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| "Refining Oil" by Charles W. Hawthorne |
He went to New York in 1890 at the age of eighteen, worked days in a stained glass factory and studied at night at the Art Students League. George de Forest Brush and Frank Vincent Dumond were his early teachers.
To illustrate how precarious existence was for him in those days, he told of having been notified of an award which was to be given him at a formal reception. To his dismay he realized that he had no presentable shirt. Lacking funds to buy one, he ingeniously used quick-drying china white paint to cover his cuffs and shirt front. Thus attired, he claimed his prize with aplomb."
To be continued
(Excerpts from "Hawthorne on Painting" by Charles Webster Hawthorne.)
The story about Charles Hawthorne and the need of a presentable white shirt is one that stuck with me from when I first read it as a much younger man. There are other stories that speak of the dedication that these artists had towards throwing themselves headlong into a difficult profession without the comfort of a back-up option. It's good to be aware of these stories, giving us perspective and companionship, of a sort, when our own plans or hopes are delayed. Thanks as always, Linda!
ReplyDeleteMark Norseth
Stories like these really make art history more personable - much more understandable and interesting as far as I'm concerned!
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