Raymond Perry Rodgers Neilson (1881 – March 1, 1964) was an American painter.

Early life and education

Neilson was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

into a

naval A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operatio ...

family, the grandson of Rear Admiral Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1905, before joining the Navy. After suffering from ill health, he resigned in 1908 and began to study painting. After re-joining the Navy in World War I and serving in London, Neilson began study at Boston's

School of the Museum of Fine Arts The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a dedicated art school within Tufts University, a private research university in Massa ...

in 1916. He then studied under

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. ...

at 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 ...

. Once the war had finished, he studied at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

under

Jean-Paul Laurens Jean-Paul Laurens (; 28 March 1838 – 23 March 1921) was a romanticism French painter and sculptor, and he is one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style. Biography Laurens was born in Fourquevaux and was a pupil of Léon ...

, while also studying at the Ecole des Beaux Arts,

Académie de la Grande Chaumière The Académie de la Grande Chaumière () is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. History The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the A ...

, and the

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

Teaching career

Neilson taught at the Art Students League from 1926 to 1927, before becoming an instructor at 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 ...

from 1927 to 1934. After he stopped teaching, he served as the Academy's council from 1937 to 1946.

Personal life

Neilson was married to Mary Park Neilson, a prominent

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

in Santa Barbara and New York. She filed for divorce in April 1924, arguing that he had failed to provide for her while he studied in Paris. He died on March 1, 1964, at his apartment in New York.

Awards

*National Academy of Design's ''Isaac N. Maynard Prize''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neilson, Raymond 1881 births 1964 deaths Painters from New York City United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy personnel of World War I Art Students League of New York alumni Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Académie Julian alumni École des Beaux-Arts alumni Académie Colarossi alumni National Academy of Design faculty Art Students League of New York faculty