Granville Redmond
Encyclopedia
Granville Redmond was an American
landscape painter and exponent of Tonalism
and California Impressionism
.
on March 9, 1871 to a hearing family. He contracted Scarlet Fever
at around 2½ to the age of 3; when he recovered, he was found to be deaf. This may have prompted his family's decision to move from the East Coast to San Jose, California: the possibility for his education at the Berkeley School for the Deaf.
, drawing
and pantomime.
When he graduated from CSD, Redmond enrolled at another CSD: the California School of Design in San Francisco, where he worked for three years with teachers such as Arthur Frank Mathews
and Amedee Joullion. He famously won the W. E. Brown Medal of Excellence. He associated with many other artists, including Gottardo Piazzoni
and Giuseppe Cadenasso. Piazzoni learned American Sign Language and he and Redmond were lifelong friends. They lived together in Parkfield, California, and Tiburon.
1893 saw Redmond win a scholarship from California School of the Deaf and from the School of Design, which made it possible for him to study in Paris at the Académie Julian
under teachers Jean-Paul Laurens
and Benjamin Constant. At the Académie Julian
, he roomed with sculptor Douglas Tilden
, famous deaf sculptor and another graduate of the California School for the Deaf. In 1895 in Paris his painting Matin d'Hiver, was accepted for the Paris Salon
.
. Chaplin asked Redmond to help him develop the techniques Chaplin later used in his silent films. Chaplin, impressed with Redmond's skill gave Redmond a studio on the movie lot, collected his paintings, and sponsored him in silent acting roles - the sculptor in City Lights
for example.
During this time Redmond did not neglect his painting. Through Chaplin he met Los Angeles neighbor artists Elmer Wachtel and Norman St. Clair. They showed works at the Spring Exhibition held in San Francisco in 1904. By 1905 Redmond was receiving considerable recognition as a leading landscape painter and bold colorist. His artwork was sometimes compared to Matisse; he loved painting flowers and dark, moody scenes.
He died on May 24, 1935 in Los Angeles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
landscape painter and exponent of Tonalism
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...
and California Impressionism
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:...
.
Early years
Granville Richard Seymour Redmond was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on March 9, 1871 to a hearing family. He contracted Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a disease caused by exotoxin released by Streptococcus pyogenes. Once a major cause of death, it is now effectively treated with antibiotics...
at around 2½ to the age of 3; when he recovered, he was found to be deaf. This may have prompted his family's decision to move from the East Coast to San Jose, California: the possibility for his education at the Berkeley School for the Deaf.
Study
Granville attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley from 1879 to 1890 where his artistic talents were recognized and encouraged. There his teacher Theophilus d'Estrella taught him paintingPainting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and pantomime.
When he graduated from CSD, Redmond enrolled at another CSD: the California School of Design in San Francisco, where he worked for three years with teachers such as Arthur Frank Mathews
Arthur Frank Mathews
Arthur F. Mathews was an American Tonalist painter who was one of the founders of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. Trained as an architect and artist, he and his wife Lucia Kleinhans Mathews had a significant effect on the evolution of Californian art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
and Amedee Joullion. He famously won the W. E. Brown Medal of Excellence. He associated with many other artists, including Gottardo Piazzoni
Gottardo Piazzoni
Gottardo Fidele Piazzoni was a Swiss-born American landscape painter, muralist and sculptor of Italian heritage, a key member of the school of Northern California artists in the early 1900s....
and Giuseppe Cadenasso. Piazzoni learned American Sign Language and he and Redmond were lifelong friends. They lived together in Parkfield, California, and Tiburon.
1893 saw Redmond win a scholarship from California School of the Deaf and from the School of Design, which made it possible for him to study in Paris 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...
under teachers Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens , was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style.Born in Fourquevaux, he was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexandre Bida...
and Benjamin Constant. 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...
, he roomed with sculptor Douglas Tilden
Douglas Tilden
Douglas Tilden was a world-famous sculptor. Tilden was deaf and attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, California . Tilden became deaf at the age of four after a severe bout of scarlet fever...
, famous deaf sculptor and another graduate of the California School for the Deaf. In 1895 in Paris his painting Matin d'Hiver, was accepted for the Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
.
Back in California
In 1898, he returned to California and settled in Los Angeles, where he painted many beautiful beach scenes. He was married in 1899 to Carrie Ann Jean, a former student of the Illinois School for the Deaf. Together they had three children. It is not known if they were deaf or could hear.Working with Chaplin
While living in Los Angeles, he became friends with Charles Chaplin, who admired the natural expressiveness of a Deaf person using American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
. Chaplin asked Redmond to help him develop the techniques Chaplin later used in his silent films. Chaplin, impressed with Redmond's skill gave Redmond a studio on the movie lot, collected his paintings, and sponsored him in silent acting roles - the sculptor in City Lights
City Lights
City Lights is a 1931 American silent film and romantic comedy-drama written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. It also has the leads Virginia Cherrill and Harry Myers. Although "talking" pictures were on the rise since 1928, City Lights was immediately popular. Today, it is thought of...
for example.
During this time Redmond did not neglect his painting. Through Chaplin he met Los Angeles neighbor artists Elmer Wachtel and Norman St. Clair. They showed works at the Spring Exhibition held in San Francisco in 1904. By 1905 Redmond was receiving considerable recognition as a leading landscape painter and bold colorist. His artwork was sometimes compared to Matisse; he loved painting flowers and dark, moody scenes.
He died on May 24, 1935 in Los Angeles.
Collections
- Irvine Museum, California;
- Laguna Art Museum, California;
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art;
- Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University;
- Granville Redmond Gallery, California
- De Young Museum, the Bancroft Library, San Francisco;
- California School for the Deaf;
- New York City Museum, New York;
- Oakland Museum, California.
Awards
- Gold Medal, W. E. Brown Award, California School of Design, 1891
- Medal, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1904;
- Silver Medal, Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition, Seattle, Washington, 1909