for Wendt as an undeniably skilled and accomplished painter as well as leader in California's art community spread throughout the state. In 1915, Wendt completed a large-scale work titled "The Silent Summer Sea" which displayed the grand natural land and seascape as well as one key component in the artist's personal belief that nature is where one can find quiet, relief, and an escape.

One of Wendt's pieces, titled "Old Coast Road," was displayed in the Wendt Retrospective held by the Laguna Art Museum in 1916.

Later Years
Towards the later years of William Wendt's life, he became increasingly ill and his health began to deteriorate. HIs symptoms had brought him to be "increasingly arthritic and easily fatigued". After the passing of his wife in 1942, Wendt continuously submitted artworks up until the 29th of September, 1946: The cause of his death being complications from heart disease. Though it could be argued that during the later years of Wendt's life, his artwork become much more colorful and abstract in its style, yet the last decade of his life saw him submitting art pieces that were reworked.

Galleries and public collections

 * Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
 * Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, California
 * Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, California
 * Eagle Nest Colony Art Collection, Oregon, Illinois
 * Flint Institute of Fine Arts, Flint, Michigan
 * National Museum of American Art-Smithsonian, Washington, DC
 * San Diego Museum of Art, California
 * Springville Museum of Art, Springville, Utah
 * The Jonathan Art Foundation, Los Angeles, California
 * John H. Vanderpool Art Association, Chicago, Illinois
 * The University of Michigan Museum of Art, Illinois
 * Tucson Museum of Art, Arizona
 * Union League Club of Chicago
 * Laguna Art Museum
 * UCI Institute and Museum for California Art, Irvine, California
 * Pasadena Art Museum, California
 * Richmond Art Museum, Indiana
 * William A. Karges Fine Art

Awards

 * Yerkes Prize, 1893
 * Young Fortnightly Club Prize, 1897
 * Sole winner of an award at the first Chicago and vicinity annual exhibition, Chicago Art Institute, 1897
 * Bronze Medal, Buffalo Exposition, 1901
 * Cahn Prize, Art Institute of Chicago, 1904
 * Fine Arts Building Prize of the Chicago Society of Western Artists, 1913
 * Kirchberger Prize, Chicago Art Institute, 1913
 * Silver Medal, San Francisco Exposition, 1915
 * Black Prize, California Art Club, 1916
 * Ranger Purchase Prize, National Academy of Design, 1926