This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  One of California's most notable Impressionist painters and considered
the first resident Impressionist of that state, Granville Redmond is
known for his landscapes, many of them florals with poppies and
lupines. He was also one of the first Tonalist painters of
California, a subdued monchromatic style of haze, fog and moonlight
that reportedly "he was more drawn to". . .(Gerdts 27). Redmond
was also a popular personality and held friendships with many
celebrities in the arts, despite certain physical handicaps of his own
most especially deafness..
He was born in Philadelphia with the
name Grenville Richard Seymour Redmond. At the age of two and a half,
he became totally deaf due to scarlet fever, and lived his whole life
without hearing or speech. In 1874, the family moved to San Jose,
and from 1879 to 1890, he attended the California School of the Deaf in
Berkeley. There his art teacher, Theophilus D'Estrella, who was
also deaf, was a major influence, and Redmond decided to continue art
studies at the San Francisco School of Design. His teachers
included Arthur Mathews and Amedee Joullion.
Redmond
distinguished himself, winning the W.E. Brown medal of excellence, and
in 1893 was awarded funds from the California School of the Deaf which
made it possible for him to study in Paris at the Academie Julian under
Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. At the Academie Julian,
he roomed with sculptor Douglas Tilden, another graduate of the
California School for the Deaf. While in Paris, Redmond
distinguished himself once again, when in 1895 his large canvas, Matin d'Hiver, was accepted for the Paris Salon.
At
the California School of Design he had became acquainted with many
other artists, including Tonalists Gottardo Piazzoni, with whom Redmond
made several painting trips around California, and Giuseppe Cadenasso,
to whom he gave encouragement. Piazzoni learned sign language and
he and Redmond were lifelong friends. They roomed together in
Parkfield, California, and also in Tiburon. At that time, it was
difficult for artists and would-be artists in San Francisco and in the
West to find ways to practice their fine art. Opportunities in
commercial illustration were a little brighter, and Redmond and many
other artists were drawn to newspapers and local magazines such as the Overland Monthly as sources of revenue.
In
1898, he returned to California, changed his first name to Granville,
and settled in Los Angeles, where he painted many scenes of Laguna
Beach, Catalina Island, and San Pedro. He was married in 1899 to
Carrie Ann Jean, a graduate of the Illinois School for the Deaf.
Together they had three children. While living in Los Angeles, he
became friends with Charlie Chaplin, whom he helped in perfecting his
pantomime techniques. Chaplin gave Redmond a studio on the movie lot,
collected many of his paintings, and sponsored him in silent acting
roles including playing the sculptor in "City Lights", and a feature
part in "You'd Be Surprised." He also got to know Los Angeles
neighbor artists Elmer Wachtel and Norman St. Clair. All three
exhibited paintings with Laguna Beach titles at the annual Spring
Exhibition held in San Francisco in 1904. By 1905 Redmond was
receiving considerable recognition as a leading landscape painter and
bold colorist.
Redmond's early works in Los Angeles were mostly
moody Tonal landscapes, scenes of farmers and their animals, and
nocturnes similar to those by John Bond Francisco and other scenic
painters in Northern California. Redmond also sought subjects
throughout the state's coastal regions, such as Silver and Gold
(oil on canvas, Laguna Art Museum), and often summered in Monterey
County, where he later settled in 1908. In 1910, he moved farther
north to San Mateo, becoming a member of San Francisco's art
establishment, but he continued to exhibit in Los Angeles and to
associate with that city's artists, returning to live there in 1918.
From
1910 to 1917, he spent time in various Northern California locations,
studying and painting. About the time he moved north, Redmond
turned to rendering sweeping terrains covered with highly colorful
wildflowers, especially the purple lupine and California's state
flower, the golden poppy. He developed a colorism and brushwork
linked to Impressionism, though he was motivated more by his subjects
than by aesthetic theory. West Coast critics at that time noted
his use of Pointillism and likened his art to that of Claude Monet and
Camille Pissarro. Although Redmond recognized the public's
preference for his brightly colored poppy pictures, he generally
preferred to paint darker, more poetic scenes. Some of his finest
paintings are of Catalina Island in Southern California, and of the
oaks of Monterey County in Northern California.
His work is
held in many collections including: Laguna Beach Museum, the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art, Stanford University Museum, the De Young
Museum, the Bancroft Library at the University of California in
Berkeley, The California School for the Deaf, the New York City Museum,
and the Oakland Museum, where in 1989, a retrospective of his work was
shown. He was also a member of numerous clubs, including The Bohemian
Club of San Francisco, the California Art Club, The Laguna Beach Art
Association, and the San Francisco Art Association.
Granville Redmond died on May 24, 1935 in Los Angeles.
Source:
Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940
Michael David Zellman, 300 Years of American Art
William Gerdts, "American Tonalism: An Artistic Overview", Essay in The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism, pp. 15-27, Spanierman Galleries, LLC. 2005
|
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Born in Philadelphia, PA on March 9, 1871. Redmond was stricken with scarlet fever and deaf at age three. After moving with his family to San Jose, CA about 1874, he attended the Berkeley School for the Deaf from 1879-90. At that school he was greatly influenced by Theophilus D'Estrella who taught him painting, drawing, pantomime, and encouraged him in his art studies. Upon graduation, he entered the San Francisco School of Design where he studied with Mathews and Joullin. There he was awarded a gold medal and a scholarship for further study in Paris at Académie Julian under Constant and Laurens. While in Paris, he shared apartments with Gottardo Piazzoni and deaf artist Douglas Tilden. Some of his early paintings done in France are signed "S. Redmond." Returning to California in 1898, he took up residence in Los Angeles. During this period his work was decidedly Tonalist but soon brightened into Impressionism. The years 1910-17 were spent in northern California where he was a resident at different periods of San Mateo, Monterey County, and Belvedere. In 1917 his ability in sign language was put to good use when he became a bit player in the silent movies in Hollywood. Redmond became good friends with Charlie Chaplin and was instrumental in perfecting Chaplin's pantomime technique. He had a studio on the Chaplin movie lot and appeared in several of his movies, the most memorable role being the sculptor in "City Lights." He also had a featured role in the 1926 film "You'd Be Surprised." Redmond died in Los Angeles on May 24, 1935. An Impressionist, he is internationally known for his landscapes of California's rolling hills with poppies and lupines as well as coastals, moonlit scenes, and seascapes. Member: Calif. Art Club; Laguna Beach AA. Exh: SFAA, 1893-95; Paris Salon, 1895; Calif. State Fair, 1900; Louisiana Purchase Expo (St Louis), 1904 (medal); Ruskin Art Club (LA), 1904; Steckel Gallery (LA), 1906 (solo); Blanchard Hall (LA), 1907; Del Monte Gallery (Monterey), 1907-13; Kanst Gallery (LA), 1908, 1909; Alaska-Yukon Expo (Seattle), 1909 (silver medal); Daniell Gallery (LA), 1911; Bohemian Club, 1912; PPIE, 1915; Brice-Lowe Gallery (LA), 1931; Beverly Hills Hotel, 1931; Ainslie Gallery (LA), 1933; Oakland Museum, 1989 (retrospective). In: LACMA; Bancroft Library (UC Berkeley); Calif. School for the Deaf (Fremont); Mills College Art Gallery (Oakland); Oakland Museum; Stanford Univ. Museum; Nat'l Center of Deafness; De Young Museum; Calif. State Univ. (Northridge); Jonathan Club (LA); Orange Co. (CA) Museum; Irvine (CA) Museum. | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Plein Air Painters (Ruth Westphal); American Art Annual 1925-33; Southern California Artists (Nancy Moure); Who's Who in American Art 1936; California Impressionism (Wm. Gerdts & Will South); Art & Antiques Nov-Dec 1982; So. California Artists 1890-1940; Art of California, Dec. 1989; Los Angeles Times, 3-22-1931 & 5-28-1935 (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. |
Biography from Lawrence Beebe Fine Art:
|  Granville Seymour Redmond was born March 9, 1871 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died May 24, 1935 in Los Angeles, California. Redmond's family migrated from the East Coast to San Jose, California about 1874. As a result of becoming totally deaf at the age of two-and-one-half due to scarlet fever, he attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, California between 1879 to 1890.
His talent as an artist was recognized and encouraged early by his art instructor, Theophilus Hope D'Estrella (1851-1929), and in 1890 Redmond enrolled at the California School of Design in San Francisco studying for three years under Arthur Matthews (1860-1945) and Amedee Joullion (1862-1917). He won the W. E. Brown medal of excellence, and in 1893 was awarded endowment funds from the California School of the Deaf that enabled him to continue his art studies at the Academie Julian in Paris under Jean Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant.
His talent continued to blossom, and in 1895 his huge painting "Matin d'hiver" was accepted at the Paris Salon. In 1898 Redmond moved to California, and in 1899, he married Carrie Ann Jean, who attended the Illinois School for the Deaf. The Redmonds decided to make California their home, and at various times, they lived in Los Angeles, San Mateo (1910), Tiburon and Parkfield (Monterey County), California.
Deeply inspired by the California landscape, Redmond painted primarily coastal landscapes between Laguna Beach and Monterey, California. By 1905 Redmond had become widely recognized as a leading California landscape painter, known for his impressionist landscapes of Northern and Southern California. Through his distinctive style Redmond showed a remarkable understanding of color and depth, always painting with sympathies to the delicate beauties of nature. With a style that was sometimes compared to Monet and Pissarro by the art critics of his day, Redmond glorified California's sunsets with soft moody glows and he adorned the state's expansive coastal views and rolling hill scenes with golden poppies (the California State flower) and blue lupine. He painted enchanting coastal nocturnes, San Pedro harbor, the majestic oaks of Monterey and scenes of Catalina Island.
Redmond held memberships in the Bohemian Club, California Art Club, Laguna Beach Art Association and San Francisco Art Association. He won a medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 and later the silver medal at the Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition, Seattle, 1909.
His works can be found in public collections including The Oakland Museum; New York City Museum; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Laguna Beach Museum of Art; Stanford University Museum of Art; Mills College Art Gallery; California School for the Deaf; National Center on Deafness, California State University at Northridge; Springville Museum of Art, Utah; Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley. |
Biography from DeRu's Fine Arts:
| Granville Redmond was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 9, 1871. Stricken with scarlet fever, Redmond was deaf at the age of three. After moving with his family to San Jose, California in 1874, he attended the Berkeley School for the Deaf from 1879 through 1890 where Theophilus D'Estrella taught him painting, drawing and pantomime. Upon graduation he entered the San Francisco School of Design where he was awarded a scholarship for further study in Paris at Academie Julian under Constant and Laurens.
Returning to California in 1898, he took up residence in Los Angeles. 1910 to 1917 were spent in Northern California. In 1917 he returned to Los Angeles and his ability in sign language was put to use when he became a bit player in the silent movies in Hollywood. He became close friends with Charlie Chaplin and was instrumental in perfecting Chaplin's pantomime technique. He had a studio on the lot and appeared in several of Chaplin's movies including "City Lights" and "You'd Be Surprised".
One of the foremost exponents of Impressionism in California, he is internationally known for his landscapes of rolling hills, poppy & lupine fields, coastals, seascapes and moonlit scenes. Redmond died in Los Angeles on May 24, 1935. |
Biography from William A. Karges Fine Art - Carmel:
|  Granville Redmond was stricken with scarlett fever at the age of three,
from which he lost his hearing. Redmond attended the Berkeley School for
the Deaf from 1879-1890, where he was encouraged in his artistic
interests. Following graduation, Redmond attended the San Francisco
School of Design, from which he was awarded a scholarship for further
study in Paris. Following his return to the U.S., Redmond lived in Los
Angeles and the Bay Area, until work in Hollywood prompted him to settle
permanently in Los Angeles. Redmond used his sign language skills in bit
parts in silent movies, and during this time befriended Charlie Chaplin. In
fact, he had a studio on the Chaplin lot, and appeared in a number of his
films. Today Redmond is nationally known for his Impressionist
landscapes featuring the California wildflowers, as well as his coastals,
and Tonal moonlit scenes. |
Biography from Edenhurst Gallery (Artists M to Z):
| Granville Redmond(1871-1935)was a landscape painter born in Philadelphia in 1871. As a child he contracted scarlet fever, which resulted in him being deaf and dumb at the age of three. He attended Berkeley School for the Deaf and the San Francisco School of Design.
After graduation he went to Paris and studied at the Academie Julian. His work was accepted into the Paris Salon and in 1894 he won an honorable mention. Returning to California in 1898, he stayed for a time in Los Angeles, and then returned to Northern California where he painted more tonal-style works, gradually leaning towards the bright poppyfied paintings for which he is also very well known.
He exhibited widely in Los Angeles and was taken under the wing of Charlie Chaplin whom Redmond advised in the art of pantomime. He died in 1935. |
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