|
|
Ad Code: 3
|
from Auction House Records.
Snow Covered Winter Landscape
Artwork images are copyright of the artist or assignee
|
|
|
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Born in Ontario, Canada, William Taylor became a landscape
painter whose reputation is associated with the New Hope School of
Pennsylvania Impressionists. From 1905 to 1907, he studied in New
York City at the
Art Students League where John Sloan was one of his teachers. In
1908, he began another dimension to his career, publication writing,
when he took the job of advertising editor for the New York Journal. He became a U.S. citizen, and in 1913 married Mary Smyth Perkins, an artist.
In the early 1920s, Taylor and his wife began visiting Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, and after 1925, moved to Lumberville as a result of
friendship with William Lathrop, the first resident painter there of
the group that became known as The Pennsylvania Impressionists. William
Taylor became most associated with the 'late Pennsylvania Impressionist
School, meaning the Bucks County artists who came to prominence after
1915. They were associated with the conservative group headed by
Pennsylvania Academy teacher Daniel Garber who were determinably not
swayed by the avant-garde influences that swept the art world after the
1912 Armory Show in New York City. Among this 'later' group,
Taylor was one of the younger members.
Of the 'late' Pennsylvania impressionists, it was written: "Generally
these painters were not as original or creative as the earlier
painters, and in fact their work was highly derivative of the art that
preceded them in Bucks County." (Folk, 31)
In October, 1928, William Taylor headed the Subscription Committee to
purchase Phillips Mill in New Hope for the exhibition space for the New Hope Colony
of Impressionist painters, one of the motives being that these younger
painters including Taylor were having difficulty getting into the
Pennsylvania Academy exhibitions. The first exhibition in the
newly purchased Mill was held May 25, 1929, and included paintings by
Taylor. A 1930 painting by Taylor titled Geese,
depicted Phillips Mill with a flock of geese in the side and front
yard. In addition to becoming an exhibition venue, Phillips Mill
became the community center for socializing and organizing of the Bucks
County painters. A membership support group was formed, the
Phillips Mill Community Association, and in the late 20th century, this
entity led to the formation of the James A. Michener Art Museum, a
museum of fine arts with branches in New Hope and in Doylestown.
William Taylor also became the editor of Towpath, one of two
local magazines, which sometimes carried articles on the New Hope
painters. One of Taylor's articles was on Edward Redfield. Towpath
was a monthly publication from 1939 to 1941, and featured writing on
environmental control issues, a subject of major interest to Taylor who
wrote widely-read editorials on the subject. "Considering
Taylor's interest in conservation, in addition to his own personal bias
toward landscape as subject matter, it is not surprising that he
published articles on Pennsylvania Impressionist painters. It is
unfortunate that World War II ended the publication of this magazine."
(Folk, 33)
During the 1930s, the popularity of the Pennsylvania Impressionists
declined. Today, according to Thomas Folk, scholar of The
Pennsylvania Impressionists, William Francis Taylor is better
remembered for his organizing and writing abilities than for his
painting. In 1963, he published a history of Phillips Mill.
Sources include:
Thomas C. Folk, The Pennsylvania Impressionists
Erica Jaeger-Smith, Phillips' Mill: Celebrating Seventy-Five Years of Art
|
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|