Gilbert Brown Wilson
Encyclopedia
Gilbert Brown Wilson was an American painter known for his large-scale murals, including his 1935 murals in Woodrow Wilson Junior High School
in Terre Haute, Indiana
.
Much of his later life was dedicated to depicting Herman Melville
's Moby Dick. In 1955 a short film using this body of artwork won a Silver Reel Award at the Venice Film Festival
.
, he attended McLean Junior High and graduated from Garfield High School in 1925.
) and studied under professor of art William T. Turman. In 1928 he began instruction at the Chicago Art Institute, where he exhibited at the Hoosier Salon
and won two awards, in 1929 and 1930. In Chicago, Wilson met mural painter Eugene Savage
, from whom he learned the craft of murals at Yale School of Fine Arts. Wilson became enamored with the work of prominent muralists Diego Rivera
and José Orozco and travelled to Mexico to study under Rivera; there he would also study with sculptor Urbici Soler.
and Max Ehrmann, much of Wilson's work concerns the plight of the common man. Common themes in his murals are war, capitalism, industrialization and ecological issues.
Wilson later recalled how seeing Orozco's work for the first time had been a revelation, saying, "From that moment on I knew it was what I wanted Art to be — a real, vital, meaningful expression, full of purpose and intention, having influence and relation to people's daily lives — a part of life. Here was the first modern art I had ever seen."
Wilson did not always find support from his community during his time in Terre Haute, particularly finding conflict with the town's affluent, who found his motifs of oppression and social change unappealing. He dealt with frustration and depression through much of his career, even destroying part of his own mural in Indiana State University's Laboratory School.
Other common themes were multicultural community and racial equality. In 1960 Wilson was artist in residence at Kentucky State College and proposed a set of murals for the gymnasium depicting black history. However, the gymnasium burned down before the murals were undertaken, and Wilson was later fired from his position there for his communist beliefs. His oil painting John Henry, from this time period, was possibly a study for these murals.
, New York City's School of Sculpture, School of Dance (Columbus, Ohio), the Spink Wawasee Hotel, Chicago's Lincoln Park building and local community theaters in Terre Haute.
. Called "Liberation", these large-scale chalk murals can be found directly inside the main entrance of the building and took Wilson three years to complete, ending in 1935.
The murals, which span three walls, depict images of industrialization, capitalism, greed, agriculture, warfare and a needy populace. A portion of the mural shows four Boy Scouts of different ethnic backgrounds clasping hands with a quote showing Wilson's "respect and admiration" for scouting.
Upon completion of the murals, the school board refused to pay or reimburse Wilson for his work. His only payment was a collection of coins by the school's students that totalled $28.
Partially due to the presence of Wilson's murals, the school is now on the National Register of Historic Places
.
, themes of the work include an anti-war sentiment coupled with poor stewardship of the earth, Dust Bowl
devastation and the necessity for multicultural collaboration. Wilson's own writings about the work state that the mural "is an attempt to state thru the medium of form and color the greatest problem facing civilization today. That problem is WASTE. Waste of the earth upon which we live and the waste of human life."
Wilson's creativity and local sensibility was made all the more evident when artist Bill Wolfe restored the mural in 2009 and realized that Wilson had used clay from the nearby Wabash River
in some of his colors.
The university is home to six works by Wilson in all. One visible mural called "They Who Work Humbly" (dated 1932) is in the foyer of Tilson Auditorium. Another work depicting professor Fred Donaghy was lost in 1998 when the Classroom Building where the mural was located was razed.
's Moby Dick in the late 1940s, Wilson created numerous artworks around the book, which he viewed as a guide for the betterment of humanity. In 1955 a short film using his artwork won a Silver Reel award at the Venice Film Festival
. The next year, Wilson traveled with his Moby Dick paintings and drawings on a 27-state tour.
which would become the subject of his piece "A Mural Portrait of Sherwood Anderson." Wilson also published an interview with cartoonist Art Young
in the summer 1938 issue of Direction Magazine, including portraits of Young both by Wilson and by José Clemente Orozco.
in Terre Haute after Wilson's death. A 2007 exhibit Gilbert Wilson, Native Son commemorated the centennial of his birth.
Woodrow Wilson Junior High School (Terre Haute, Indiana)
Woodrow Wilson Junior High School or Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Terre Haute, Indiana was built in 1927 for approximately $750,000. Designed by the firm of Miller & Yeager Architects, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.The interior of the school's main...
in Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
.
Much of his later life was dedicated to depicting Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
's Moby Dick. In 1955 a short film using this body of artwork won a Silver Reel Award at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
.
Early life
Wilson was born on March 4, 1907, in Terre Haute to parents Martha, a former opera singer, and Wilton A. Wilson, a banker. An active Boy ScoutBoy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
, he attended McLean Junior High and graduated from Garfield High School in 1925.
Education
Wilson attended Indiana State Normal (now Indiana State UniversityIndiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
) and studied under professor of art William T. Turman. In 1928 he began instruction at the Chicago Art Institute, where he exhibited at the Hoosier Salon
Hoosier Salon
The Hoosier Salon is a non-profit arts organization that was founded in 1925 by a group called the Daughters of Indiana. That year, the Salon hosted an exhibit in the galleries of the Marshall Field and Company Building in Chicago featuring Indiana artists such as T.C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams and...
and won two awards, in 1929 and 1930. In Chicago, Wilson met mural painter Eugene Savage
Eugene Savage
Eugene Francis Savage was an American painter and sculptor known for his murals in the manner made official under the Works Projects Administration. He also is known for his work on the Bailey Fountain in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, New York.He was born in Covington, Indiana...
, from whom he learned the craft of murals at Yale School of Fine Arts. Wilson became enamored with the work of prominent muralists Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
and José Orozco and travelled to Mexico to study under Rivera; there he would also study with sculptor Urbici Soler.
Philosophy
Inspired by Rivera, Orozco and Savage, as well as Terre Haute-area thinkers like social activist Eugene Debs and writers Theodore DreiserTheodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
and Max Ehrmann, much of Wilson's work concerns the plight of the common man. Common themes in his murals are war, capitalism, industrialization and ecological issues.
Wilson later recalled how seeing Orozco's work for the first time had been a revelation, saying, "From that moment on I knew it was what I wanted Art to be — a real, vital, meaningful expression, full of purpose and intention, having influence and relation to people's daily lives — a part of life. Here was the first modern art I had ever seen."
Wilson did not always find support from his community during his time in Terre Haute, particularly finding conflict with the town's affluent, who found his motifs of oppression and social change unappealing. He dealt with frustration and depression through much of his career, even destroying part of his own mural in Indiana State University's Laboratory School.
Other common themes were multicultural community and racial equality. In 1960 Wilson was artist in residence at Kentucky State College and proposed a set of murals for the gymnasium depicting black history. However, the gymnasium burned down before the murals were undertaken, and Wilson was later fired from his position there for his communist beliefs. His oil painting John Henry, from this time period, was possibly a study for these murals.
Works
Many of his murals can be found in schools and other public places including Antioch CollegeAntioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
, New York City's School of Sculpture, School of Dance (Columbus, Ohio), the Spink Wawasee Hotel, Chicago's Lincoln Park building and local community theaters in Terre Haute.
Woodrow Wilson Middle School murals
Wilson's first job upon returning to his hometown in 1933 was a set of four murals at Woodrow Wilson Middle SchoolWoodrow Wilson Junior High School (Terre Haute, Indiana)
Woodrow Wilson Junior High School or Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Terre Haute, Indiana was built in 1927 for approximately $750,000. Designed by the firm of Miller & Yeager Architects, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.The interior of the school's main...
. Called "Liberation", these large-scale chalk murals can be found directly inside the main entrance of the building and took Wilson three years to complete, ending in 1935.
The murals, which span three walls, depict images of industrialization, capitalism, greed, agriculture, warfare and a needy populace. A portion of the mural shows four Boy Scouts of different ethnic backgrounds clasping hands with a quote showing Wilson's "respect and admiration" for scouting.
Upon completion of the murals, the school board refused to pay or reimburse Wilson for his work. His only payment was a collection of coins by the school's students that totalled $28.
Partially due to the presence of Wilson's murals, the school is now on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Indiana State University
A mural in ISU's University Hall (formerly the Laboratory School) was completed by Wilson in 1936 after six weeks of work. Funded by the Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, themes of the work include an anti-war sentiment coupled with poor stewardship of the earth, Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
devastation and the necessity for multicultural collaboration. Wilson's own writings about the work state that the mural "is an attempt to state thru the medium of form and color the greatest problem facing civilization today. That problem is WASTE. Waste of the earth upon which we live and the waste of human life."
Wilson's creativity and local sensibility was made all the more evident when artist Bill Wolfe restored the mural in 2009 and realized that Wilson had used clay from the nearby Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
in some of his colors.
The university is home to six works by Wilson in all. One visible mural called "They Who Work Humbly" (dated 1932) is in the foyer of Tilson Auditorium. Another work depicting professor Fred Donaghy was lost in 1998 when the Classroom Building where the mural was located was razed.
Moby Dick
After reading Herman MelvilleHerman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
's Moby Dick in the late 1940s, Wilson created numerous artworks around the book, which he viewed as a guide for the betterment of humanity. In 1955 a short film using his artwork won a Silver Reel award at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. The next year, Wilson traveled with his Moby Dick paintings and drawings on a 27-state tour.
Writings
In addition to his artwork, Wilson was a published writer. In the late 1930s, Wilson had numerous conversations about art, politics and current events with novelist Sherwood AndersonSherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer. His most enduring work is the short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio. Writers he has influenced include Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, and Amos Oz.-Early life:Anderson was born in Clyde, Ohio,...
which would become the subject of his piece "A Mural Portrait of Sherwood Anderson." Wilson also published an interview with cartoonist Art Young
Art Young
Arthur "Art" Young was an American cartoonist and writer. He is most famous for his socialist cartoons, especially those drawn for the left wing political magazine The Masses between 1911 and 1917.-Early Years:...
in the summer 1938 issue of Direction Magazine, including portraits of Young both by Wilson and by José Clemente Orozco.
Legacy
The definitive collection of Wilson's work was bequeathed to the Swope Art MuseumSwope Art Museum
The Sheldon Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, was originally funded by a bequest from Michael Sheldon Swope , a Civil War veteran and jeweler who lived in Terre Haute much of his adult life. Planning for the art museum began on September 26, 1939, and the museum was officially open to the...
in Terre Haute after Wilson's death. A 2007 exhibit Gilbert Wilson, Native Son commemorated the centennial of his birth.
External links
- Woodrow Wilson Middle School mural: decoding and explaining the various motifs found within
- Woodrow Wilson Middle School: images on Flickr