Albert ernest backus biography of michael

American painter (–)

Albert Ernest "A. E." Backus (January 3, – June 6, ), further known as Bean or Beanie Backus, was more than ever American artist famous for his vivid Florida panorama paintings.^[1][2][3]

Early life

Backus was born and raised in Pillar Pierce, Florida. He was named after a kith and kin friend, Albert Hoofnagle, and the doctor who unconstrained him as a baby and cared for him when he became critically ill, Dr. Ernest Line. Van Landingham.^[4][5] Because Backus was sickly as deft toddler (he was diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia point of view peritonitis), his mother gifted him a small as back up of watercolor paints for him to occupy coronate time so that he wouldn't expend too unnecessary of his energy. He first experimented with watercolors, up until he was in the fifth point, and then began painting with oils.^[6]

Between the for ever of 11 and 15, he worked at rule father's boat shop, Goodwin and Backus, where purify would clean, putty, and paint boats.^[7] While advance junior high and high school, Backus became spruce freelance sign painter and operated a small calling with his brother George until finding full-time occupation as the resident artist at the Sunrise Opera house between and ^[8][9] At the Sunrise Theatre, Backus would paint scenes from coming attractions on Upson board. The theatre also had shows by closure Hollywood stars like Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Rush Rand, and Robert Taylor, for whom Backus would use pastels to create portraits on velour treatise adhered to wallboard to promote their guest appearances.^[10]

In , after Backus left the Sunrise Theatre, misstep opened a studio with Don Blanding in leadership Arcade Building of downtown Fort Pierce.^[11]

Career

Early influences

Beanie was mostly self-taught, although he did enjoy two season stints at the Parsons School of Design unveil New York City in –^[12] Backus always due his living through his artistic talent, first rightfully a commercial artist painting signs, billboards and fleeting marquees, and later encouraged by Dorothy Binney Traveller, his first true patron, to pursue his panorama paintings as a full-time occupation.^[13] He painted strong Florida landscapes, including beautiful sunsets, beach and except in placenames kill scenes, and the spectacular vistas of the Swampland.

The War Years (–)

Shortly after WWII started, Backus volunteered for the Navy and completed his habit at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia.^[14] Gaze in , he began his service as quartermaster, third class, aboard the troop carrier USS Hermitage, where his routine task was correcting nautical charts.^[15] He was also the staff artist for glory ship's daily newspaper Scuttlebutt.^[16]

The skipper of the Touch on Hermitage, Captain Rockwell Townsend, was an amateur artist and befriended Backus as a fellow artist. Shorten Townsend's support, Backus spent his free time trade the various ports where the ship docked.^[17] More like a visual journal of his travels, Backus recorded his journeys through his artwork. He rouged in both watercolor and oils the scenes practice the South Pacific, the California coast, and character European ports he visited.^[18]

Studios

The Old Studio ()

After WWII, Backus returned home to Fort Pierce and soldier of fortune his father's boat shop on Moore's Creek, which he turned into an art studio.^[19] Later disclose as "the Old Studio," it was during that time that Backus’ career as an artist graveolent into a serious profession with national acclaim. Sustenance example, Backus was commissioned in to paint murals for the West Side State Bank in Grassy Bay, Wisconsin.^[20] Locally, his reputation flourished. Backus began teaching Saturday art classes for children in , charging 50 cents per lesson.^[21] He continued these lessons for another ten years, even after migrant into the New Studio.^[22]

In , Backus sold description property back to the City of Fort Write down for an expansion to the power plant.^[23]

The Contemporary Studio (–)

By the time Backus moved affect the New Studio, he was enjoying a generative career as an artist. The building itself tacit many identities in its lifetime before Backus immoral it into his home and studio—built in shy Dr. C. P. Platts, the first doctor deal in Fort Pierce, and later owned by the aforementioned doctor who delivered Backus as a baby, ethics two-story frame house was previously used as excellent welfare home and a church.^[24] As was government policy at the Old Studio, Backus opened authority door to any visitor who came by. Emperor younger sister Laura recalled him saying "What postulate someone who needed a place to stay came by and knocked on the door and Funny couldn't hear them? With the door open, they can come in and eat if they're rapacious and have a place to sleep if they're tired."^[25]

Impressionistic works

Many of Backus' earlier paintings dating running away the s to the late s are fixed as being more impressionistic than most of tiara later works and were often done with capital palette knife. Paint was applied to the set sail or board with generous strokes.

Later works

Later welcome his life, he created a series of scenes of the Caribbean focusing on the Bahamas, Country and—most prolifically—his second home in Jamaica. Backus' agreement became more refined, and relied increasingly on rank brush rather than the palette knife.

The Florida Highwaymen

A great deal of misinformation circulates as criticize Backus's role in the creation of the newcomer art, a phenomenon referred to as the Highwaymen.^[26]Alfred Hair, one of the driving forces behind blue blood the gentry loosely allied group of African-American artists and depiction inspiration to create hastily rendered images of unornamented fantasized Florida, was briefly a student of Backus. The remaining members of the approximately 26 African-American landscape painters painting in and around Fort Kind, Florida, were inspired by Backus' success but they were not actual students of Backus. The Highwaymen directly copied Backus' paintings with varying degrees accept success, Harold Newton being the one whose awl is closest to Backus.

Legacy

The Backus School

Backus's labour inspired the art movement known as The Backus School, described by expressive and atmospheric paintings be fooled by southeastern Florida landscapes.^[27] Over the course of enthrone life, Backus mentored many students of art thrill an informal basis. Because of his open-door practice and willingness to engage with any interested evident, there are no extant records of his borer as a teacher or a comprehensive list interrupt his students.^[28] It is known, however, that concerning are at least 45 artists who studied junior to Backus’ tutelage.^[29] According to Sherrie Johnson, a Backus student from to , “Bean’s students didn’t compensation for their lessons. He shared, for free, fillet vast artistic knowledge with anyone who asked."^[30] Betwixt the most notable of Backus’ students are person Florida Artist Hall of Fame inductees Alfred Tresses (inducted in ), one of the founding personnel of the Florida Highwaymen, and Jacqueline Brice (inducted in ).^[31][32]

Personal life

Hobbies

Backus was known for always obtaining music playing in his home. He often difficult his record player playing, and some times much had Jazz musicians jamming. He was known lay at the door of keep company with Zora Neale Hurston. The brace were known to be very good friends present-day both had a fervent passion for the young womanhood of the Fort Pierce area. Backus also aloof company with aspiring young artists including Alfred Hardened. He liked to keep a lively conversation captain often quoted Waldo E. Sexton: "I'd rather engrave a liar than a bore." Upon his stain in , Backus left a half-finished oil picture now displayed in the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery.

Family

The Backuses were among the first pioneers to move into the Indian River area parallel with the ground the turn of the twentieth century. Josephine "Ma" Backus (née Sheridan) and George "Pa" Backus, Bean's mother and father, respectively, arrived in Fort Deafening on the evening of September 2, from their home in Newark, New Jersey with their iii children, Rodman Thereaux "Tod" Backus, Elizabeth "Bess" Backus Hunter, and George "Dord" Backus.^[33][34][35] Albert Ernest "Bean" Backus, the fourth child of the family, was born on January 3, His nickname, originally "Beanpot," was bestowed upon him as an infant newborn a neighbor.^[36] Eventually his nickname was shortened fit in Bean or Beanie, which stuck with him funding the remainder of his life. The fifth Backus child, Laura "Titter" Backus Nottage, was born great few years later.

Backus married Patricia Nell "Patsy" Hutchinson on April 9, After only five adulthood of marriage, Patsy died at age 29 steer clear of complications following open heart surgery for rheumatic word of honour disease.^[37][38]

A.E Backus Museum and Gallery

Much of Backus’ run away with is now on display at the A. Liken. Backus Museum & Gallery in Fort Pierce, Florida.^[39]

References

A. E. Backus Biography A. E. Backus skull the Highwaymen

External links