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 novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation ...

, 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 Chagrin Falls is a village in eastern Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,188 as of the 2020 census. The village was established around the eponymous Chagrin Falls on the Chagrin River. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part ...

, 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 in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

and the New York School of Art, 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 became the 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 Impressionism, American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscape ...

Career

While living in New York, Brewster exhibited his paintings at the

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...

, the

Boston Art Club The Boston Art Club is an arts organization in Boston, Massachusetts, which serves to help its members, as well as non-members, to access the world of fine art. It currently has more than 250 members. History The Boston Art Club was first conceive ...

, the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a former art museum in Washington, D.C., that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corco ...

in Washington, D.C., and in New York City at the

Society of American Artists The Society of American Artists was an American artists group. It was formed in 1877 by artists who felt the National Academy of Design did not adequately meet their needs, and was too conservative. The group began meeting in 1874 at the home of ...

' 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, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

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, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

. In 1904 a fellow art student, the poet

Vachel Lindsay Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (; November 10, 1879 – December 5, 1931) was an American poet. He is considered a founder of modern ''singing poetry,'' as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted. Early years Lindsay was born ...

, 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 in

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ') is a municipal corporation and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...

, 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 Beaux-A ...

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 "''sa ...

. 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 The Indian Society of Oriental Art was an art society founded in Calcutta in 1907 by Abanindranath Tagore. It organised art exhibitions, taught students, and published high-quality reproductions and illustrated journals. About the Society Deta ...

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 Hi ...

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 (novel), The Song of the Lark'', a ...

, both of whose writings they influenced,

Elihu Vedder Elihu Vedder (26 February 183629 January 1923) was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator and poet from New York City. He is best known for his fifty-five illustrations for Edward FitzGerald's translation of '' The Rubaiyat of Omar Kh ...

, Vachel Lindsay and three generations of the

Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a prin ...

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 h ...

, 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, 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 Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the Methodism, Me ...

, 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