Earl Henry Brewster (1878–1957) was an American painter, writer, and scholar, best known today for his close friendship with

D.H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

, and for his compilation of the life of the Buddha, first published in 1926 and still in print.

Early life

Brewster was born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in 1878.

Education

After studying art at the Cleveland School of Art, he moved to New York, 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

New York School of Art Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

, working with

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

and

Frank Vincent DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teach ...

Career

While living in New York, Brewster exhibited his paintings at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Boston Art Club, the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

in Washington, D.C., and in New York City at the Society of American Artists' 28th Annual Exhibition, the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

and the New York School of Art. One of his paintings, ''The Grey Harbor'', was purchased by artist

; another was later acquired by the Hillyer Gallery at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

. In 1904 a fellow art student, the poet Vachel Lindsay, introduced Brewster to his future wife, Achsah Barlow, herself a painter, after noticing her resemblance to an imaginary portrait Earl had painted for a magazine cover. The two were married in 1910 and immediately moved to Italy. Except for a brief visit in 1923, they never again returned to the United States. Their daughter, Harwood, was born in Paris in 1912. The Brewsters spent nearly twenty years in southern Italy, with travels to Greece, France, Ceylon and India. After six years in southern France, they moved in 1935 to live at snowview estate

Crank's Ridge Crank's Ridge, sometimes called ''Hippie Hill'', is a pine-covered ridge located on the way to Kasar Devi temple, above the town of Almora, Uttarakhand, India, the ancient capital of Kumaon. Kasar Devi is a temple on the Kaashaay Hills, 7 k ...

in Almora, Uttarakhand, India. Earl and Achsah Brewster's art was influenced chiefly by the mural paintings of

Puvis de Chavannes Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (14 December 1824 – 24 October 1898) was a French painter known for his mural painting, who came to be known as "the painter for France". He became the co-founder and president of the Société Nationale des Beau ...

and the Italian primitive painters. Their work exhibits a wide-ranging spirituality, encompassing Christian, Buddhist and Hindu subjects. Earl painted mostly landscapes, portraits, and religious scenes, as well as some abstract works. During their years in Italy, the Brewsters exhibited regularly at the Salon d'Automne and the

Société des Artistes Indépendants The Société des Artistes Indépendants (''Society of Independent Artists'') or Salon des Indépendants was formed in Paris on 29 July 1884. The association began with the organization of massive exhibitions in Paris, choosing the slogan "''sans ...

. They also had shows at the Galerie Cheron and the Grand Palais in Paris, the Pincio Casino in Rome and with the Secessione in Rome. In 1923 they published ''L'oeuvre de E.H. et Achsah Barlow Brewster'', which set forth their artistic principles, influences and goals. Earl's greatest artistic success came during his years in India, where more than a dozen of his paintings were purchased for public buildings. Copies of his statue of the Buddha were placed in several temples. In India their work was shown at the Indian Society of Oriental Art in Calcutta and at the Roerich Centre of Art and Culture in Allahabad. More recently, the ACA Galleries in New York held exhibitions of their paintings in 2001 and 2007–08. In 2008 Earl's landscape, ''The Gulf of Salerno'', was acquired by the

Telfair Museum of Art Telfair Museums, in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, was the first public art museum in the Southern United States. Founded through the bequest of Mary Telfair (1791–1875), a prominent local citizen, and operated by the Georgia Histo ...

in Savannah, Ga. The Brewsters were remarkable in numbering among their circle of friends many prominent artistic, literary and political figures, including D.H. Lawrence and

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including ''O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and ''My Ántonia''. In 1923, ...

, both of whose writings they influenced,

Elihu Vedder Elihu Vedder (February 26, 1836January 29, 1923) was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator, and poet, born in New York City. He is best known for his fifty-five illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of ''The Rubaiyat of Om ...

, Vachel Lindsay and three generations of the Nehru family. The Brewsters and Lawrences met on Capri in 1921 and maintained a close friendship and frequent correspondence. Together Earl and Lawrence toured Etruscan sites and antiquities in 1927, which inspired Lawrence's ''Etruscan Places''. After Lawrence's death, the Brewsters compiled a book of his letters to them, with their memories of him. ''D.H. Lawrence: Reminiscences and Correspondence'' was published in 1934. In India they became part of a distinguished community that included the Nehru family, dancer Uday Shankar (brother of Ravi Shankar), mystics and intellectuals. In 1947 Earl Brewster was honored to accept an invitation to raise the Indian flag at a celebration in Almora of India's independence. Earl was interested in both Eastern and Western philosophy and religion, and after an early involvement with Theosophy, he followed first Buddhism and then Vedanta Hinduism, subjects of his numerous articles. At the suggestion of the English Buddhist scholar

Caroline Rhys Davids Caroline Augusta Foley Rhys Davids (1857–1942) was a British writer and translator. She made a contribution to economics before becoming widely known as an editor, translator, and interpreter of Buddhist texts in the Pāli language. She was ...

, he published in 1926 ''The Life of Gotama the Buddha (Compiled Exclusively from the Pali Canon)''.

Personal life

He was married to

Achsah Barlow Brewster Achsah Barlow Brewster (November 12, 1879 – February 16, 1945) was an American painter and writer, and wife of artist Earl Brewster (1878–1957). They are best known today for their close friendship with such prominent figures of the time as ...

, also an artist. The personal correspondence of Earl and Achsah Brewster, as well as memoirs by Achsah Brewster and Harwood Brewster Picard, are housed at Drew University, Madison, NJ.

Books/References

* Achsah and Earl Brewster. ''D. H. Lawrence: Reminiscences and Correspondence''. Martin Secker, London, 1934. * Earl H. Brewster. ''The Life of Gotama the Buddha (Compiled Exclusively from the Pali Canon).'' Trubner's Oriental Series. London: Kegan Paul, 1926. ASIN: B001AFJL4A * Earl H. Brewster and Achsah Barlow Brewster. ''L'Œuvre de E. H. Brewster et Achsah Barlow Brewster : 32 reproductions en phototypie précédées d'essais autobiographiques''. Rome: Valori Plastici, 1923. * Lucy Marks and David Porter. ''Seeking Life Whole: Willa Cather and the Brewsters''. Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2009. * Mohindar Singh Randhawa. ''The Art of E.H. Brewster & Achsah Brewster''. Kitabistan, 1944. ASIN: B0007K0ZWG * ''The Divinity That Stirs Within Us''. Exhibition catalog. New York: Borghi, 1992. * ''Divine Pursuit: The Spiritual Journey of Achsah and Earl Brewster''. Exhibition catalog. New York: ACA Galleries, 2007.

External links

Boston Art Club: official site

Divine Pursuit: The Spiritual Journeys of Achsah and Earl Brewster and Their Circle.
2007/08 ACA Galleries exhibition {{DEFAULTSORT:Brewster, Earl Henry 19th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American painters 1878 births 1957 deaths Artists from Cleveland People from Chagrin Falls, Ohio 19th-century American male artists 20th-century American writers American male writers Writers from Cleveland 20th-century American male artists