Catherine Wiley
Encyclopedia
Anna Catherine Wiley was an American artist active primarily in the early twentieth century. After training with the Art Students League of New York
and receiving instruction from artists such as Lloyd Branson
and Frank DuMond
, Wiley painted a series of impressionist works that won numerous awards at expositions across the Southern United States
, and have since been displayed in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and the Morris Museum of Art
. In 1926, Wiley was institutionalized after suffering a mental breakdown, and never painted again.
), the daughter of Edwin Floyd Wiley and Mary McAdoo Wiley. She was the granddaughter of prominent attorney and businessman, William Gibbs McAdoo, Sr., and niece of U.S. Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo, Jr.
Her father worked in the coal mining industry, but in 1882 the family moved to Knoxville
(their house on Laurel Avenue still stands).
In the mid-1890s, Wiley attended the University of Tennessee
, where she gained initial recognition for some illustrations she had created for the school's yearbook. She moved to New York in 1903 to study with the Art Students League, and received extensive instruction from impressionist Frank DuMond (1865–1951). Her time in New York exposed her to a variety of artists and art movements, namely the Ash Can School, the French Barbizon school
, and the works of impressionist William Merritt Chase
, all of which influenced her later work.
In 1905, after a brief stay at Chase's New York School of Art
, Wiley returned to Knoxville to teach art at the University of Tennessee. She continued to receive instruction from long-time Knoxville painter Lloyd Branson, and quickly became a leading figure in the city's art circle. In 1910, Wiley captured the award for "Most Meritorious Collection" at Knoxville's Appalachian Exposition, and chaired the Fine Arts Department for the city's 1913 National Conservation Exposition. In subsequent years, Wiley consistently won the best painter award at various regional exhibitions, and her work was exhibited at the National Academy of Design
, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
, and the Cincinnati Art Museum
, among other places.
Following the deaths of her father (in 1919) and Branson (in 1925), Wiley suffered a mental breakdown from which she never recovered, and was institutionalized until her death in 1958. She is buried in Knoxville's Old Gray Cemetery. Wiley's sister, Eleanor McAdoo Wiley (1876–1977), was also a noted regional artist.
later in her career. Wiley's works are currently displayed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta
, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery, the Greenville Museum of Art in Greenville
, and the Knoxville Museum of Art
.
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
and receiving instruction from artists such as Lloyd Branson
Lloyd Branson
Enoch Lloyd Branson was an American artist best known for his portraits of Southern politicians and depictions of early East Tennessee history....
and Frank DuMond
Frank DuMond
Frank Vincent DuMond was an American Impressionist painter born in Rochester, New York. He taught at the Art Students League of New York for more than 50 years, until his death in 1951. His students included Charles Hawthorne, Georgia O'Keeffe, John Marin, Andrew Loomis, Norman Rockwell, Frank J....
, Wiley painted a series of impressionist works that won numerous awards at expositions across the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, and have since been displayed in museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
and the Morris Museum of Art
Morris Museum of Art
The Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia was established in 1985 as a non-profit foundation by William S. Morris III, in memory of his parents, as the first museum dedicated to the collection and exhibition of art and artists of the American South....
. In 1926, Wiley was institutionalized after suffering a mental breakdown, and never painted again.
Biography
Wiley was born in Coal Creek, Tennessee (modern Lake CityLake City, Tennessee
Lake City is a town in Anderson and Campbell counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, northwest of Knoxville. The population was 1,888 at the 2000 census...
), the daughter of Edwin Floyd Wiley and Mary McAdoo Wiley. She was the granddaughter of prominent attorney and businessman, William Gibbs McAdoo, Sr., and niece of U.S. Treasury Secretary William Gibbs McAdoo, Jr.
William Gibbs McAdoo
William Gibbs McAdoo, Jr. was an American lawyer and political leader who served as a U.S. Senator, United States Secretary of the Treasury and director of the United States Railroad Administration...
Her father worked in the coal mining industry, but in 1882 the family moved to Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
(their house on Laurel Avenue still stands).
In the mid-1890s, Wiley attended the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, where she gained initial recognition for some illustrations she had created for the school's yearbook. She moved to New York in 1903 to study with the Art Students League, and received extensive instruction from impressionist Frank DuMond (1865–1951). Her time in New York exposed her to a variety of artists and art movements, namely the Ash Can School, the French Barbizon school
Barbizon school
The Barbizon school of painters were part of a movement towards realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870...
, and the works of impressionist William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase
William Merritt Chase was an American painter known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons The New School for Design.- Early life and training :He was born in Williamsburg , Indiana, to the family...
, all of which influenced her later work.
In 1905, after a brief stay at Chase's New York School of Art
Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School For Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is the art and design college of The New School university. It is located in New York City's Greenwich Village, and has produced artists and designers such as Marc Jacobs, Dean and Dan Caten, Norman Rockwell, Donna Karan, Jane...
, Wiley returned to Knoxville to teach art at the University of Tennessee. She continued to receive instruction from long-time Knoxville painter Lloyd Branson, and quickly became a leading figure in the city's art circle. In 1910, Wiley captured the award for "Most Meritorious Collection" at Knoxville's Appalachian Exposition, and chaired the Fine Arts Department for the city's 1913 National Conservation Exposition. In subsequent years, Wiley consistently won the best painter award at various regional exhibitions, and her work was exhibited at the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, and the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
, among other places.
Following the deaths of her father (in 1919) and Branson (in 1925), Wiley suffered a mental breakdown from which she never recovered, and was institutionalized until her death in 1958. She is buried in Knoxville's Old Gray Cemetery. Wiley's sister, Eleanor McAdoo Wiley (1876–1977), was also a noted regional artist.
Works
Wiley has been described as Knoxville's "one noted impressionist." Her best-known works tend to depict women and interiors, and are characterized by vivid color and brushstroke. Her style drifted toward abstract impressionismAbstract impressionism
Abstract Impressionism is a type of abstract painting where small brushstrokes build and structure large paintings...
later in her career. Wiley's works are currently displayed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery, the Greenville Museum of Art in Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, and the Knoxville Museum of Art
Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located at 1050 World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. The KMA is committed to developing exhibitions by emerging artists of national and international reputation.- History :...
.
- Artist's Mother Before a Window (n.d.)
- Haystacks (n.d.)http://www.charlestonrenaissancegallery.com/pages/art/artists/artPayoff.aspx?fsId=1&artistID=1134&pieceid=6345085
- Landscape with Gazebo (n.d.)
- Girl in Blue (1907)
- Willow Pond (1914)http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/modern_art/willow_pond_catherine_wiley/objectview.aspx?collID=21&OID=210001164
- A Sunlit Afternoon (c. 1915)http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/full.php?ID=27383
- Morning (1921)http://www.tnportraits.org/morning-wiley-kma.htm
- Tennessee Landscape (c. 1921)
- By the Arbor (1923)http://www.themorris.org/ourcollection/wiley-arbor.html