Bert Geer Phillips (July 15, 1868 – June 16, 1956) was an American artist and a founding member of the

Taos Society of Artists The Taos Society of Artists was an organization of visual arts founded in Taos, New Mexico. Established in 1915, it was disbanded in 1927. The Society was essentially a commercial cooperative, as opposed to a stylistic collective, and its foundation ...

. He settled in Taos, New Mexico (1898) and was a founder of the

Taos art colony The Taos art colony was an art colony founded in Taos, New Mexico, by artists attracted by the culture of the Taos Pueblo and northern New Mexico. The history of Hispanic craftsmanship in furniture, tin work, and other mediums also played a rol ...

. He is known for his paintings of Native Americans, New Mexico, and the American Southwest. He was also a benefactor of the Western artist Harold Dow Bugbee, who became curator of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in

Canyon, Texas Canyon is a city in, and the county seat of, Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,836 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Amarillo, Texas, metropolitan statistical area. Canyon is the home of West Texas A&M University and ...

in 1951.

Early life and education

Phillips was born in Hudson, New York in 1868. During his childhood he was influenced by tales of the exploits of American frontiersman Kit Carson and other tales of Western adventure involving American Indians, such as those in

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonist and Indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

's ''

Leatherstocking Tales The ''Leatherstocking Tales'' is a series of five novels by American writer James Fenimore Cooper, set in the eighteenth-century era of development in the primarily former Iroquois areas in central New York. Each novel features Natty Bumppo, ...

''. In his recollections of childhood, he noted that he could always be found with paintbrush in hand. He was one of the first to enroll when George McKinstry opened an art studio in Hudson. Phillips left home at age sixteen, moving to New York City where he attended the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

and the National Academy of Design. In 1894 he traveled to Europe, briefly staying in London before moving to Paris, where he studied at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

. While at the Académie he became friends with

Ernest Blumenschein Ernest Leonard Blumenschein (May 26, 1874 – June 6, 1960) was an American artist and founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. He is noted for paintings of Native Americans, New Mexico and the American Southwest. Early life and educat ...

and

Joseph Henry Sharp Joseph Henry Sharp (September 27, 1859 – August 29, 1953) was an American painter and a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, of which he is considered the "Spiritual Father". Sharp was one of the earliest European-American artists t ...

Artistic career

Phillips returned to New York in 1896, where together with

he leased a studio. In the Spring of 1898, Phillips accompanied Blumenschein on a journey to the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. Their first stop was Denver, Colorado, where they bought art and camping supplies, a wagon, horses, and a revolver. Thus equipped, they set out with the intention of reaching Mexico. In northern New Mexico, one of their

wagon wheels Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, other Commonwealth countries like New Zealand and India, and Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a marshmallow filling with jam, an ...

broke due to the roughness of the terrain. Blumenschein rode out on horseback to nearby Taos, New Mexico to have the wheel repaired, while Phillips waited with the wagon. After Blumenschein returned with the repaired wheel three days later, they continued on to Taos, where they sold their horse and equipage, set up a studio, and began to paint. Phillips decided to stay in Taos when Blumenschein returned to New York a few months later. He and a friend caused a skirmish during a religious ceremony on

Taos Plaza Taos Plaza is a center of shops and monuments within the Taos Downtown Historic District in Taos, New Mexico. Overview The Taos Plaza is the historic center of the town of Taos. Once a Spanish fortified walled plaza with houses and businesses, it ...

when they refused to remove their hats; during the skirmish the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

was killed. The incident increased tensions between the town's Hispanic and Anglo residents. Phillips wrote in a letter to Blumenschein, "I began to feel as if this was the real 'border life', and only wish old Kit Carson was here with us." Phillips married Rose Martin, the sister of the famous local doctor Thomas "Doc" Martin, in 1899. He conceived the idea of starting an

art colony An art colony, also known as an artists' colony, can be defined two ways. Its most liberal description refers to the organic congregation of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, often drawn by areas of natural beauty, the prior existence o ...

in Taos, which he discussed in correspondence with Blumenschein. In 1915, his dream became reality with the formation of the

, of which Phillips was a founding member together with his friends

, and three other artists. The Society was founded in the dining room of Phillips' in-laws, Doc and Helen Martin, who was herself a batik artist. In addition to being instrumental in the formation of the Society, Phillips also spent more years in Taos than any other member.

Conservationism

Phillips was instrumental in the 1906 establishment of the Taos National Forest. He later became its first forest ranger when he needed to rest his eyesight.

Notes

References

External links

Taos Painters: Bert Geer Phillips (1868-1956)AskArt: Bert Geer Phillips (1868 - 1956)
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' (Kit Carson's Apache Scout) *

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Our Washerwoman's Family - New Mexico
''(c 1918) {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Bert Geer 1868 births 1956 deaths Académie Julian alumni 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters Art Students League of New York alumni Artists from Taos, New Mexico Artists of the American West People from Hudson, New York Taos Society of Artists 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American male artists