The Pastellists
Encyclopedia
The Pastellists was an organization of artists that formed in New York
at the end of 1910 for the purpose of exhibiting artwork produced in the medium of pastel
. The group was short lived, but filled a void in the art scene of the time.
in 1909 and the Exhibition of Independent Artists, organized by Robert Henri
, in 1910, had fostered a desire among artists to present more personal work and exhibit irrespective of the expectations of conservative organizations like the National Academy
. That year, Dabo became leader of The Pastellists.
A diary kept by the secretary/treasurer of the Pastellists, artist Elmer Livingston MacRae, records the activities of the young group during their first two exhibitions. The president was Leon Dabo and the Board of Control included Jerome Myers
, Everett Shinn
, and Juliet Thompson
. Mr. Dabo engaged his lawyer and artist friend Henry Wellington Wack to draw up the papers for incorporation, which were agreed upon at a members meeting on February 15, 1911. There are no known records by MacRae or other artists of the member meetings or the later exhibitions.
The first two exhibitions, were held at the Folsom Galleries and according to the MacRae diaries, met with good reviews and high attendance. The New York Times
said the second show "surpasses in interest its predecessor, which certainly was sufficiently charming." A "striking and important" work was L'enfant a l'orange by Mary Cassatt
; Big Wave Design by Arthur Bowen Davies had "vigor and free handling, with the addition of a feeling for great rhythms".
The daily newspapers chronicled the activities of the Pastellists and we do know that the third exhibition was held at Powell Art Gallery and artists like Arthur B. Davies
, Walt Kuhn
, and Edward Adam Kramer had become regular exhibitors. Guests like Gutzon Borglum
showing some large figure works and Max Weber
with "his cube forms, his weird women, his astonishing color schemes", caused such a stir that one critic wrote that the show was “the best exhibition yet held by the progressive and gifted artists constituting this group.”
The fourth exhibition, held at the National Arts Club
, was a sister exhibit to a Contemporary Art Exhibition held in the main galleries at the same time.
By 1915 the American Art Annual listed the Pastellists as "Inactive." It is notable that several of the members of the Pastellists were the same activist artists that exhibited in the initial, non-juried
MacDowell Club shows, again organized by Robert Henri. Many of these more radical artists came together to create the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, the group that mounted the infamous Armory Show of 1913.
An account states that one evening after a successful day at the second Pastellist exhibition, a few of the artists began to discuss forming a larger organization of artists, that would include not only easel painter but sculptors as well. The new organization was to exist for the express purpose of mounting large scale exhibitions, using the same progressive ideas of the Pastellists and the MacDowell exhibits, creating shows that would rival the more conservative juried exhibitions of the National Academy
. Like the American Painters and Sculptors, the Pastellists may not have been in existence very long but the impact they had on the American art scene, reached far into the future.
and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at the end of 1910 for the purpose of exhibiting artwork produced in the medium of pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
. The group was short lived, but filled a void in the art scene of the time.
History
Many artists worked in pastel but few organizations were promoting or including pastel works in their annual exhibitions. The exhibit at the Rand School, organized by Leon DaboLeon Dabo
Leon Dabo was an American tonalist landscape artist best known for his paintings of New York, particularly the Hudson Valley. His paintings were known for their feeling of spaciousness, with large areas of the canvas that had little but land, sea, or clouds...
in 1909 and the Exhibition of Independent Artists, organized by Robert Henri
Robert Henri
Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. He was a leading figure of the Ashcan School in art.- Early life :...
, in 1910, had fostered a desire among artists to present more personal work and exhibit irrespective of the expectations of conservative organizations like the National Academy
National academy
A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but also the humanities. Typically the country's learned societies in...
. That year, Dabo became leader of The Pastellists.
A diary kept by the secretary/treasurer of the Pastellists, artist Elmer Livingston MacRae, records the activities of the young group during their first two exhibitions. The president was Leon Dabo and the Board of Control included Jerome Myers
Jerome Myers
Jerome Myers was a U.S. artist and writer. Born in Petersburg, Virginia and raised in Philadelphia, Trenton and Baltimore, he spent his adult life in New York City. Jerome worked briefly as an actor and scene painter, then studied art at Cooper Union and the Art Students League where his main...
, Everett Shinn
Everett Shinn
Everett Shinn was an American realist painter and member of the Ashcan School, also known as 'the Eight.' He was the youngest member of the group of modernist painters who explored the depiction of real life...
, and Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.-Early life and education:...
. Mr. Dabo engaged his lawyer and artist friend Henry Wellington Wack to draw up the papers for incorporation, which were agreed upon at a members meeting on February 15, 1911. There are no known records by MacRae or other artists of the member meetings or the later exhibitions.
The first two exhibitions, were held at the Folsom Galleries and according to the MacRae diaries, met with good reviews and high attendance. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said the second show "surpasses in interest its predecessor, which certainly was sufficiently charming." A "striking and important" work was L'enfant a l'orange by Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists...
; Big Wave Design by Arthur Bowen Davies had "vigor and free handling, with the addition of a feeling for great rhythms".
Arthur B. Davies
Arthur Bowen Davies was an avant-garde American artist and patron.-Biography:He was born in Utica, New York and studied at the Chicago Academy of Design from 1879 to 1882...
, Walt Kuhn
Walt Kuhn
Walt Kuhn was an American painter and was an organizer of the modern art Armory Show of 1913, which was the first of its genre in America.-Biography:Kuhn was born in Brooklyn, New York City...
, and Edward Adam Kramer had become regular exhibitors. Guests like Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art.- Background :The son of Mormon Danish immigrants, Gutzon...
showing some large figure works and Max Weber
Max Weber (artist)
For the social theorist and philosopher, see Max WeberMax Weber was a Jewish-American painter who worked in the style of cubism before migrating to Jewish themes towards the end of his life.-Biography:...
with "his cube forms, his weird women, his astonishing color schemes", caused such a stir that one critic wrote that the show was “the best exhibition yet held by the progressive and gifted artists constituting this group.”
The fourth exhibition, held at the National Arts Club
National Arts Club
The National Arts Club is a private club in Gramercy Park, New York City, New York, USA. It was founded in 1898 to "stimulate, foster, and promote public interest in the arts and to educate the American people in the fine arts". Since 1906 the organization has occupied the Samuel J...
, was a sister exhibit to a Contemporary Art Exhibition held in the main galleries at the same time.
By 1915 the American Art Annual listed the Pastellists as "Inactive." It is notable that several of the members of the Pastellists were the same activist artists that exhibited in the initial, non-juried
Juried (competition)
A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
MacDowell Club shows, again organized by Robert Henri. Many of these more radical artists came together to create the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, the group that mounted the infamous Armory Show of 1913.
An account states that one evening after a successful day at the second Pastellist exhibition, a few of the artists began to discuss forming a larger organization of artists, that would include not only easel painter but sculptors as well. The new organization was to exist for the express purpose of mounting large scale exhibitions, using the same progressive ideas of the Pastellists and the MacDowell exhibits, creating shows that would rival the more conservative juried exhibitions of the National Academy
National academy
A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but also the humanities. Typically the country's learned societies in...
. Like the American Painters and Sculptors, the Pastellists may not have been in existence very long but the impact they had on the American art scene, reached far into the future.
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigmentPigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process.