Clark Voorhees
Encyclopedia
Clark Greenwood Voorhees (May 29, 1871–1933) was an American Impressionist
and Tonalist
landscape painter and one of the founders of the Old Lyme
Art Colony
.
The son of a stockbroker, Voorhees was born on May 29, 1871, in New York City. He was initially drawn to the sciences and earned degrees in Chemistry from Yale and Columbia Universities. In 1894, Voorhees began to seriously pursue fine art (which had always been a hobby) when he enrolled in classes at the Art Students League
. The following year, Voorhees enrolled at the Metropolitan School of Fine Art. He also studied with Irving Ramsey Wiles
on Long Island and with Leonard Ochtman
in Connecticut. In 1897, Voorhees traveled to Europe, studying with Benjamin Constant and J. P. Laurens at the Académie Julian
in Paris and spending time in the French village of Barbizon
as well as in Holland.
Voorhees first visited Old Lyme, Connecticut in 1893. In 1896, he returned with his mother and sister, who stayed at an informal boarding house run by Florence Griswold
. The Florence Griswold House (now the Florence Griswold Museum ) would eventually become the center of Old Lyme’s artistic community and it is very likely that Henry Ward Ranger
, often described as the Old Lyme colony’s founder, was introduced to both Old Lyme and the Griswold House through Voorhees.
Stylistically, Voorhees was one of the Old Lyme artists who remained at least somewhat loyal to the Barbizon-derived, Tonalist style associated with Ranger even after the majority had adopted Childe Hassam
’s Impressionist style. Most of Voorhees’s paintings are undated, but it appears that he gradually adopted a more Impressionistic approach later in life. He also experimented with etching
in the 1930s.
Many of Voorhees’s paintings depict Old Lyme prospects. Bermuda scenes are also common—beginning in 1919, Voorhees and his family wintered there. He also painted in Newport, Rhode Island and in Western Massachusetts (his wife was from Lenox).
Vorhees exhibited along with other members of the Old Lyme Art Colony as well as at the National Academy of Design
, the Society of American Artists
, the American Watercolor Society
, the Carnegie Institute
, and the Art Institute of Chicago
. He was awarded a bronze medal at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition
and in 1905 received one of the National Academy’s three Hallgarten Prizes, honoring the best three oil paintings produced in the United States by artists under the age of thirty-five.
Examples of Voorhees’s work are in the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery, the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Florence Griswold Museum, and the Lyme Historical Society.
Major exhibitions featuring Voorhees’s work have included the Lyme Historical Society and Florence Griswold Museum’s Clark G. Voorhees, 1871–1933 (June 13-August 30, 1981) and Hawthorne Fine Art’s The Light Lies Softly: The Impressionist Art of Clark Greenwood Voorhees, 1871–1933 (December 15, 2009-February 27, 2010).
American Impressionism
Impressionism, a style of painting characterized by loose brushwork and vivid colors, was practiced widely among American artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-An emerging artistic style from Paris:...
and Tonalist
Tonalism
Tonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
landscape painter and one of the founders of the Old Lyme
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Main Street of the town is a historic district. The town has long been a popular summer resort and artists' colony...
Art Colony
Art colony
right|300px|thumb|Artist houses in [[Montsalvat]] near [[Melbourne, Australia]].An art colony or artists' colony is a place where creative practitioners live and interact with one another. Artists are often invited or selected through a formal process, for a residency from a few weeks to over a year...
.
The son of a stockbroker, Voorhees was born on May 29, 1871, in New York City. He was initially drawn to the sciences and earned degrees in Chemistry from Yale and Columbia Universities. In 1894, Voorhees began to seriously pursue fine art (which had always been a hobby) when he enrolled in classes at the Art Students League
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...
. The following year, Voorhees enrolled at the Metropolitan School of Fine Art. He also studied with Irving Ramsey Wiles
Irving Ramsey Wiles
Irving Ramsey Wiles was an American artist, born in Utica, New York.He was educated at the Sedgwick Institute in Great Barrington, and learned the basics of painting from his father, Lemuel Maynard Wiles , who focused primarily on landscapes...
on Long Island and with Leonard Ochtman
Leonard Ochtman
Leonard Ochtman was an American Impressionist painter who specialized in landscapes. He was born in Zonnemaire, Netherlands as the son of a decorative painter. His family moved to Albany, New York in 1866. Starting at a young age, Ochtman worked as a draftsman at a wood-working firm in Albany...
in Connecticut. In 1897, Voorhees traveled to Europe, studying with Benjamin Constant and J. P. Laurens at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris and spending time in the French village of Barbizon
Barbizon
Barbizon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. It is located near the Fontainebleau Forest.-Art history:The Barbizon school of painters is named after the village; Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet, leaders of the school, made their homes and died in the...
as well as in Holland.
Voorhees first visited Old Lyme, Connecticut in 1893. In 1896, he returned with his mother and sister, who stayed at an informal boarding house run by Florence Griswold
Florence Griswold
Florence Ann Griswold was a resident of Old Lyme, Connecticut, USA who became the nucleus of the "Lyme Art Colony" in the early 20th century. Her home has since been made into the Florence Griswold Museum....
. The Florence Griswold House (now the Florence Griswold Museum ) would eventually become the center of Old Lyme’s artistic community and it is very likely that Henry Ward Ranger
Henry Ward Ranger
Henry Ward Ranger , American artist, was born in western New York State. He became a prominent landscape and marine painter, much of his work being done in the Netherlands, and showing the influence of the modern Dutch school. He became a National Academician , and a member of the American Water...
, often described as the Old Lyme colony’s founder, was introduced to both Old Lyme and the Griswold House through Voorhees.
Stylistically, Voorhees was one of the Old Lyme artists who remained at least somewhat loyal to the Barbizon-derived, Tonalist style associated with Ranger even after the majority had adopted Childe Hassam
Childe Hassam
Frederick Childe Hassam was a prolific American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impressionism to American collectors, dealers, and museums...
’s Impressionist style. Most of Voorhees’s paintings are undated, but it appears that he gradually adopted a more Impressionistic approach later in life. He also experimented with etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
in the 1930s.
Many of Voorhees’s paintings depict Old Lyme prospects. Bermuda scenes are also common—beginning in 1919, Voorhees and his family wintered there. He also painted in Newport, Rhode Island and in Western Massachusetts (his wife was from Lenox).
Vorhees exhibited along with other members of the Old Lyme Art Colony as well as 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 Society of American Artists
Society of American Artists
The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the National Academy of Design did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative....
, the American Watercolor Society
American Watercolor Society
The American Watercolor Society is a nonprofit membership organization devoted to the advancement of watercolor painting in the United States. It was founded in 1866 by eleven painters and, originally, was known as the American Society of Painters in Water Colors...
, the Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, and the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. He was awarded a bronze medal at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
and in 1905 received one of the National Academy’s three Hallgarten Prizes, honoring the best three oil paintings produced in the United States by artists under the age of thirty-five.
Examples of Voorhees’s work are in the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery, the Wadsworth Athenaeum Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Florence Griswold Museum, and the Lyme Historical Society.
Major exhibitions featuring Voorhees’s work have included the Lyme Historical Society and Florence Griswold Museum’s Clark G. Voorhees, 1871–1933 (June 13-August 30, 1981) and Hawthorne Fine Art’s The Light Lies Softly: The Impressionist Art of Clark Greenwood Voorhees, 1871–1933 (December 15, 2009-February 27, 2010).