Frank Harmon Myers
Encyclopedia
Frank Harmon Myers was an American Impressionism
painter. His work includes a variety of topics but is best known for his seascapes.
Frank H. Myers was born in Cleves, Ohio
. His family moved to Cincinnati
in 1907. Myers studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati
through 1920. In June 1921, he went to France with John Ellsworth Weis
(1892-1962), who had been one of his teachers at the Academy. When they returned to Cincinnati, Myers began teaching at the Art Academy where he received commissions for portraits. Myers took a sabbatical in 1932 and painted in Santa Fe, New Mexico
. In the early forties, Myers moved with his wife and son to the Monterey peninsula
. They lived in Pacific Grove
. Myers was active in the Carmel Art Association and served as president in 1953. He died of a heart attack in 1956.
Known for his works produced with brightly colored expressive brush strokes showing his interest in French impressionism, he eventually focused on painting the coastal areas of California.
In the 1930's his health began to falter, and he suffered bouts of depression. In 1940 he took a leave of absence, and visited Monterey, California. He was captivated by the California coastal region, and stayed there for the rest of his life. From that point on he produced, almost exclusively, seascapes of the Monterey Peninsula area.
A well-respected leader of the Carmel -Monterey art community, he served as the President of the Carmel Art Association in 1953. His painting companions included Armin Hansen, and Donald Teague. Together they defined the Monterey Peninsula art scene for years to come.
Frank Myers died of a heart attack in Pacific Grove, California on March 7, 1956.
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:...
painter. His work includes a variety of topics but is best known for his seascapes.
Frank H. Myers was born in Cleves, Ohio
Cleves, Ohio
Cleves is a village, founded in 1818, along the Ohio River in western Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2000 census...
. His family moved to Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1907. Myers studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati
Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, in Cincinnati, Ohio...
through 1920. In June 1921, he went to France with John Ellsworth Weis
John Ellsworth Weis
John Ellsworth Weis was an American painter. He was born in Powell County, Kentucky, moved to Higginsport, Ohio at an early age, and then moved again to Norwood, Ohio at nine years of age...
(1892-1962), who had been one of his teachers at the Academy. When they returned to Cincinnati, Myers began teaching at the Art Academy where he received commissions for portraits. Myers took a sabbatical in 1932 and painted in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. In the early forties, Myers moved with his wife and son to the Monterey peninsula
Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula is located on the central California coast and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and unincorporated areas of Monterey County including the resort and community of Pebble Beach.-Monterey:...
. They lived in Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove, California
Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, USA, with a population of 15,041 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,522 as of the 2000 census...
. Myers was active in the Carmel Art Association and served as president in 1953. He died of a heart attack in 1956.
History
In 1925 he married Ella Price, a young school teacher. They spent their honeymoon in Europe, staying in Paris and Spain. The following year they made an extended trip West to Colorado and California. Upon their return they stopped in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he met, and painted with, Joseph Henry Sharp.Known for his works produced with brightly colored expressive brush strokes showing his interest in French impressionism, he eventually focused on painting the coastal areas of California.
In the 1930's his health began to falter, and he suffered bouts of depression. In 1940 he took a leave of absence, and visited Monterey, California. He was captivated by the California coastal region, and stayed there for the rest of his life. From that point on he produced, almost exclusively, seascapes of the Monterey Peninsula area.
A well-respected leader of the Carmel -Monterey art community, he served as the President of the Carmel Art Association in 1953. His painting companions included Armin Hansen, and Donald Teague. Together they defined the Monterey Peninsula art scene for years to come.
Frank Myers died of a heart attack in Pacific Grove, California on March 7, 1956.
Legacy
His works have been widely exhibited and are in the permanent collections of many prestigious museums.....including the National Museum of American Art, University of Cincinnati, Museum of New Mexico, San Diego Museum of Art, Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art, the Irvine Museum, the Oakland Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institute, and many others.Listings
Myers is listed in:- Davenport Hughes: Artists In California: 1786-1940;
- Who Was Who In American Art (Falk);
- Artists of the American West (Dawdy);
- Art Across America (Gerdts);
- Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West (Samuels);
- Yesterday's Artists On The Monterey Peninsula (Spangenberg);
- Art & Artists of the Monterey Peninsula (Harbick);
- Carmel Art Association: A History (Hoag McGlynn); Mallett;
- Society of Independent Artists;
- Fieldings; the Artist's Bluebook (Dunbier);
- AskART.com; the newly published Carmel Art Association: It's Legends and Legacies, 1927-2007 (Crispo & Watson); and many others.
- Smithsonian American Art MuseumSmithsonian American Art MuseumThe Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
(SAAM) has five Myers paintings in its collection. Some of the other institutions with paintings by Myers include the Cincinnati Art MuseumCincinnati Art MuseumThe 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...
and the Irvine Museum.
See also
- California TonalismCalifornia TonalismCalifornia Tonalism was art movement that existed in California from circa 1890 to 1920. Tonalist are usually intimate works, painted with a limited palette. Tonalist paintings are softly expressive, suggestive rather than detailed, often depicting the landscape at twilight or evening, when...
- California Plein-Air PaintingCalifornia Plein-Air PaintingThe term California Plein-Air Painting describes the large movement of 20th century California artists who worked out of doors, directly from nature in California, United States. Their work became popular in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California in the first three decades after the...