|
William Bliss Baker (November 27, 1859〔Turnure. Paragraph 7. "William Bliss Baker.—One of the prize winners in the National Academy exhibition of 1884, Mr. Baker, has been selected as a worthy exponent of our best landscape art. Though a young man, not yet twenty-five years of age, he has already acquired an enviable reputation in the art world. Born November 27th, 1859, at New York he began his course of study in the National Academy Schools in 1876 and first exhibited at the Academy in 1879. Since then he has had work in the exhibitions of Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Louisville, the Society of American Artists, the Water Color Society and the Salmagundi Club. His principal pictures are Woodland Brook, In the old Pasture, Silence, Woodland Study, Green Pasture—July, April Sunshine, November Gray, April Snow, Brook in Spring."〕 – November 20, 1886)〔 was an award-winning American artist who began painting just as the Hudson River school was winding down. Baker began his studies in 1876 at the National Academy of Design, where he studied with Bierstadt and de Haas.〔〔 He later maintained studios in Clifton Park, New York, and New York City, where he painted in oils and watercolors. He completed more than 130 paintings, including several works in black and white. Baker was just beginning to hit his stride as a landscape painter〔 when he died at his father's house at Hoosick Falls, New York, at the age of 26.〔 The ''New York Times'' said that his death "deprived America of one of its most promising artists."〔 ==Biography== Baker was born November 27, 1859, in New York City, the son of Yale alum Benjamin Franklin Baker (b. 1834) and Harriette Luisa Bayeux (married 1857). Harriette was descended from well-to-do Huguenots who moved from France to New York before the American Revolutionary War. Benjamin's father was Ellis Baker (1793-1873), director of the Albany City Bank, Albany Mutual Insurance Company, and People's Line Steamboats, as well as founder of Albany Rural Cemetery and Albany Hospital. He also operated stagecoach lines from Albany to Boston as well as north and west of Albany.〔 Benjamin served during the American Civil War as a colonel in the 43rd Regiment of the New York State Volunteers. Later, he commanded the Light Division of Sixth Corps (part of the Army of the Potomac) as a Brevet Brigadier General. He was noted for his bravery during the charge at Marye's Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg. After the war, he joined the Loyal Legion, then served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1880 to 1882.〔 William's best-known brother was Captain Guy Ellis Baker (b. 1858), who married Louisa Irene Palma Di Cesnola,〔 daughter of Civil War Medal of Honor recipient General Louis Palma di Cesnola. His other brothers included Benjamin Henry (b. 1869), George Clinton (b. 1872), and Ashley Bayeux (b. 1877).〔 Baker spent much of his boyhood in the town of Ballston Spa, and he discovered the property where he would build his summer studio while fishing with a friend on Ballston Lake. For four years beginning in 1876, Baker studied at the National Academy of Design, where he studied with Albert Bierstadt and Mauritz F. H. de Haas.〔〔〔 In 1879, he won the Elliott prize during his first exhibit.〔 In 1885, Baker won the Hallgarten Prize for his ''Woodland Brook''.〔"Monthly Record of American Art". ''The Magazine of Art'': xxii. "He was a pupil of the New York National Academy of Design, where he took the Elliott prize in 1879, and in 1885 he won the Hallgarten prize with his landscape, 'The Woodland Brook.'"〕 By 1881, Baker had built a summer studio named "The Castle"〔〔The home/studio built by Baker has had multiple names over the years, including "The Castle", "Smith's Castle", and "The Haunted Castle". See ''Ye Olde Days'' by Briaddy.〕 on the east side of Ballston Lake in the town of Clifton Park, north of Albany, New York. The studio was designed to have excellent views of the Catskill and Berkshire Mountains, and had excellent natural lighting.〔 The Clifton Park Historic Preservation Commission awarded "The Castle" its Historic Designation plaque,〔 Note: Listed as #17.〕 and a "Clifton Park Register of Historic Places" sign also marks the studio property. The home is now a private residence, and it is not open to the public. Baker also had a studio in the Knickerbocker Building in New York City. Baker was just beginning to hit his stride as a landscape painter in the Realism movement when he died on November 20, 1886〔 at the age of 26〔Regarding his death, some sources state he was in his 27th year (which means he was 26), and others state he was 27 years old. The book ''Art Year Book 1884: American Art'' gives his actual birthdate, however, so we know he was 26 when he died just a week shy of his 27th birthday.〕 of a cold at his father's house at Hoosick Falls, New York after sustaining injuries while ice skating.〔〔 His final work was ''Meadow Brook''. Baker completed over 130 paintings in his career.〔 A contemporary art critic noted that his death was "a distinct loss to American art" and the ''New York Times'' stated that his death "deprived America of one of its most promising artists."〔 He is buried in a family plot in Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, New York (see image, right). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Bliss Baker」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|