This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  John Bond Francisco was born in Cincinnati, OH on Dec. 14, 1863.
From an early age Francisco was drawn to both music and art. He
studied the violin with Hermann Eckhardt and painting at the Cincinnati
Art Academy for several years.
He arrived in Los Angeles in 1887 and was so taken with the beauty of
the place, he opted to make it his home. He soon continued his
studies in Berlin, Munich, and in Paris at Académies Julian and
Colarossi under Courtois, Bouguereau, and Robert-Fleury. While in
Europe he studied the violin in the morning hours and painting in the
afternoon.
Upon returning to Los Angeles in 1892, he married and built a home at
1401 Albany Street where he lived for the rest of his life.
Combining an art and music career, he helped form the Los Angeles
Symphony Orchestra in 1897 and served as their first concert
master. While teaching music and art at his studio, he made
painting excursions into the surrounding countryside, often with his
pupil Elmer Wachtel. He combined his Munich technique with that
of the Barbizon's influence to produce paintings of California deserts
and mountains that held dramatic light and shade contrasts. Later
his palette brightened and he leaned more toward Impressionism.
Francisco's studio in the Blanchard Bldg and his home were a mecca for
both painters and musicians until his death on Jan. 8, 1931.
Member: American Artists Club (Munich); Calif. Art Club; Laguna Beach
AA; Painters & Sculptors of LA; Athletic Club (LA); LA AA. Exh:
Calif. Bldg, World's Columbian Expo (Chicago), 1893; Chamber of
Commerce (LA), 1894; Ruskin Art Club (LA), 1902-04; Blanchard Hall
(LA), 1907; Alaska Yukon Expo (Seattle), 1909 (gold medal); Hallett
Gallery (LA), 1910; Daniell Gallery (LA), 1912; LACMA, 1914; Friday
Morning Club (LA), 1915; Biltmore Salon (LA), 1925. In: UCLA; LACMA;
Orange County (CA) Museum. | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Out West, Sept. 1913; Graphic, 3-10-1918; Who's Who in the Pacific Southwest; American Art Annual 1919-33; Who's Who in California 1929; Los Angeles Times, 8-3-1930; Plein Air Painters (Ruth Westphal); Artists of the American West (Doris Dawdy); Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers (Fielding, Mantle); Southern California Artists (Nancy Moure); So. Calif. Artists 1890-1940; Los Angeles Times, 1-9-1931 (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. |
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he became a California painter of
impressionist mountain and desert landscapes with dramatic lighting
effects. He was one of the earliest landscape painters to live in
Los Angeles.
He studied art and music at Ohio State University
and also went to Europe, painting with Fechner in Berlin and Nauen in
Munich. In Paris, he studied at the Julian and Colarossi
Academies, and his teachers were William Adolphe Bouguereau, Tony
Robert-Fleury, and Gustave Courtois. He also painted in
Switzerland, Germany, and France, and took violin lessons in Berlin and
Paris.
In 1887, he settled in Los Angeles where he married and
spent the remainder of his life, combining careers of fine art painting
and music. His home and studio at 1401 Albany Street became a
popular gathering place for artists and musicians. In 1897, he
helped form the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra and was its first
concert master.
He painted mountain and tree landscapes and
glowing desert scenes, often painting with landscapist Elmer
Wachtel. He was first in northern Arizona in 1906 as a guest of
the Santa Fe Railroad, and one of his Grand Canyon views was used for a
travel ad.
Sources:
Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940
|
Biography from William A. Karges Fine Art - Beverly Hills:
| J. Bond Francisco was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1863, where he studied music and fine art. Further studies in Berlin, Munich, and Paris followed his move to Los Angeles in the 1880’s.
Returning to L.A., Bond would pursue careers in art and music. He was instrumental in founding the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, serving as it’s first conductor.
Painting in a Barbizon palette, Francicso also taught from his studio, and on painting excursions. Among his students was Elmer Wachtel. John Bond Francisco died in Los Angeles in 1931. |
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John Francisco is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
The California Art Club
Painters of Grand Canyon
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