William H. Clapp (October 29, 1879 - April 21, 1954) was a Canadian-American painter and art curator. He was a member of the Society of Six in Oakland, California, and an

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

landscape painter. He was also the curator of the Oakland Art Gallery.

Life

Clapp was born on October 29, 1879, in Montreal, Canada. He was born a U.S. citizen as both his parents were American. He was trained by

William Brymner William Brymner, (December 14, 1855 – June 18, 1925) was a Canadian figure and landscape painter and educator. In addition to playing a key role in the development of Impressionism in Canada, Brymner taught numerous artists who became leadin ...

in Montreal, and he spent four years in Paris, France, where he attended 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 ...

, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

, and he was introduced to

Fauvism Fauvism /ˈfoʊvɪzm̩/ is the style of ''les Fauves'' (French language, French for "the wild beasts"), a group of early 20th-century modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the Representation (arts), repr ...

. In 1906, he exhibited his work at the Salon d’Automne. In France, his style was transformed into a personal form of Impressionism, verging on

Pointillism Pointillism (, ) is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat and Paul Signac developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term "Pointillism" wa ...

, depicting the way in which he experienced and saw the world. He became mostly known for his brilliant, high-keyed, colourful landscapes inspired by Monet and for his interest in painting the figure, mostly academic-influenced and idealized nudes. In 1907, he travelled to Belgium and Spain, where he studied in Madrid with

William Laparra William Julien Emile Edouard Laparra (25 November 1873, Bordeaux - 5 September 1920, Valle de Hecho) was a French painter of portraits and genre scenes. The composer, Raoul Laparra, was his younger brother. Biography His father, Joseph Edouar ...

and regularly visited the Prado Museum. Returning to Montreal in 1908, Clapp brought with him his innovative interpretation of Impressionism, applying it to Canadian subject matter, which received mixed and uncomprehending reactions from critics and the public. After exhibiting his work in Montreal in a solo exhibition in 1914, he left Canada and lived in Cuba from 1915 to 1917, then moved to Oakland, California, where he co-founded the Society of Six with

Selden Connor Gile Selden Connor Gile (20 March 1877 – 8 June 1947) was an American painter who was mainly active in northern California between the early-1910s and the mid-1930s. He was the founder and leader of the Society of Six, a Bay Area group of artist ...

, August Gay, Maurice Logan, Louis Siegriest, and Bernard von Eichman, and he wrote their manifesto. From 1918 to 1952, he curated the Oakland Art Gallery, where he sold their paintings. Clapp was a member of the

Canadian Art Club The Canadian Art Club was an artists' group established in Toronto in 1907 to advance the standards of Canadian art exhibitions and to exhibit the work of distinguished Canadian artists, particularly those who had studied abroad or lived there. It ...

and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Clapp resided in Piedmont, California, with his wife Gertrude. He died on April 21, 1954, in Oakland, California, at age 74. His artwork can be seen at the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

and the

Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec The Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec ( en, National Museum of Fine Arts of Quebec), abbreviated as MNBAQ, is an art museum in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The museum is situated in Battlefield Park and is a complex consisting of four bui ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapp, William H. 1879 births 1954 deaths Artists from Montreal Canadian Impressionist painters People from Piedmont, California Académie Julian alumni Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière Académie Colarossi alumni Artists from Oakland, California American Impressionist painters American landscape painters 20th-century American painters Canadian emigrants to the United States

Life

Further reading

References