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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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This biography from the Archives of 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
Merritt Chase in Florence, Italy. 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 Alice Roosevelt 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 of the Arts*,
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 of Design*, 1926.
Source:
Cuthbert Lee, Contemporary American Portrait Painters, Illustrating and Describing the Work of Fifty Living Painters
* For more in-depth information about these terms and others, see
AskART.com Glossary:
http://www.askart.com/AskART/lists/Art_Definition.aspx
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This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Born in Muncie, Indiana on Sept. 23, 1883, Wayman Adams studied at the
Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, and with William Merritt 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: National Academy.
Exhibition: National Academy of Design, 1914 (prize); Art Institute of
Chicago, 1918; Int'l Expo (Venice), 1924; Carnegie Inst., 1943 (prize).
Collection: 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. |
Biography from Charleston Renaissance Gallery:
| WAYMAN ELBRIDGE ADAMS (1883-1959)
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.
This essay is copyrighted by the Charleston Renaissance Gallery and may not be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from Hicklin Galleries, LLC.
* For more in-depth information about these terms and others, see AskART.com Glossary http://www.askart.com/AskART/lists/Art_Definition.aspx
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Biography from The Heritage Society:
| Born in the small town of Muncie, Indiana, Wayman (by age 14) was known
throughout his home state as a "boy wonder" because of his painting
abilities. His father, a stock raiser by profession, was also an
artist. While Wayman's creative interests were supported by his
parents, he had no choice but to pay his own way through art
school. The young Adams worked at a dairy daily from 6pm to 6am.,
managing to arrive at art class by 9am. Eventually, Wayman was
able to quit his night job and make a living as a portrait painter.
He went on to study in New York, Italy, Spain, and Philadelphia.
In 1918 he married Margaret Boroughs of Austin, Texas, a fellow pupil
whom he had met in Italy. By this time he had won many awards.
In 1919 he was asked by the French government to exhibit at the
Luxemburg Museum in Paris. Adams made Austin his home around 1920
and began painting several Austinites and other celebrities.
Later that decade he won a Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts for watercolor.
In 1933 he and his wife opened an art school in Elizabethtown,
NY. They continued to live in Austin, spending their summers up
North. The couple retired from teaching in 1945. In a late 1950's
newpaper article, the accomplished artist reflects on his early
struggles in the profession: "I haven't had a hard time of it, at all,"
he states matter-of-factly. |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
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