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Ad Code: 3
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from Auction House Records.
French Quarter Doorway with Figures
Artwork images are copyright of the artist or assignee
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Biography from Charleston Renaissance Gallery:
| WAYMAN ELBRIDGE ADAMS (1883 - 1959)Wayman Adams was born in humble surroundings on a farm near Muncie, Indiana. His Quaker father was a livestock breeder and amateur artist whose own interest in painting and drawing encouraged his son’s early interest in art. It has been recorded that Adams first portrait commission was a picture of a heifer, "Gypsy Girl III", for which he received five dollars (Steinfeldt, p. 3).
In 1904 Adams enrolled at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, where he spent four years under the tutelage of William Forsythe. In 1910 he accompanied William Merritt Chase and others on a study trip to Italy; in 1912 he made a similar trip to Spain with Robert Henri. There he met Margaret Borroughs of Austin, Texas, a talented fellow artist and former art teacher, whom he married in 1918. They had one child, Wayman Adams, Jr., better known as “Snig,” born in 1924.
An enthusiastic advocate of "alla-prima" painting, Adams painted in the style of Chase and Henri, often completing a portrait in a sitting of three or four hours. As versatile as he was prolific---he is often referred to as “brilliant”---he painted the most admired personalities of his time: U.S. presidents, university regents, authors and artists, society ladies, actors and actresses, military heroes, sports celebrities, musicians, royalty, and governors.
He was a member of all of the important art organizations, won numerous awards and prizes, and is represented in major public and private collections. At one point in his career, Adams maintained three studios: in Indianapolis, New York City and Philadelphia (Bragg, p. 12).
During the winter months he traveled to picturesque and exotic locations. In 1916 he made his first visit to New Orleans; thereafter he spent several winters in the French Quarter, painting portraits and making drawings for a series of lithographs (Pennington, p. 121).
Nancy Rivard Shaw 2001© Robert M. Hicklin Jr., Inc.
References:
Bragg, Jean. "Knute Heldner and the Art Colony in Old New Orleans". Exhibition Catalogue: New Orleans, Louisiana: Jean Bragg Gallery, 2000.
Falk, Peter Hastings. "Who Was Who in American Art", 1564-1975, Vol. I. New York: Sound View Press, 1999.
Pennington, Estill Curtis. "Downriver: Currents of Style in Louisiana Painting 1800-1950". Gretna: Pelican Publishing Company, 1991.
Steinfeldt, Cecilia. "Art for History’s Sake: The Texas Collection of the Witte Museum". San Antonio: The Texas State Historical Association for the Witte Museum, 1993.
Watson, E. W. “Wayman Adams Paints a Portrait.” Art Instruction 3, No. 6 (June 1939). |
Biography from Charleston Renaissance Gallery:
| Wayman Adams was born in humble surroundings on a farm near Muncie, Indiana. His father was a livestock breeder and amateur artist whose own interest in painting encouraged his son's early interest in art. In 1904 Adams enrolled at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, where he spent four years. In 1910 he accompanied William Merritt Chase and others on a study trip to Italy; in 1912 he made a similar trip to Spain with Robert Henri.
An enthusiastic advocate of alla prima painting, Adams painted in the style of Chase and Henri, often completing a portrait in a sitting of three or four hours. At one point, he maintained studios in Indianapolis, New York City and Philadelphia. During the winter months he traveled to picturesque and exotic settings. In 1916 he made his first visit to New Orleans; thereafter, he spent several winters in the French Quarter, painting portraits and genre pictures of black subjects.
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Biography from AskART:
| Wayman Adams is known for portraits of prominent persons including authors, painters, political leaders, etc. His portrait of Booth Tarkington brought him early recognition, and he was known as a "lightning" artist because his portraits were completed in one sitting. Ethnic types constitute one of the most intriguing aspects of his work.
After receiving instruction at the Herron Art Institute of Indianapolis, he went on to study with William M. Chase in Florence. From there he traveled, in 1912, to Spain with Robert Henri, and besides studying Velazquez, made many sketches of the life of the Spanish people.
The sitter is the main focus in Adams' portraits, although he did utilize accessories. Examples of such accessories would be a cigarette in his portrait of Professor Alexander Ernestinoff, shown after the War in the Luxembourg; a desk with papers and a Chinese figurine in the portrait of the dramatic critic Oliver Saylor; or a walking stick in his well-known portrait of Booth Tarkington. Several portraits of the late Joseph Pennell, a significant figure in American art, and two portraits of the painter John McClure Hamilton, rank among Adams' best works. His portrait of President Harrison hangs in the Los Angeles Museum of Art, and one of Charles Dennis is at the Herron Art Institute. Wayman Adams also painted Col. E. M. House, Leopold Auer, Agnes Repplier, and Mrs. Nicholas Longworth. Like the portraitist Gilbert Stuart, Adams was known to do a portrait two or three times to make sure he had achieved the result at which he aimed.
Adams also completed some notable group portraits, including that of Irvin S. Cobb and His Daughter; and The Conspiracy, which shows Pennell, Hamilton and Charles Burns in intimate discussion on the steps of a Philadelphia building; as well as The Art Jury, depicting a group of four Adams' first teachers in Indiana. He completed several regional series, one recording the people of Chinatown in San Francisco, and another series depicting the life of New Orleans.
Among his awards are the Logan medal, with $1500, Art Institute of Chicago, 1912, for the portrait Joseph Pennell; Greenough memorial prize, Newport, 1925; medal of the Sesquicentennial Exposition, 1926; first Altman prize of the National Academy, 1926.
Source:
"Contemporary American Portrait Painters," Illustrating and Describing the Work of Fifty Living Painters, by Cuthbert Lee.
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Biography from AskART:
| | Born in Muncie, IN on Sept. 23, 1883. Adams studied at the Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, and with Wm M. Chase and Robert Henri. In California he was a resident of Los Angeles in 1916 and painted scenes of San Francisco's Chinatown. Most of his career was spent in New York before moving to Austin, TX in 1948. He died there on April 9, 1959. Member: NA. Exh: NAD, 1914 (prize); AIC, 1918; Int'l Expo (Venice), 1924; Carnegie Inst., 1943 (prize). In: Indiana State Library; Texas State Capitol; AIC. | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
City Directory; Who's Who in American Art 1936-56; Art and Artists of Indiana; NY Times, 4-9-1959 (obituary). | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
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