Biography from Springville Museum of Art:
| One of the more successful Utah artists of the late nineteenth century,
John Willard Clawson was born on January 18, 1858. He was born to
Hiram B. Clawson and Alice Young Clawson, a daughter of Brigham Young,
who was then President of the LDS Church. Will (as he was called)
was born in the blue room of the Beehive House, the house built by
Brigham Young for his wives and their families. As a boy and
throughout his life, Will was known for his pleasing personality and
his ability to get along with people.
Clawson received his education in the Salt Lake City school system and
later studied at the University of Deseret under George M.
Ottinger. His talent in art was so apparent to his teachers that
they encouraged him to go to New York City to study in the best
schools. Will's father worked as a businessman and disapproved of
art as a profession for his son. He refused to pay for Will's
trip to New York. After other people offered to pay for the trip,
Will's father consented to support him on his trip. In 1881,
Clawson and his new bride, Mary Clark, moved to New York City.
During his three years in New York, Clawson studied with great success
at the National Academy of Design, receiving acclaim and awards from
his instructors. After he completed his schooling, he returned
with his family to Salt Lake City and opened a private studio.
Although he preferred painting landscapes, it soon became clear that
most of his money would be made from portraits commissions.
In 1891, because of a desire for further study, Clawson left Utah for
Paris, France, to enroll in the famed Academie Julian where he studied
under such artists as Constant, Laurens, and Lefebvre. In
addition, Clawson studied at Fernand Cormon's Atelier and was accepted
at the Ecole de Beaux Arts. He was one of a select few who
received criticism and instruction from Edouard Manet and Claude
Monet. While in Europe, he spent nine months studying under
Julius Stewart in Venice and a short time studying in England, where he
completed several portraits for members of the English Parliament.
The influences of Impressionism are evident in Clawson's works.
To portray his subjects, he used warm, bright colors and thickly
applied paint combined with a strong knowledge of human anatomy which
he had gained from studying cadavers. While he continued to be a
financial success throughout his life, Clawson reached his peak as an
artist during this time in Europe.
Clawson returned to Utah in 1896, where he opened a studio for a few
years. During his stay, the Society of Utah Artists was formed,
and Clawson served as the first secretary. Once again Clawson
left Utah, this time for California, where he established a studio in
San Francisco.
Will Clawson had built a very successful studio and was happy in San
Francisco, but in 1906, the San Francisco earthquake and fires
destroyed much of the city. Clawson's studio was completely
destroyed along with $80,000 worth of paintings. He was forced to
start over again and left the ruined city of San Francisco for Los
Angeles, then for New York City, and finally, back to Southern
California.
Clawson's individual style of using fresh colors and glorifying his
subjects brought success back to his business. He painted women,
showing their grace and beauty, and he painted men with a rugged
strength, even if he occasionally had to create it for them. Many
famous movie and theater stars in Los Angeles and New York City sought
after him to paint their portraits.
By 1933, Clawson had made enough money painting portraits of movie and
theater stars to retire to Utah for the remainder of his life.
Utah lured Clawson back with her mysterious deserts, far- reaching
mountains, and endless skies. He wanted to fulfill a life-long
desire to paint landscapes, and he felt Utah offered him the best
opportunity.
Will always had a love of the outdoors, but having lived most of his
life in the big cities, he never had the opportunity to paint the kind
of landscapes found in the deserts of Utah. He had only been back
in Utah for three years when on April 6, 1936, after having spent a day
in his studio working on a portrait of the first Mormon prophet Joseph
Smith, he suffered a fatal heart attack and died at the age of 78.
Submitted by Anthony's Fine Art, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Biography from Crocker Art Museum Store:
| Portrait painter. Born in Salt Lake City, UT on Jan. 18, 1858, a grandson of Brigham Young. Clawson studied at the NAD (1882) and in Paris at Académie Julian and Ecole des Beaux Arts (1890-96).
After his art training, he had a portrait studio and school in San Francisco at 640 Market until it burned in the 1906 disaster. He was then active in Los Angeles until 1909 when he moved to New York for ten years. After returning to Los Angeles, he was active there until 1933 when he returned to Salt Lake City. He died in his native city on April 6, 1936.
As well as portraits, he painted a few coastais of California and figure studies a la John Singer Sargent.
Member: Bohemian Club; Painters & Sculptors of LA; Society of Utah Artists. Exh: Bohemian Club, 1897-1904; Mechanics Inst. Fair (SF), 1899; Calif. State Fair, 1899; SFAA, 1898-1904; Piedmont Art Gallery (Oakland), 1907; Oakland Home Club, 1908. In: Jonathan Club (LA); Springville (UT) Museum. 1 Dictionary of Utah Art; AAW; CD; SCA.
| | 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. |
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