Frederick Carl Frieseke
American, 1874 - 1939
Frederick Carl Frieseke was among the group of American Impressionist artists who settled in the French village of Giverny, forty miles northwest of Paris, shortly after 1900. This group, which is sometimes referred to as the Giverny Luminists, were attracted to the village by the presence of the great French Impressionist Claude Monet, who had settled there in 1883.
Frieseke was born on April 7, 1874 in Owosso, Michigan and began his professional life as a cartoonist. Deciding to become a painter, he studied first at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1893 to 1896 followed by a year of instruction at the Art Students League of New York. He went to France to further his education, arriving in Paris in 1897. He worked in the atelier of Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Julian. He also received criticism, if not formal instruction, from Auguste-Joseph Delecluse, and he studied very briefly--one source states for only one week—in James McNeill Whistler's Académie Carmen. Nonetheless, Whistler's influence on Frieseke's developing style was strong. Frieseke imbibed from the paintings of the great master an appreciation for the "infinite gradation" of color that was possible through paint. The flattened space and flowing line of the Art Nouveau style were also significant influences in this formative period of the artist's career.
Frieseke is believed to have visited Giverny as early as 1900; a summer visit in 1905 is documented; and in 1906 he and his wife moved into a two-story cottage that adjoined the property of Claude Monet. At Giverny his colleagues included the American painters Guy Rose, Lawton Parker, Edmund Greacen, and Richard E. Miller, with whose work Frieseke’s is often compared. While he maintained an apartment and studio in Paris all his life, Giverny was Frieseke’s summer residence for fourteen years. Once settled there, Frieseke began to focus on painting women in colorful garden settings. While he drew figures solidly, he rendered the surroundings in which he placed his models with the broken brushwork of Impressionism. Frieseke’s palette during his Giverny period primarily consisted of greens, blues and violets, dazzling golds and oranges, and creamy whites, which capture and reflect the brilliant summer sunlight.
In 1920, Frieseke bought a summer home at Le Mesnil-sur-Blangy in Normandy and left the Giverny art colony. He commenced production of a large group of canvases representing frontally posed female figures, most often using his daughter Frances as model. The palette is darker than that of his Giverny period and shows more interest in qualities of chiaroscuro as he explored less brilliant light effects. Works painted after 1920 evidence a great deal of control on Frieseke’s part, which combined with the deeper palette, contribute to a sense of psychological awareness and identity. Frieseke died on August 28, 1939, a few months after a major retrospective of his work opened at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City.
Frieseke was born on April 7, 1874 in Owosso, Michigan and began his professional life as a cartoonist. Deciding to become a painter, he studied first at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1893 to 1896 followed by a year of instruction at the Art Students League of New York. He went to France to further his education, arriving in Paris in 1897. He worked in the atelier of Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Julian. He also received criticism, if not formal instruction, from Auguste-Joseph Delecluse, and he studied very briefly--one source states for only one week—in James McNeill Whistler's Académie Carmen. Nonetheless, Whistler's influence on Frieseke's developing style was strong. Frieseke imbibed from the paintings of the great master an appreciation for the "infinite gradation" of color that was possible through paint. The flattened space and flowing line of the Art Nouveau style were also significant influences in this formative period of the artist's career.
Frieseke is believed to have visited Giverny as early as 1900; a summer visit in 1905 is documented; and in 1906 he and his wife moved into a two-story cottage that adjoined the property of Claude Monet. At Giverny his colleagues included the American painters Guy Rose, Lawton Parker, Edmund Greacen, and Richard E. Miller, with whose work Frieseke’s is often compared. While he maintained an apartment and studio in Paris all his life, Giverny was Frieseke’s summer residence for fourteen years. Once settled there, Frieseke began to focus on painting women in colorful garden settings. While he drew figures solidly, he rendered the surroundings in which he placed his models with the broken brushwork of Impressionism. Frieseke’s palette during his Giverny period primarily consisted of greens, blues and violets, dazzling golds and oranges, and creamy whites, which capture and reflect the brilliant summer sunlight.
In 1920, Frieseke bought a summer home at Le Mesnil-sur-Blangy in Normandy and left the Giverny art colony. He commenced production of a large group of canvases representing frontally posed female figures, most often using his daughter Frances as model. The palette is darker than that of his Giverny period and shows more interest in qualities of chiaroscuro as he explored less brilliant light effects. Works painted after 1920 evidence a great deal of control on Frieseke’s part, which combined with the deeper palette, contribute to a sense of psychological awareness and identity. Frieseke died on August 28, 1939, a few months after a major retrospective of his work opened at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City.
Frederick Frieseke was born in 1874. Although he preferred to call himself a self taught artist he did study at the Art Students League, Academie Julian and at the Modern Gallery in Munich. He also studied under Whistler in Paris for a brief time. Frieske was a leading American Impressionist who moved to France in 1898 and stayed until his death. In 1906 he moved to Giverny, becoming neighbors with Monet who inspired a richer color spectrum. Frieseke's work from this time has attributes of Monet but subjectively is more similar to Renoir's voluptuous female nudes. His paintings display unified composition with a dominant color, such as "Memories"(1915). A lavender hue seems to permeate every other color. Frieseke also placed strong emphasis on linear decoration. Frieseke was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in France. His relative anonymity today is due to the prettiness and sentimentality of his work. He died in 1939 in France.
Biography courtesy of The Caldwell Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/caldwell
Biography courtesy of The Caldwell Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/caldwell
F.C. Frieseke was one of the leading American impressionists. Until the early 1930's, the expatriate's international reputation was such that he was called "America's best known contemporary painter." His relative anonymity today is due to the prettiness and sentimentality of his canvases; his subject matter was considered cloying by post W.W. 1 sensibilities.
Born in Owasso, Michigan in 1874, Frieseke went to France in 1898. He remained there until his death in 1939. Through Frieseke preferred to say that he was self taught, he actually studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York City before entering the French Academie Julien. It was the study of other artists that enriched Frieseke, rather than the academic routine. He spent time in the atelier of Constant and Laurens, and in Paris received criticism from James McNeill Whistler. Whistler's influence can be seen in Frieseke's dark early work.
In 1906, Frieseke moved to Giverny, where Monet was his neighbor. Under the influence of Monet, Frieseke began to use the prismatic, rich color spectrum of the impressionists in garden and interior scenes. His adopted impressionistic style never compromised his solid sense of composition. He always thought of himself a realist, reproducing on canvas what he saw in nature.
Frieseke enjoyed acclaim during his life. His paintings were purchased for the French National Collection, and he was represented at the Venice Bienniale with 17 pictures. He was commissioned to paint several large murals for buildings in New York City and Atlantic City. At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco, He received the grand prize.
Memberships:
National Academy of Design
Societe National des Beaux Arts, Paris
Paris Art Association
New York Watercolor Club
Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
Public Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago
Cincinnati Art Museum
Corcoran Gallery of the Art, Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota
Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Museum of Odessa, Soviet Union
Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, Savannah, Georgia
Biography courtesy of Roughton Galleries, www.antiquesandfineart.com/roughton
Born in Owasso, Michigan in 1874, Frieseke went to France in 1898. He remained there until his death in 1939. Through Frieseke preferred to say that he was self taught, he actually studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York City before entering the French Academie Julien. It was the study of other artists that enriched Frieseke, rather than the academic routine. He spent time in the atelier of Constant and Laurens, and in Paris received criticism from James McNeill Whistler. Whistler's influence can be seen in Frieseke's dark early work.
In 1906, Frieseke moved to Giverny, where Monet was his neighbor. Under the influence of Monet, Frieseke began to use the prismatic, rich color spectrum of the impressionists in garden and interior scenes. His adopted impressionistic style never compromised his solid sense of composition. He always thought of himself a realist, reproducing on canvas what he saw in nature.
Frieseke enjoyed acclaim during his life. His paintings were purchased for the French National Collection, and he was represented at the Venice Bienniale with 17 pictures. He was commissioned to paint several large murals for buildings in New York City and Atlantic City. At the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915 in San Francisco, He received the grand prize.
Memberships:
National Academy of Design
Societe National des Beaux Arts, Paris
Paris Art Association
New York Watercolor Club
Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
Public Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago
Cincinnati Art Museum
Corcoran Gallery of the Art, Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota
Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Museum of Odessa, Soviet Union
Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, Savannah, Georgia
Biography courtesy of Roughton Galleries, www.antiquesandfineart.com/roughton
