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Raymond Francis Robbins (January 20, 1912 – May 24, 1980) was an American artist often known for his intricate realist paintings of the 20th century. Oil paintings dominated much of his work, but he was equally gifted in watercolors and charcoal drawings. __TOC__


Early life

His early life was turbulent at times. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 20, 1912, to Charlotte Ann Campbell, a young single woman at the time, Robbins never knew his father. He was raised Raymond Francis Rubino, the surname of his stepfather, who died unexpectedly from the
1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
– creating immense upheaval in the artist's young life. His widowed mother struggled to feed and support her four young children. Art may have been Robbins' escape from the turmoil and the times. Like many of his generation, Robbins came of age during the Great Depression with very little means, other than a gift for the canvas. It is rumored that his creative pursuits began as a teenager while quarantined at Rutland State Sanatorium in
Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest l ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
for several years after contracting
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...
in 1930. Shortly thereafter, Robbins studied at the Massachusetts School of Art (known today as
Massachusetts College of Art and Design Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art schoo ...
) and the South Boston School of Art. He studied under Alfred Gunnar Bjareby (1899-1967) in Rockport and
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east of t ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. It was early on in his career that Robbins anglicized his last name of Rubino, signing most of his work with his distinctive moniker RF Robbins.


Gaining Notice and Exhibitions

In 1938, Robbins' talent started to gain notice. He was one of a select few chosen to display his work in the First Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Paintings at the
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, United States, which opened in 1936. The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the su ...
. The goal for the Museum was to "present an exhibition of living American art of notably high quality," said Thomas C. Colt, Jr., the Director of the Museum at the time. It was a significant achievement for the 26-year-old Robbins. The jury that selected Robbins' piece titled ''Rain'' for inclusion in the exhibit was chaired by the renowned
Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realism, American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolor painting, watercolorist and printmaker in e ...
and consisted of such notable painters as John Carroll,
Daniel Garber Daniel Garber (April 11, 1880 – July 5, 1958) was an American Impressionist landscape painter and member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known today for his large impressionist scenes of the New Hope area, in which he ...
,
Charles Hopkinson Charles Sydney Hopkinson (July 27, 1869 – October 16, 1962) was an American portrait painter and landscape watercolorist. He maintained a studio in the Fenway Studios building in Boston from 1906 to 1962. He painted over 800 portraits in a d ...
and
Bernard Karfiol Bernard Karfiol (May 6, 1886 – August 16, 1952) was an American painter and watercolorist. His work was indebted to French modernism and wished to synthesize Hellenic classical painting and modernist abstract concerns. Biography Bernard K ...
. Robbins also exhibited his work in 1938 at the Ogunquit Art Center in
Ogunquit, Maine Ogunquit ( ) is a resort town in York County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ogunquit, which means "beaut ...
– a vibrant artist colony where both Hopper and Karfiol exhibited and spent significant time. By the mid-1940s, Robbins was teaching art at the Bristol Art Center in Bristol, Connecticut and exhibiting his work at the
New Britain Museum of American Art The New Britain Museum of American Art is an art museum in New Britain, Connecticut. Founded in 1903, it is the first museum in the country dedicated to American art. A total of 72,000 visits were made to the museum in the year ending June 30, 20 ...
in nearby New Britain. In the 1950s and 1960s, Robbins' work was exhibited at the
Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...
Gallery in
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
, as well as at Naomi Marshall's Downtown Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Tom Caplinger's Gallery along Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, among others. He also worked and exhibited for many years at The Little Gallery in New Orleans. Alberta Collier, the legendary art critic at
The Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...
newspaper for nearly 40 years, reviewed many of Robbins' exhibitions, calling the artist's works "well developed" with compositions that showcased "a search for new combinations." Collier noted the "individuality of the artist" and paid particular attention to Robbins' style of realism, writing in 1955, "Robbins demonstrates good craftsmanship and excellent control of his medium. His work is of the realist school popular with most people. However, he uses good color, intelligent elimination of detail, and rich pigment to lift his paintings above those that are merely attempts to copy nature."


Influences

During his five decades as an artist, Robbins' paintings were heavily influenced by his surroundings, reflecting the two regions that he called home – Boston and
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
roots are displayed in much of his work, and it's clear the coast held a special allure for Robbins, as evidenced by his many paintings of boats and seascapes. Yet, the
French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old S ...
of New Orleans was his adopted home, and he captured the city and its culture in his later works, with rich depictions of street scenes under varying lighting effects that were noted by art critics like Collier. "Robbins runs the gamut in his handling of light," wrote Collier in 1956. "He can get the effect of bright sunlight in a painting like 'Swimming Hole' and can also capture the somber tones in such a piece as, 'End of the Rainbow.'"


Personal life and death

Robbins never married, nor had children, dying alone in Louisiana on May 24, 1980. He is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Rayville,
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
.


References


External links


RF Robbins Art Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Raymond Francis 20th-century American painters 20th-century American male artists American male painters 1912 births 1980 deaths Painters from Boston