The Inquisitive Aesthete

Tag: hawaiian art

  • William Henry Drake: Brought The World To Life And Ended In A Suffocating Death

    Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

    William Henry Drake: From Lions to Lava, A Life in Art

    William Henry Drake (1856-1926) was a renowned American artist who captured the majesty and power of animals and landscapes in his paintings. Though born in New York City, Drake considered Cincinnati his home, having moved there at a young age. His artistic passion emerged early, leading him to study at the McMicken School of Design. His fascination with animals, particularly lions, began to take shape there.

    Artistic Journey Begins

    Drake’s artistic journey took him back to New York in 1882. He spent countless hours sketching at the zoological gardens in Central Park and the Bronx, meticulously observing the creatures’ anatomy and habits. However, he quickly discovered the market for animal-themed works was limited. He continued to hone his skills with general illustration for several years before embarking on a transformative trip.

    In 1887 and 1889, he studied at the prestigious Julian Academy in Paris, further refining his technique. He also took this opportunity to travel through Europe, enriching his artistic perspective.

    A true adventurer, Drake undertook a 10,000-mile expedition to Alaska in 1893, gathering inspiration for his art amidst the rugged wilderness. This spirit of exploration continued with a sketching trip to the Catalina Islands to study seals.

    Jungle Book Commission

    A defining moment in Drake’s career came with the illustration of Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book.” This project allowed him to fully embrace his love for depicting the animal kingdom. Following this success, Drake transitioned from illustration to focus on painting. His canvases, featuring creatures from wild habitats, garnered significant public appreciation and critical acclaim.

    Drake’s artistic achievements were recognized through numerous awards and exhibitions. He received honors at the Paris Exposition, the Salmagundi Club, and the American Watercolor Society. Paintings like “The First Born” and “The Royal Family” solidified his reputation as a master of animal portraiture.

    Beyond Lions

    He also proved to be a highly diversified artist, having painted landscapes during his travels. One such painting is a 1913 work of a Hawaii volcano. This painting is believed to have been executed during a round-the-world trip from New York to Madeira to the Catalina islands, including a stop in Honolulu. This global adventure demonstrated Drake’s artistic curiosity and willingness to explore subjects beyond the animal kingdom. One hundred and twenty-five of these watercolors were exhibited in April 1915 in New York under the title “Around The World.”

    Associations

    Drake was a member of prestigious art organizations, including the New York Art League, American Watercolor Society, New York Watercolor Society, Salmagundi Club, and the Artists’ Fund Society.

    A Tragic End

    We might speculate Drake had been suffering from some type of debilitating disease. Although a note was left for his niece at the time, we do not know what words it contained. On January 23rd, 1926, at the age of 70, William Henry Drake locked himself inside his studio’s closet. He took with him a container of illuminating gas, the highly toxic fuel used in lamps at the time, which tragically ended his life by asphyxiation.

    From Lions to Lava, William Henry Drake’s legacy as an artist who breathed life and majesty into creatures and landscapes endures through his paintings.

    Facebooktwitterlinkedinrssinstagram

  • Jules Tavernier’s first Hawaii volcano paintings?

    Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

    Buring Lake of Kilauea

    Jules Tavernier painted Burning Lake of Kilauea in November 1884. He was commissioned by Mr. Edward Macfarlane of The Wasp magazine and Pacific Commercial Advertiser to compose two oil paintings of the Kilauea volcano.i Tavernier had yet to travel to Hawai’i (Sandwich Islands) and see the volcanoes firsthand. The two volcano paintings are inspired by photos and his imagination, as many of his significant works were.

    Chromolithographic created

    The Burning Lake of Kilauea painting was turned into a 14-color chromolithographic Figure 1. supplement for the 1884 Christmas issue of The Wasp publication.ii

    Burning Lake of Kilauea by Jules Tavernier 1884
    Figure 1. Based on the painting by Jules Tavernier, and supplement to the 1884 Christmas issue of The WASP. Schmidt Label & Litho. Co. One surviving original print is in the Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection at Stanford University Libraries. Image Copyright © Stanford University.

    In the early 1880s, influenced by illustrations in Harper’s Weekly and William Alexander Coulter, Tavernier began to create volcano studies. The San Francisco Chronicle had the following to say about the Macfarlane commissions.

    “…very effective illustrations of the chaotic and terror inspiring state of things witnessed by the Hawaiians in 1880, and are said by visitors to the Islands at that time to be very truthful in drawing and coloring. The painting might seem strange to one who knows that Jules was never a sojourner at the home of the Kanakas; but there is really nothing wonderful about it, when we reflect on the fact that some of his most successful pictures are those of landscapes upon which he has never set eye.” iii

    Those studies are what generated Tavernier’s pull to Hawaii. Tavernier would not lay his own eyes on a Hawaii volcano until January 6th, 1885, when he and Joseph D. Strong would make their first sketching trip.iv

    Surviving examples

    There are currently three surviving examples of Buring Lake of Kilauea. The chromolithograph in figure 1., and two oil paintings.

    The first painting is a large 36×22 inch oil on canvas still with its original 19th-century Victorian gold leaf frame from the Michael Horikawa Fine Art collection. Figure 2

    Burning Lake of Kilauea by Jules Tavernier
    Figure 2. Burning Lake of Kilauea 1884 oil on canvas. Provenance Michael Horikawa Fine Art. Image Copyright © DerSeul, LLC

    The second is a smaller picture reportedly from the late Harry Miura collection.v Figure 3.

    Figure 3. From the late Harry Miura collection. Oil on canvas laid on board. 15 x 9 5/8 inches. Sold in 2013 by Mauna Kea Galleries

    Attributing Burning Lake of Kilauea

    Recalling that Macfarlane commissioned two volcano paintings, we can speculate attribution to the two examples above.

    Given that only two oil paintings of the chromolithographic scene have emerged in over one-hundred and twenty-five years gives strength to the attribution. Moreover, both paintings are similar enough to be precursors worthy of mass duplication in The Wasp.

    • [i] The Pacific Commercial Advertiser – 11 Nov 1884, Page 2
    • [ii] The Pacific Commercial Advertiser – 30 Dec 1884, Page 2
    • [iii] California Art Research Volume Four, WPA Project 2874, January 1937, Page 20
    • [iv] The Honolulu Advertiser (Honolulu, Hawaii) – Jan 6, 1885, Page 3
    • [v] WorthPoint.com Auction History “Important Hawaii Kilauea Volcano Oil on Jules Tavernier Canvas” Oct 06, 2013
    Facebooktwitterlinkedinrssinstagram

  • ART OF THE BLASINGAME’S

    Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

    I’m at the point in my research and confident enough to say I am the unofficial knowledge expert on the artists known as Marguerite Louis Blasingame and Frank Marvin Blasingame.

    These two were nearly forgotten, and although my research has stirred up renewed interest, there is still a large amount of misinformation surrounding these two. Having compiled more than a thousand pages of notes and documents, I will help set the record straight in a book I am writing.

    Marguerite and Frank came from notable bourgeois families in Hawaii and California. They fell in love while working in theater in the 1920s. They married under what appears to be discrete circumstances and together chose to say goodbye to their love of theater in pursuit of becoming visual artists. It is a love story.

    I will provide many details on intriguing events including, and far from limited to, why Hawaii’s first frescoes were destroyed and the struggle to save them. Marguerite was lauded as a great sculptress, but what did her heart desire most in the visual arts spectrum, and what nickname did she loath? What happened to Frank after leaving the islands, and what influenced his highly unique suridealist paintings. What prompted his final move to an unfamiliar state on the other side of the country only to die shortly after arrival?

    I will shed light on the elite artists and circles that influenced Marguerite and Frank Blasingame. Provide details on the art they collaborated on, and artworks they fought attribution over. I will also reveal long-lost Blasingame pieces never published. Finally, I will help provide a more apparent distinction between who executed which “Blasingame” works.

    Ultimately I hope the book shines new light and interest on these two fascinating artists who are both due proper recognition.

    Stay tuned…

    Facebooktwitterlinkedinrssinstagram