Monday, October 25, 2010

Edmund Tarbell


In a previous post, I spoke of Thomas Dewing and highlighted some of his extraordinary paintings. Dewing was a member of a small group of elite painters in the New York/Boston area known as the Ten American Painters (referred to mostly as "The Ten").

Seated (left to right): Edward Simmons, Willard L. Metcalf, Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, Robert Reid
Standing (left to right): William Merritt Chase, Frank W. Benson, Edmund C. Tarbell, Thomas Dewing, Joseph De Camp

Another member of this group was Edmund Tarbell. He was born near Boston and graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, along with two other artists that would also became members of The Ten, Robert Reid and Frank Benson. After continuing his studies and traveling in France and throughout Europe, he returned to Boston and soon after held the position of his former teacher, Otto Grundmann (Edmund was 26!).




Tarbell also co-founded The Guild of Boston Artists in 1914, and in 1919 became the principal of the art school at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in D.C.


Most of the examples here are of his interior figures which he painted later in his life. I can see some similarities to the work of Dewing, and I wonder if that was the composition and subject style of the time, or if "The Ten" influenced each others works and subject matter. In either event, I absolutely love these paintings.








More on Edmund Tarbell:
Art Renewal Center
Wikipedia
flickr

More on "The Ten"
Antiques and Fine Art Article
Amazon
Wikipedia

4 comments:

Woodward Simons said...

Saw many of these works at the Currier exhibit - years ago now. Went back to the show 6 times!

Christopher Volpe said...

Tarbell gave us such gems.... Love his tonal impressionist style. SO Boston School. Apparently he lived in New Castle, NH, which is just a few miles from me. The Currier has at least one on permanent view.

Faith said...

You might wish to put in a link to Frank Benson, another of the Ten
www.frankwbenson.com

Person of Interest said...

Who wouldn't love an Edmund C. Tarbell painting hanging in the house? It's probably just as well I can't afford one, because I probably wouldn't be able to tear myself away from its mesmerizing spell, like Narcissus transfixed by his own reflection.