Guy Anderson
Encyclopedia
Guy Anderson born in Edmonds, Washington
, was an American
Abstract Expressionism
painter. Along with Kenneth Callahan
, Morris Graves
, William Cumming
, and Mark Tobey
, Anderson was identified in a Life Magazine
article as one of the "northwest mystics," also known as the Northwest School
.
by bus to study their art books.
scholarship and spent the summer studying at the Tiffany estate on Long Island, New York. That year he also met the painter Morris Graves
and they became lifelong friends. At one time these two traveled together to California, and they also spent time painting up near Monte Cristo in the North Cascades. In 1939, Anderson taught at the Spokane Art Center
as part of the Works Progress Administration
(WPA) a Federal Art Project during and after the Great Depression
. Anderson also worked for Dr. Richard Fuller in the Seattle Art Museum during years when it was housed in the Volunteer Park location, which enabled his close inspection of Asian paintings and antiquities.
Anderson later left Seattle and spent the better part of his life in La Conner, where he found inspiration from the vast skies and natural settings of beaches- where he gathered rocks and driftwood that he composed around his rustic home in various assemblages. The American pacific northwest natural world was always a powerful source of inspiration for this painter.
The work ranged across the years, from densely worked and tightly composed figurative images of northwest landscape to large, sweeping brushstrokes with flowing, symbolic and iconographic forms. The male nude-often placed horizontally- figures prominently in many of his paintings. His works are often inspired by,and often titled after, Greek Mythology and Native American iconography.
He began painting large works on roofing paper purchased from the local lumber company. Working with large paper on the floor during this period in the studio above his living room. Anderson used thinned oil paint and large brushes. The scale of the paper enabled his brushstrokes to become expansive and expressive, while its texture gave unexpected complexities which he valued.
In 1975, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
. Among other things, the award supported his travelling in Europe with friends and fellow artists Clayton and Barbara James. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at Seattle Center in 1993, and many who knew him personally considered him a "living treasure." Anderson was a complex, affable, and generous man with a wide ranging mind. His paintings can be read in many ways, but he cherished the premise of the human figure-a prominent feature in many of his works-as being symbolic of the journey of life.
Edmonds, Washington
Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The third most populous city in Snohomish County after Everett and Marysville, the population was 39,709 according to the 2010 census...
, was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Abstract Expressionism
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
painter. Along with Kenneth Callahan
Kenneth Callahan
Kenneth Callahan was a noted 20th century Abstract Expressionism painter, art critic curator, and a founder of the Northwest School....
, Morris Graves
Morris Graves
Morris Cole Graves was an American expressionist painter. Along with Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, William Cumming, and Mark Tobey, he founded the Northwest School. Graves was also a mystic.-Early years:...
, William Cumming
William Cumming (artist)
William "Bill" Cumming is a noted 20th century artist and a founder of the Northwest School....
, and Mark Tobey
Mark Tobey
Mark George Tobey was an American abstract expressionist painter, born in Centerville, Wisconsin. Widely recognized throughout the United States and Europe, Tobey is the most noted among the "mystical painters of the Northwest." Senior in age and experience, Tobey had a strong influence on the...
, Anderson was identified in a Life Magazine
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
article as one of the "northwest mystics," also known as the Northwest School
Northwest School (art)
The Northwest School was an art movement based in small-town Skagit County, Washington, and was at its peak in the 1930s and 1940s.-The big four:...
.
Early life
Anderson grew up in a semi-rural setting north from Seattle, and some of his early paintings portrayed his family home. A piano was an important presence in that house. As a child he used to commute to the Seattle Public LibrarySeattle Public Library
The Seattle Public Library is the public library system serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It was officially established by the city in 1890, though there had been efforts to start a Seattle library as early as 1868. There are 26 branches in the system, most of them named after the neighborhoods in...
by bus to study their art books.
Career
In 1929, he won a Tiffany FoundationThe Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1918 by Louis Comfort Tiffany to operate his estate, Laurelton Hall, in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It was designed to be a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople...
scholarship and spent the summer studying at the Tiffany estate on Long Island, New York. That year he also met the painter Morris Graves
Morris Graves
Morris Cole Graves was an American expressionist painter. Along with Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, William Cumming, and Mark Tobey, he founded the Northwest School. Graves was also a mystic.-Early years:...
and they became lifelong friends. At one time these two traveled together to California, and they also spent time painting up near Monte Cristo in the North Cascades. In 1939, Anderson taught at the Spokane Art Center
Spokane Art Center
The Spokane Art Center in Spokane, Washington, was an art school notable as part of the Works Progress Administration a Federal Art Project during the Great Depression. Opened by Carl Morris in 1939, Guy Anderson taught at the center along with Clyfford Still and sculptor Hilda Grossman...
as part of the Works Progress Administration
Works 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...
(WPA) a Federal Art Project during and after the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Anderson also worked for Dr. Richard Fuller in the Seattle Art Museum during years when it was housed in the Volunteer Park location, which enabled his close inspection of Asian paintings and antiquities.
Anderson later left Seattle and spent the better part of his life in La Conner, where he found inspiration from the vast skies and natural settings of beaches- where he gathered rocks and driftwood that he composed around his rustic home in various assemblages. The American pacific northwest natural world was always a powerful source of inspiration for this painter.
The work ranged across the years, from densely worked and tightly composed figurative images of northwest landscape to large, sweeping brushstrokes with flowing, symbolic and iconographic forms. The male nude-often placed horizontally- figures prominently in many of his paintings. His works are often inspired by,and often titled after, Greek Mythology and Native American iconography.
He began painting large works on roofing paper purchased from the local lumber company. Working with large paper on the floor during this period in the studio above his living room. Anderson used thinned oil paint and large brushes. The scale of the paper enabled his brushstrokes to become expansive and expressive, while its texture gave unexpected complexities which he valued.
In 1975, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. Among other things, the award supported his travelling in Europe with friends and fellow artists Clayton and Barbara James. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at Seattle Center in 1993, and many who knew him personally considered him a "living treasure." Anderson was a complex, affable, and generous man with a wide ranging mind. His paintings can be read in many ways, but he cherished the premise of the human figure-a prominent feature in many of his works-as being symbolic of the journey of life.
External links
- Guy Anderson images and information at Woodside Braseth Gallery