User:Vanvleck/sandbox

Natalie Van Vleck

Born: October 19, 1901 Died: December 25, 1981 Nationality: American Education: Brearley School, Art Students League Known for: Painting, and founder of Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust Movement: American Modernism

Natalie Van Vleck (October 19, 1901-December 25, 1981) was an American modernist painter and the founder of Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust (link to FNC) in Woodbury, CT. In 1963 Van Vleck established the nature center and upon her death in 1981 her home, farm and studio, situated on 200 acres, were incorporated into the center.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Legacy 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links

An early modernist painter, Natalie Van Vleck, born on October 19, 1901 in New York City, was the only child of Bertha Macy Van Vleck and Edgar Wakeman Van Vleck. Her mother was from the wealthy Macy family of New York, and her father was an ancestor of the Dutch who founded New Amsterdam, now New York City. 1 (Falk, website)

EARLY YEARS Natalie first demonstrated an interest and talent in art as a young child when she attended the exclusive Brearley School in New York City. 2 (website) Then as a teenager, she studied with the respected portrait painter Agnes Richmond [1870–1964] (link to Agnes Richmond) after school and on Saturdays at the Art Students League. (link to ASL) 3 (Falk) Upon graduation from Brearley, Natalie attended the Art Students League full time from 1919–1922, first studying anatomy and life drawing under George B. Bridgman. At Agnes Richmond’s behest she enrolled in the portrait class of Robert Henri (link to RH), renowned leader of the Ashcan School (link to Ashcan School).4 (American Women Modernists, p. 44) Henri recommended that his students “follow their personal approach to painting rather than adhere to any individual’s strictures.” 5 (Falk) He also encouraged his students to explore the personal qualities of subjects in order to communicate their unique spirit and character.

Of greater significance was her study with Max Weber, (link to Max Weber) who trained at Pratt Institute under Arthur W. Dow (link). Weber lived in Paris from 1905 to 1909, visiting Picasso’s studio when he and Braque were first experimenting with cubism. Weber also studied under Matisse (link) and formed a lasting friendship with Henri Rousseau {link to HR}. Weber imparted to Natalie the cubist and abstract elements she incorporated into her work during the 1920s, and she became one of the first American women artists to embrace cubism and abstraction in her work. Exposure to Rousseau’s work through Weber resonated through Natalie’s approach to her paintings based on her South Seas travels.6 (interview Chabot)

MATURATION OF THE ARTIST

From 1921 to 1922, Natalie produced some of her most advanced cubist paintings, which were based on the buildings and subways in New York City. In 1922 she traveled to Mediterranean islands and hill towns, drawing inspiration from the angular buildings, which provided a perfect subject for cubist interpretation. She also produced a series of bold, powerfully expressive cubist woodcuts of cityscapes, nudes and still lifes, based on New York and Mediterranean subjects. NVV’s early cubist woodcut, “New York Subway Abstraction,” may be the first abstract woodcut produced by an American woman.7 (interview with Marc Chabot)

For ten years, from 1922 to 1932, Natalie visited exotic places including Mallorca, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, Tahiti, and Moorea for artistic inspiration8 (Notes on talk given by NVV in Woodbury in 1932). She continued to mature as a modernist painter by creating abstract landscapes and village scenes from her favorite islands in French Polynesia and the Caribbean, as well as Italian and Spanish hill towns. The colorful landscapes and primitive cultural aspects of Guadeloupe and Martinique influenced her painting and were elements prized by her teacher, Max Weber, as well.9 (Falk catalog, no page)

Natalie belonged to the Society of Independent Artists in New York City10 (Who Was Who in American Art, p. 644) because she did not want to be associated with any particular art style. She briefly had a studio at 149 East 45th Street in New York City, which was both her workshop and gallery. In addition to painting, Natalie also carved her own picture frames, as well as fire screens, folding screens, boxes, serving trays, book ends, cabinets, and other furniture, later even created aluminum furniture.11 (Charming Studio Established…. Wtby Rep, Nov, 4, 1928, p.2 - scrapbook). Many of these carved and painted pieces were in the popular Arts and Crafts style (link) of the time. Three forms of artistic expression were evident in Natalie’s work: • Her abstract work, which she kept private and probably showed only to her friends. • Her regionalist or tropical landscapes and the Connecticut countryside, which she exhibited. • Her hand-carved frames, objects, and furniture, which were influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement that flourished around the turn of the century. 12(Natalie Van Vleck: A Life in Art and Nature, Falk catalog, no page) In December 1926, Natalie’s parents bought a farm and farmhouse in Woodbury, Connecticut along Flanders Road. By summer of that year, the family moved permanently to Woodbury. Two years later, Natalie used some of her family money to build a studio with living space and a carpentry shop adjacent to her parents’ house.13 (Charming Studio Established….Wtby Rep, Nov 4, 1928, in scrapbook)

During the late 1920s through the early 1930s, Natalie’s style changed. She continued to paint landscapes inspired by her travels to the tropics, sometimes referring to the orchids she raised in a greenhouse attached to her studio. She also focused on the landscape, flora and fauna of Woodbury, CT. She moved from a cubist fracturing of forms to a more realistic style, aligned with the precisionist work (link) of her friend and colleague, Elsie Driggs, (link) and the regionalist landscapes of Georgia O’Keefe and Thomas Hart Benton.14 In the Natural State: The Nude in the Art of NVV, p 7)

In January 1932, Natalie received mixed reviews from art critics for her one-woman show at the Brownell-Lambertson Galleries in New York City, where she included her first paintings of Polynesia, as well as those of rural Connecticut. She may have been discouraged by the lack of unanimous praise15 (New York Herald Tribune, Jan. 24, 1932, p.9-scrapbook) and by the competition from a cousin with the same name, Natalie Johnson Van Vleck, who was a wealthy, socialite portrait artist.16 (New York World Telegram, Feb. 1, 1932, no page – in scrapbook). While she may have been disappointed by the reviews, Natalie was not one to seek fame or fortune in the art world.

She was an individualist with a strong sense of her identity, as well as a non-conformist in both art and personal style. She aligned herself with no particular art style, nor did she follow expectations for women at the time — she cut her hair short and wore men’s clothing.17 (American Women Modernists, p. 43)

LIFE ON THE FARM

By 1934, except for some local exhibits of her previous works, Natalie had given up painting completely so she could devote more time to the daily operation of the family farm in Woodbury. Her parents were now elderly, and Natalie’s time and energy were consumed in creating a working farm and nature center. “Ironically, it was nature itself that would replace Natalie’s art. Instead of expressing her ‘emotional perception’ of nature on canvas, she instead became immersed in creating her greatest masterpiece — a living, working farm and nature center.”18 (Falk catalog, n.p.)

In 1935, Natalie started a turkey farm when she won a Bourbon Red tom at a turkey shoot, and was later gifted a hen. From 1935 to 1953, she raised, prepared, froze, and shipped her turkeys throughout the country. In 1942, Natalie inherited the family property when her mother died. She gradually expanded the farm to include apple trees, beehives, vegetables, and flowers.19 (Falk catalog, no page)

Natalie became interested in sheep farming in 1955, and soon became a prize-winning breeder of purebred Hampshire sheep. As the town of Woodbury grew, she purchased additional land to preserve the rural character of her farm and protect the flora and fauna of the surrounding area from development.

Within six years, she had begun to convert her property into a working farm sanctuary and nature preserve. Flanders Nature Center was incorporated in 1963 as a non-profit organization where educational activities were provided.20 (Falk catalog, no page)

With its first gift of land in the early 1970s, Flanders quickly evolved into its current role as a nature center and land trust. Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust now includes over 2,000 acres, much of which is used by adults and school groups who enjoy the botany trail, take bird walks and hay rides, see the farm animals, participate in environmental and art classes.21 (FNC website)

LEGACY

Natalie Van Vleck died alone on Christmas Day in 1981, having lived a life in art and nature.22 (Falk, no page). Her art languished in obscurity until its rediscovery in a locked closet on her property in the 1980s. Conservator Elizabeth H. Jones and Dorothy S. Hoffman catalogued Natalie’s artwork, and realizing its importance, engaged Peter Hastings Falk to produce a catalogue of Van Vleck’s work. In 1992, Flanders sold most of Natalie’s art in order to raise money for the organization. 23 (Chabot interview)

In 1998 an Art Committee was formed at Flanders, tasked with preserving and promoting Natalie’s artistic legacy. Her cutting-edge experiments with cubism and abstraction, advanced in their day, are just now receiving critical attention. 24 (Chabot interview) Significant works have been identified and have returned to Flanders through both purchase and gifts. Efforts to locate her artwork and restore her studio are ongoing.

Her powerful body of early 20th century modern art encourages visitors to commune with nature through the eyes of an artist and become responsible stewards of the earth.

Notes

1 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 2  “Natalie Van Vleck: The Cultivation of a Personal Aesthetic,” http://flandersnaturecenter.org/ 3 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 4  Wardle, p. 44 5 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 6  Chabot, interview on July 5, 2016 7 Chabot, interview on July 5, 2016 8 Van Vleck, Natalie. Lecture given in 1932. 9 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 10 Falk, Peter Hastings, ed. Who Was Who in American Art, p. 644. 11 “Charming Studio Established near Woodbury by Natalie Van Vleck Who Carves the Frames for Her Own Paintings,” The Waterbury Republican. Nov. 4, 1928, p. 2. 12 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 13 “Charming Studio,” p. 2 14 Chabot, Marc. In the Natural State: The Nude in the Art of Natalie Van Vleck. 2004. Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, Woodbury, CT, n.p. 15 New York Herald Tribune, Jan. 24, 1932, p.9-scrapbook 16 New York World Telegram, Feb. 1, 1932, no page – in scrapbook 17 Wardle, p. 43. 18 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 19 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 20 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 21 “Natalie Van Vleck: The Cultivation of a Personal Aesthetic,” http://flandersnaturecenter.org/ 22 Falk, Natalie Van Vleck, n.p. 23 Chabot, interview on July 5, 2016 24 Chabot, interview on July 5, 2016

References:

Chabot, Marc, Curator of Natalie Van Vleck Collection, Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, interview on July 5, 2016.

Chabot, Marc. In the Natural State: The Nude in the Art of Natalie Van Vleck. 2004, Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, Woodbury, CT.

“Charming Studio Established near Woodbury by Natalie Van Vleck Who Carves the Frames for Her Own Paintings,” The Waterbury Republican. 4 Nov. 1928, p. 2.

Falk, Peter Hastings. Natalie Van Vleck: A Life In Art and Nature. November 22, 1992. Sound View Press, Madison, CT. ISBN 0-932087-22-1.

Falk, Peter Hastings, ed. Who Was Who in American Art: compiled from the original thirty-four volumes of American Art Annual: Who’s Who in Art, Biographies of American Artists active from 1898–1947. Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1985. “Natalie Van Vleck: The Cultivation of a Personal Aesthetic,” http://flandersnaturecenter.org/

Richmond, Agnes. Letter to Natalie Van Vleck, Rockport, MA, Sept. 12, 1919. Collection of Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust.

Van Vleck, Natalie. Art Students League notebook, approx 250 pp., written Fall 1919 through Winter, 1920, New York, NY. Collection of Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust.

Van Vleck, Natalie. Lecture she gave on her life and art in the tropics, which she first gave in 1932, in Woodbury, The Waterbury Republican (was transcription in newspaper?).

Various diaries of NVV, Waterbury Republican American newspaper articles. Collection of Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust, Woodbury, CT.

Wardle, Marian, ed., American Women Modernists: The Legacy of Robert Henri, 1910-1945. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8135-3683-5

Further Reading Woodbury’s Natalie Van Vleck’s Art on Display at Old Town Hall, http://www.registercitizen.com/article/RC/20150506/NEWS/150509746, May 6, 2015. Exhibitions:

“Artist-Environmentalist-Entrepreneur: Natalie Van Vleck – A Woodbury Original,” May 2015, Woodbury, CT, Old Town Hall.

“In the Natural State: The Nude in the Art of Natalie Van Vleck,” Summer 2004, Woodbury, CT where?

“The Nature of Our Town: Paintings of Woodbury by Natalie Van Vleck,” 2003, Woodbury, CT where?

Natalie Van Vleck: A Life in Art and Nature,” Flanders Nature Center, Woodbury, CT, (?), November 1992.

“One-Woman Show,” Brownell-Lambertson Galleries, New York City, January 1932.

“Wood Carvings,” Studio of Natalie Van Vleck, 149 East 45th Street, New York City, December 1924.

External Links Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust. http://flandersnaturecenter.org/