Saturday, April 18, 2015

Art of the American West. Bert Geer Phillips. A-Z Challenge.

Song of the Aspen. c.1926-28.  Bert Geer Phillips. (1868-1956)

Dover Publications Inc. Mineola, New York. Great Paintings of  the American West.


Bert Geer Phillips was an American Artist and founding member of the Taos Society of Artists and was the first to permanently settle in Taos, New Mexico.  Primarily known for his paintings of Native Americans, New Mexico, and the American Southwest.



He was born in Hudson, New York in 1868.  Stories of Kit Carson, and adventures of Western adventure fascinated him while growing up. In later years he said, as a child, you could always find him, paintbrush in hand. When he was sixteen, he moved to New York and attended the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design. Paris was next where he studied at the Academie Julian.



He returned to New York and in 1898, he and Ernest Blumenschein, another noted artist, set out to explore the American West.  After buying equipment in Denver, Colorado, their wagon broke down in Northern New Mexico.  Repairing their wagon in Taos, they decided to stay and open a studio.  Blumenschein left a few months later, but Phillips stayed and created the Taos Society of Artists. (more on Taos on the "T" day of the Challenge.)

13 comments:

  1. His paintings of the First Nation's people captures an ambience that resonates with me. The spirituality of the music and the great outdoors, merging as one.

    Thank you. A peaceful weekend to you.

    Gary

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    1. The painting seems so peaceful. And you can imagine hearing the flute. Phillips loved the Southwest and the people.

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  2. This looks like a very sympathetic portrait of a man perfectly at one with his natural environment. Very warm painting.

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  3. I agree. Nick, with your talent, you could have written a little story about the painting, using the painting as your prompt. "As he played the flute, Running Water forgot the pain of losing his wife. . . ."

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  4. Who's book??? Not the most comfortable place to sit. Great painting though. There really are some fabulous pictures which came out of the exploration of the west.

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  5. That is a beautiful painting. I haven't heard of this artist before.

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  6. Me either, until I did the challenge.

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  7. What a gorgeous piece. Skimmed through all of them to see and there are some albsolutely exceptional pieces.

    This one is so serene and happy.

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  8. Thank you. I agree that there is a sense of calm about the painting besides being so well composed.

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  9. That's a lovely painting and a nice back story to go with it. I like the notion of putting roots where your wagon breaks down!

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    1. Always be flexible and have a plan "B'? Good advice, I think.

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  10. Hi Nat - you're giving us a wonderful range of different artists .. I'm loving seeing these . .and Philips idea of staying put, as Bazza says, make sense .. I'm looking forward to T and finding out more ..

    Cheers HIlary

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    1. Tomorrow, no artists, just some words about the "Indian Removal Act," which I think had to go with the art. I am trying to show the West, warts and all.

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