R. H. Ives Gammell
Encyclopedia
Robert Hale Ives Gammell (1893–1981), American muralist, portrait painter, art teacher, and writer on art, was born in Providence, Rhode Island
in 1893. In 1911, he enrolled in the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It was there that he made contact with painters who had been trained in Europe, particularly with William Paxton
, who had himself been a student of Jean-Léon Gérôme
's at The Ecole des Beaux-Arts
in Paris. Among his other teachers were Edmund Tarbell, Joseph DeCamp
, Philip Hale. Later, he studied at the Académie Julian
and the Atelier Baschet in Paris.
, he returned to Boston and began his painting career in earnest in 1920, executing commissions for decorations and portraits and pursuing his passion for travel in Europe and North Africa. Upon returning to the United States after his last trip to Europe in 1930, he began painting large canvasses on mythological and Biblical themes. However, he soon realized that he was completely out of step with the times and under the stress of this oppressive realization as well as the stress of the impending war in Europe, he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1939. He made a slow recovery, and was aided in this process by the writings of Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung.
During the War years, he began work on his book, The Twilight of Painting, and also started making plans for what would become his magnum opus, a series of paintings based on Francis Thompson
's poem "The Hound of Heaven
." This work was completed in 1956 and is know under the title, A Pictorial Sequence by R. H. Ives Gammell Based on The Hound of Heaven. In 1950, he founded the Gammell Studios to ensure that the traditions of painting as he knew them would be preserved and perpetuated. For the next two and a half decades, he continued to devote his life to teaching and painting. He died in 1981.
Gammell was one of the last American artists to receive a classical training in art. He has a place in the history of American Realism
not only because of this, but also because as a writer and teacher he embodied the values and teachings of the previous centuries as he had received them and passed them on to his students. Many of his students became fine painters and, teachers who have continued his work of passing the tradition on to future generations.
and a member of the National Society of Mural Painters
.
Ackerman, Gerald M. and Peter Bougie. ”The Gammell-Ackerman letters: A Correspondence of 1967-1969.” Classical Realism Journal, Vol. I, No. 1, pp. 18–33.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
in 1893. In 1911, he enrolled in the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It was there that he made contact with painters who had been trained in Europe, particularly with William Paxton
William Paxton
William Paxton may refer to:* William Paxton , cellist* William McGregor Paxton , American painter* Bill Paxton , actor* William F. Paxton III , politician...
, who had himself been a student of Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academicism. The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits and other subjects, bringing the Academic painting tradition to an artistic climax.-Life:Jean-Léon Gérôme was born...
's at The Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris. Among his other teachers were Edmund Tarbell, Joseph DeCamp
Joseph DeCamp
Joseph Rodefer DeCamp was an American painter.-Biography:Born in Cincinnati, Ohio where he studied with Frank Duveneck. In the second half of the 1870s he went with Duveneck and fellow students to the Royal Academy of Munich...
, Philip Hale. Later, he studied 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...
and the Atelier Baschet in Paris.
Career
After serving in the U.S. Army during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he returned to Boston and began his painting career in earnest in 1920, executing commissions for decorations and portraits and pursuing his passion for travel in Europe and North Africa. Upon returning to the United States after his last trip to Europe in 1930, he began painting large canvasses on mythological and Biblical themes. However, he soon realized that he was completely out of step with the times and under the stress of this oppressive realization as well as the stress of the impending war in Europe, he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1939. He made a slow recovery, and was aided in this process by the writings of Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung.
During the War years, he began work on his book, The Twilight of Painting, and also started making plans for what would become his magnum opus, a series of paintings based on Francis Thompson
Francis Thompson
Francis Thompson was an English poet and ascetic. After attending college, he moved to London to become a writer, but in menial work, became addicted to opium, and was a street vagrant for years. A married couple read his poetry and rescued him, publishing his first book, Poems in 1893...
's poem "The Hound of Heaven
Hound of Heaven
The Hound of Heaven is a 182 line poem written by English poet Francis Thompson. The poem became famous and was the source of much of Thompson's posthumous reputation. The poem was first published in Thompson's first volume of poems in 1893. It was included in the Oxford Book of English Mystical...
." This work was completed in 1956 and is know under the title, A Pictorial Sequence by R. H. Ives Gammell Based on The Hound of Heaven. In 1950, he founded the Gammell Studios to ensure that the traditions of painting as he knew them would be preserved and perpetuated. For the next two and a half decades, he continued to devote his life to teaching and painting. He died in 1981.
Gammell was one of the last American artists to receive a classical training in art. He has a place in the history of American Realism
Realism (visual arts)
Realism in the visual arts is a style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see. The term is used in different senses in art history; it may mean the same as illusionism, the representation of subjects with visual mimesis or verisimilitude, or may mean an emphasis on the actuality of...
not only because of this, but also because as a writer and teacher he embodied the values and teachings of the previous centuries as he had received them and passed them on to his students. Many of his students became fine painters and, teachers who have continued his work of passing the tradition on to future generations.
Writings
Besides The Twilight of Painting, he is author of The Shoptalk of Edgar Degas and The Boston Painters 1900-1930. He was a past president of the Guild of Boston ArtistsThe Guild of Boston Artists
The Guild of Boston Artists was founded in 1914 by a handful of Boston artists working in the academic and realist traditions. Among the founding members were Frank Weston Benson, William McGregor Paxton and Edmund C. Tarbell, who served as its first president through 1924...
and a member of the National Society of Mural Painters
National Society of Mural Painters
The National Society of Mural Painters is an American artists' organization founded in 1895, originally known as The Mural Painters. The charter of the society is to advance the techniques and standards for the design and execution of mural art for the enrichment of architecture in the United...
.
Books and articles about R. H. Ives Gammell
Ackerman, Gerald M. and Elizabeth Ives Hunter. Transcending Vision: R. H. Ives Gammell 1893-1981. Portland, OR: Powells Books, 2001.Ackerman, Gerald M. and Peter Bougie. ”The Gammell-Ackerman letters: A Correspondence of 1967-1969.” Classical Realism Journal, Vol. I, No. 1, pp. 18–33.
External links
- R. H. Ives Gammell: The Hound of Heaven by Elizabeth Ives Hunter
- Transcending Vision: A Retrospective of the Works of American Realist Painter R.H. Ives Gammell
- R. H. Ives Gammell's Obituary in the New York Times.
- A Selection of Works by R. H. Ives Gammell
- R. H. Ives Gammell at the Childs Gallery
Miscellaneous Writings by R. H. Ives Gammell
- A Clarion Call for Daylight in Picture Galleries, by R. H. Ives Gammell
- The Diaries of R. H. Ives Gammell at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art