William Rimmer: Conclusion

"The Dying Centaur" by William Rimmer

"In May, 1880, about half a year after William Rimmer's death, there was opening the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston an exhibition of one hundred and forty-six specimens of the doctor's paintings, drawings, and sculpture. Many thought that his drawings should become the property of the Museum; and an effort was made by those immediately connected with that institution to collect money for that purpose. Three hundred dollars were raised; the Museum, out of its scanty store, gave a like sum; and twelve of the artist's drawings were purchased. It is to be noted that the Japanese educators who were in Boston during the exhibition of Dr. Rimmer's works spent more time in examining them than in viewing anything else in the building."

The greatest impression one receives on reading the tributes to Dr. Rimmer, is that he was deeply appreciated for the lectures he gave and classes he taught on artistic anatomy, perhaps more than for his abilities, although at times extraordinary, for his art itself. Among the many who attended his talks were Frederic Edwin Church, Childe Hassam and Worthington Whittredge. Among the students in his classes were John La Farge, Daniel Chester French, Ellen Day Hale, and May Alcott Nieriker. One wrote:

'His teaching of figure drawing was something which could not be had even in Europe, and he was master of what he taught. What the A, B, C is to every grown person, anatomy was to him; and not only the structure of the human frame, and placing of muscles and tendons, but their position and change in motion. For any students who had their work at heart, his teaching was invaluable. We were always sorry to see the cloth wipe away a spirited drawing, and finally a few were photographed.'

The knowledge and inspiration he excited in each of them served as a stepping stone in their own art journeys, one that would aid in the creation of a beautiful future for art in America at the turn of the 20th century.

(Excerpts from "The Art Life of William Rimmer: Sculptor, Painter, and Physician" by Truman Howe Bartlett.)