Contemporary Woodcuts 1932 - Traveling Exhibition

Alfred Fowler learned about the wood blocks of Richardson Rome through the Alden Galleries and John Bender. When Fowler assembled the first exhibition of Contemporary Woodcuts in 1932, Rome's work was included, along with wood blocks by Fred Geary.

In his introduction to Prints 1490-1995, The Collections of the Nelson-Adkins Museum, curator George L. McKenna spoke about the traveling exhibits arranged by the Woodcut Society, "In addition, the Society sponsored traveling exhibitions, opening in Kansas City, in 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1936, of woodcuts by contemporary American and European artists. Participants submitted two impressions of each of their prints, one for circulation and one for a permanent collection. The latter, comprising 212 examples, was presented to the (Nelson-Adkins) Museum between 1935 and 1939, forming the nucleus of our holdings of modern woodcuts." (The Collections of the Nelson-Adkins Museum of Art: Prints, 1460-1995 by George L. McKenna, 1996, pg.xi, courtesy of Carrollton Public Library, 1 North Folger Street, Carrollton, Missouri, United States, accessed December 31, 2010)


In his publication The Story of The Woodcut Society (1934) John Bender noted, while the commissioned prints by the Society were important, "its annual exhibitions are of considerable importance to the arts of the woodcut in general. Woodcuts designed or cut during the calendar year are eligible and the shows are called Exhibitions of Contemporary Woodcuts to indicate that they include current prints only. The exhibition for the 1932 traveled for a year and a half and was viewed by thousands of people in a dozen of our cities. The exhibition for 1933 is now being shown under the auspices of the College Art Association. No prizes are offered, but it is thought that the artists benefit greatly by having their prints brought to the attention of so many people and a considerable number of sales usually result. All inquiries for the purchase of prints are referred directly to the artists themselves and no commission is charged, since the Society has nothing to do with the matter after referring it to the artist who work is involved." (excerpt from The Story of The Woodcut Society, October 1934, p. 9, edited by John Bender and published by the Alden Galleries, 1026 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri, courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th Street, Kansas City, MO, accessed December 4, 2010. Colored type has been added by me.)

popularity - team work - Alden Galleries - Art Institute

The Alden Galleries brought popularity back to Kansas City. People were talking about etchings that once only New Yorkers had been privileged to see. Homes were opening up to Levon West, Albrecht Durer, Daumier, Frank Brangwyn, James McNeil Whistler, Samuel Palmer, Margaret Kirmse, Anders Zorn, Charles Meryon, Joseph Pennell, Piransi, and Francesco Goya. No longer were exquisite works restricted to the Eastern galleries alone. The popularity of one such exhibition was a case in point. It was the largest number of people....ever gathered together at one time in Kansas City.....to view a one man art exhibition...Over two thousand people thronged to see the etchings, water colors, and oils by Frank W. Benson at the Art Institute. The Alden Galleries played a big part in bringing the best works to the city.

Bender pointed out in his Fine Prints publication that the teamwork of a few helped make the event successful for many. Mr. Holland of the Art Institute gave of his time, Mrs. M.K. Powell of the Kansas City Star gave wise counsel, and Mrs. Charles M. Bush provided music between film showings.

At every opportunity Bender made his audience curious. Were you one of those who saw the film of Mr. Benson making an etching? You will be interested to know that we have "one of his original copper plates." All you will have to do...in order to complete your knowledge of the process of etching...will be to come in...and examine "the actual plate." You will want to do this, while the picture is still fresh in your mind!!  (What a tease.)

(Fine Prints, February 1932, Vol.1, No. 3, pp. 4-8, courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO, accessed December 4, 2010. Egon & Joan Teichert Fine Prints, http://www.eteichertfineprints.com/searchartist.php?inartist=Frank W. Benson, accessed December 29, 2010.) 

passing on curiousity - john bender

John Bender was a connoisseur like Alfred Fowler. "One who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge."  As such, he gained much pleasure from learning how an etching or an engraving was created, what kind of metal plate was used, how the ink was prepared, the type of papers used for printing, and the different impressions that could be made from the same plate. He acquired reference books. Some of which were difficult to find. His library had a number of out-of-print volumes.

 

Bender was curious and more than eager to pass on this contagious attribute to ordinary folks like you and I. Through small booklets you could hold in your hand, 4 3/4 by 6 inches, you were given access to an exciting world. 

From 1931 to 1936, Bender made it his quest to entertain and spread curiosity through his monthly volume called Fine Prints. Double click on text sections to see it larger.

For more on Levon West, click HERE.

On occasion Bender used humor.

 

(definition on connoisseur, www.Merriam-Webster.com, accessed December 23, 2010. Fine Prints, December 1931, pg 2-6, February 1932, pg.22, courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO, accessed December 4, 2010. Private Holdings, http://privatelibraryholdings.com/id84.html, accessed November 19, 2010. C.A. Seward, 1884 - 1939, http://www.casewardprintmaker.com/artists_letters/Levon_West_lttrs_2_2_2.html, accessed December 26, 2010)

K.C.S.O.A.

Art matron Gertrude Woolf Lighton refurbished a property on the West Bluffs to provide a permanent headquarters for the Kansas City Society of Artists. Her involvement with the arts went all the way back to the 1896 Paint Club, under George Van Millet.  Among others, two collegues, Alfred Houghton Clark

and author Floy Campbell, were given exhibits. Through her connections with John H. Bender of the Alden Galleries, she was able to add wood block artist Richardson Rome, to the art colony's roster. Double click on image to enlarge.

  Through her patronage of the Art Institute she made it possible for women artists to work out of inexpensive studios and exhibit at 1718 Holly Street as well.

Fred Geary found himself drawn into this community. "It was fourteen years before much thought could be given to advancement in other directions. Yet being thirty-five years old would in no way deter him from finer accomplishment. Definite impulses of the early 1930s beckoned to a new horizon in artistic goals and associations. He (Geary) was treasurer of The Kansas City Society of Artists, about 1933, and showed genuine interest in the organizations's activities."  Ernest H. Deines, 1946

(G.W. Lighton history courtesy of J D Mooney of Kansas City, MO, interviewed September 11, 2010. Photo of G.W. Lighton and history courtesy Linda Lighton of Kansas City, MO, interviewed October 3, 2010. Kansas City, Missouri: its history and its people 1808-1908 by Carrie Westlake Whitney, page 601, Google Books, accessed October 17, 2010. Fred Geary, Missouri Wood Engraver by E.H. Deines, 1946, unpublished, page three, courtesy of Ms. Jane Metz and the Carrollton Public Library, Carrollton, MO, accessed January 10, 2010. Kansas City's Historic Hyde Park, 4012 Holmes Street, accessed December 16, 2010. Private Library Holding, http://privatelibraryholdings.com/id84.html, accessed November 19, 2010. Minnesota Prints And Printmakers, 1900-1945 by Robert Crump, Minnesota Historical Society, accessed November 18, 2010. The Literary World: A Monthly Review Of Current Literature, Volume 30 by Samuel R. Crocker, Edward Abbott, Madeline Vaughan Abbott Bushnell ("Mrs. C.E. Bushnell,") Nicholas Paine Gilman, Bliss Carman, Herbert Copeland, page 410, accessed December 15, 2010)

entries accepted

   One artist creates from materials and keeps it out of public view. Another artist looks for places where his work can be seen by others. He may enter his work into a "no jury" exhibition, where "everything" is accepted, and no entry is rejected. He may pay money to be part of a group that will show his work on a rotating basis. These opportunities are valid and have their place. Getting exposure in public is important if you want others to know what kind of art you do, and gain collectors for your work. But the artist who submits his work into a "juried" competition has his work measured by certain standards, looked over and judged by a jury of professionals in a given field. That work is then included in a group with other accepted works or is turned down and returned to its creator. Risk is involved. There are forms to fill out, shipping expenses, and usually a fee for entry. But those works accepted into a juried exhibition are given special recognition for their skill.

   In 1929 Fred Geary had two watercolors accepted in a juried exhibition. Entries came in from the Midwest region, including Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado. Two hundred and ninety-three entries were accepted by the jury. And about the same number of other entries were turned away. The Kansas City Art Institute hosted the event and acquired art department directors from Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma to do the judging. Categories included oil paintings, watercolors, sculpture, metalwork, jewelry, terracotta, textile decoration, batik, leather work and book binding, and prints created by dry point, etching, lithograph, linoleum cuts, and woodcuts.

   In 1931 Geary had his first woodcut accepted in the exhibition. Since the annual exhibitions began in 1922, it is likely that Geary saw woodcuts made by other print makers from the previous years. He may have talked to and become friends with some of them. Here is a list of those print makers, the specific print medium entered, and accepted titles. When possible I have included a link or example of a work by that print maker.

Who influenced Geary has yet to be determined. But it is known that in the Middle West region many people were producing woodcut entries. Click on images to see them larger.

The Railroads - left leaf of book liner

The Railroads - right leaf of book liner

Sheila Ellsworth Burlingame (1894-1969) was a painter, block printer, and later a sculptor. Her given address was 3664 Washington Ave, St. Louis, Missouri. She had TEN ACCEPTED WOODCUTS in the 1922 exhibit. Those included Waterfall, Sketch, The Matador, Tight Rope Artist, Cinderella, Adam and Eve, The Siesta, Snake Charmer, Between Acts, Sun Dancer.

Her "Sun Dancer" received a Gold Medal for Graphic Arts from the KCAI Guild, and was owned by Mary Powell of St. Louis.

Front Cover- Woodcut

Back Cover -Woodcut

A sample of her woodcuts can be seen in "From The Day's Journey" by Harry Rosecrans Burke, published in 1924 by the William Harvey Miner Company. Block images ranged in size from 5 1/2" by 4 1/2 inches to 11 by 16 inches.

        William Marion Reedy 
        A Portrait Study - woodcut (p.48)

       Midsummer Night 
       And A Slum  
       excerpt from Harold Burke (p. 76)

         Garden Glimpse 
         An Impression - woodcut (p.60)

       Nocturne 
       In Black And Gold 
       excerpt from Harold Burke (p.31)

             The Pain Killer - woodcut (p.30)

Burlingame created woodcuts for the St. Louis Dispatch newspaper from 1923 - 1924, according to Susan V. Craig, Art librarian of the University of Kansas.(accessed Friday, September 10th, 2010 from http://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/dspace/bitstream/1808/1028/1/BDKAversion1.pdf.)

(woodcut image courtesy of Jason D. Stratman, Assistant Reference Librarian, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, MO, received by mail November 2, 2010)

(above text courtesy of Jason D. Stratman, Assistant Reference Librarian, Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, MO, received by mail November 2, 2010) 

Harry Muir Kurtzworth (1887-1979) had one xylograph (or woodcut) accepted in the 1922 show entitled "Quietude," along with two pastels. He served as director of the Kansas City Art institute from 1922 to 1924. FIVE of his color wood block prints were accepted in the 1919 exhibition with twenty-two American Artists at the Detroit Institute of The Arts. ("A History Of Community Achievement, 1885-1964," courtesy of Jannes Library, Kansas City Art Institute, 4538 Warwick Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, accessed Saturday, October 9th, 2010; Detroit Institute, accessed Friday, September 10th, 2010)

Sven Birger Sandzen (1871-1954) of Lindborg, Kansas had three lithographs in the 1922 show. His piece, Grand Canyon, was awarded the J.C. Nichols Purchase Prize for Graphic Arts.

Loran Frederick Wilford (1893 - 1972) had two linoleum cuts accepted, The Old Tavern, Going To The Market. The latter was awarded the Silver Medal for Graphic Arts, 1922. His given address was 4115 Forest Avenue, Kansas City.

1923
Anderson Craig,
2020 Tracy, Kansas City
     Wood Block
Ferdinand E. Warren 
3842 E. Tenth St, Kansas City
    Palisades-wood block
    The Bridge-wood block
    The Old Mill-wood block
awarded KCAI Bronze Medal for Graphic Arts, 1923
Margaret Whittemore (1897-1983), 

1615 College Ave, Topeka, KS
     Pueblo Indians-wood block

1924

Leo Courtney, Wichita, KS
     Dusk---wood block $4
     River---wood block $5
    The Hilltop--wood block $5
Henri W. Domshydt, 

302 Patterson Block, Omaha, NE
     Marshal Foch---linoleum cut
Vera B. Leeper, 

316 W. 14th St, New York City
     The Pool----block print $10
Ferdinand E.Warren,
1020 Chestnut St, Kansas City, MO
     Visitation Church----woodcut $10
     Sebree Bridge----woodcut $7.50

Charles Wilimovsky,
1840 Blue Island Ave, Chicago, Ill
    2 oils, 4 etchings
    The Fisherman's Shack---linoleum cut,
    awarded 1924 Purchase Prize for Black and White
    The Chicken Barn----linoleum cut $10

1926
Herschel C. Logan  (1901-1987)
C.A. Seward
Ferdinand E. Warren
KCAI Instructor for etching Adolphe W. Blondheim


1927
Walter Bailey,
Art Dept. Kansas City Star
     The Old Swimming Hole---etching
     Snow Capped Mountain---linoleum print
George L. Cartlich,
3116 Flora Ave, Kansas City, MO
     The Wharf---Linoleum Print
     Just Where Is This---Linoleum Print
William Dickerson, Wichita
     The Book Shop---Linoleum Print
David F. Leavitt,
North 12th Blvd, St. Louis, MO
     Book-plate---Linoleum Print
     Enchantment---Linoleum Print
     Self-Portrait---Linoleum Print
     C.C.Frederick---Linoleum Print
Herschel C. Logan, Wichita
     Deserted Barn---woodcut
     Mexican Farmyard---woodcut
     Church in The Valley---woodcut
     Old Mission, Rancos de Taos--- woodcut-bronze Medal
C.A.Seward, Wichita
     Canada Goose---lithograph
     Old Willow---lithograph
     Big Pines--Raton Pass---Block Print
     Toadstool Rock-Santa Fe---Lithograph_Silver Medal(
scroll down on this link site for his Toadstool Rock lithograph)
KCAI Instructor for etching Anthony Angarola (1893-1929)

1928 KCAI instructors the year Geary may have enrolled when the school was at 3500 Warwick Blvd.
Anthony Angarola-Life painting and portraiture drawing
John D. Patrick----Drawing, Advanced Antique
Austin Ketcham---Design and Cast Drawing
W.W.Rosenbauer--Sculpture and Crafts
Russel M. Wise--Interior Decoration

1928
3500 Warwick Blvd., Kansas City, MO
Rosa Bear,
2620 West 32nd Ave, Denver, Colo.
     The Silent Mill---Linoleum Print
Albert Benson,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
     Landscape Sketch---Drypoint etching
     East 39th Street, New York---Aquatint
Ivan Cloud, Kansas City, MO
     Chivary---Block Print
Leo Courtney
     Shadows---Woodcut
     Afterglow---Woodcut
     Winter---Color Print
     The Homestead---Woodcut wins Bronze Medal award
William J. Dickerson, Wichita, Kansas
     The Sand Boat---Woodcut
Alice R. Edmiston,
1900 South 40th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska
     Wharf of Provinceton---Woodcut
     Lake Como, Italy---Woodcut
Mercedes Erixon,
Norman, Oklahoma
     Gurgling Water---Woodcut
     Summer Sunlight---Woodcut
Herschel C. Logan
    The Weaver---Woodcut
    Lost Hope---Woodcut

1929
When the school was at 4415 Warwick Blvd. 293 entries were chosen. Here are the relief prints.

Ina Annette--
University of Oklahoma, Norman, OKL
(Student of Birger Sandzen )


       Elephant's Feet---Linoleum Cut
       Desert Derelicts---Woodcut
       Monumental Valley---Woodcut
Click on Sheep Ranch to see another sample of her work.

Helen Louise Beccard (Niles)
3024 Walton Place, St. Louis, MO
    Sicilian Road---Linoleum Print
    Old Slave Quarters---Linoleum Print
George Randall Brubaker (1908-1977)
1308 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS
      "Old Tenements"---Woodcut
      pencil-signed and titled, size 11 in. x 8 in.
Ben Albert Benson.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
     Buck In The Snow---Drypoint Etching
     Silhouette---Drypoint Etching
Sheila Burlingame
     Spring---Oil painting
     The Surf---Woodcut
     Design---Woodcut

Leo Courtney
     City Hall---Woodcut
William J. Dickerson
     Study---Woodcut
Birger Sandzen
Lindsborg, Kansas
     watercolor, lithograph, drypoint
C.A. Seward

1534 North Holyoke, Wichita, Kansas

     two lithos, one color litho

David Spivak

Artists Guild 

1421 Court Place, Denver, Colorado
     Castle Rock--woodcut
     The Grove--woodcut

    

(List from "Midwestern Artists Exhibition, Kansas City: Kansas City Art Institute, 1920-1942," Mines, Cynthia, courtesy of Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th St, Kansas City, MO, accessed June 24th, 2010)

self taught

"At the age of 35 Fred Geary taught himself the art of xylography without guidance from outside of one or two books at first." (Dienes, 1946) Others did the same thing. Like Paul Landacre, Lionel Lindsay, as well as Thomas W. Nason, who were later commissioned by the Woodcut Society to do prints.
Nason wrote something about his learning curve. I would like to think that Fred Geary had a similiar experience. With that, here is what Thomas Nason of New England wrote: "I am always perplexed by the question, so often asked, as to how I happened to take up wood-engraving. It is difficult to give a satisfying answer. In the early twenties, I became aware of an increasing interest in wood-engravings, based mainly on seeing them used as book decorations
and magazine illustrations. These
prints, done for the most part in a bold and effective manner with rich blacks and sparkling whites, appealed to me very strongly. I seemed to see great possibilities in the medium for personal art expression. In 1922, I made my first wood-engraving, which was more of a laboratory experiment than anything else.

The decision was soon reached that I would never find it particularly thrilling to cut away the wood around the lines on the block simply to reproduce my drawing. But I was exceedingly interested in engraving extemporaneously directly on the block with a smooth-cutting engraver's tool which would go in any direction with equal freedom and which would cut a fine line or a broad one with much the same movement. I found this kind of engraving on wood a creative process within itself. As I became familiar with the use of the burin on boxwood and perfected my knowledge of printing from engraved blocks, the fascination of the process really got hold of me.


But my progress was slow. I produced a few blocks each year but continued to engrave them purely as a avocation; constantly experimenting, and striving to improve both my technique and composition...I do not know exactly how many have succeeded it but I do know that each one has presented an individual problem and that the final result is always a matter of conjecture. The first trial proof always brings a moment of keen anticipation and excitement --and often brings disappointment." Thomas W. Nason

(courtesy of the Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th Street, Kansas City, MO, accessed Sunday, March 21, 2010)
(To the left are close up shots of a 5 by 8 inch House print by Fred Geary)
House by Fred Geary. Image size 4 by 5 3/4 inches. Fred Geary Print Collection, Carrollton Public Library, 1 North Folger Street, Carrollton, Missouri, United States

For more on Nason, click HERE