The Art Jury, Wayman Elbridge Adams, 1921

Booth Tarkington's Portrait (Wayman Elbridge Adams)

Wayman Elbridge Adams (September 23, 1883 – April 7, 1959) was an American painter best known for his portraits of famous people. His skill at painting at high speed earned him the nickname 'Lightning'.

Life

He was born in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the seat of Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs/lenape-villages.pdf It is located in ...

, and his early interest in drawing and painting was encouraged by his father, an amateur artist. Adams later received formal instruction in the arts at the

Herron School of Art Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional art school and has been accredited ...

in Indianapolis. Thereafter, he continued his studies under the guidance of painter

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 would become Parsons School of Design ...

in Italy (1910) and

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

in Spain (1912). In Italy, he met artist Margaret Graham Burroughs, and they married in 1918. On returning to the United States from his European studies, Adams opened a studio in Indianapolis, Indiana. He subsequently lived and worked in

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

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Art

Adams's mature style — featuring simplified composition, heavy brushstrokes, and patches of vivid color — shows the influence of both his teachers. He became known as a specialist in portraits, and his subjects included four U.S. presidents —

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

Warren Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, and

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, holding o ...

— the artist

Francis Focer Brown Francis Focer Brown (January 19, 1891 – April 14, 1971) was an American Impressionist painter, as well as professor and head of the Fine Arts Department at Ball State Teachers College (present-day Ball State University) in Muncie, Indiana fro ...

, and the writers

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitzer ...

and

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the " Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

. His first important recognition as an artist came in 1918 when he won a Logan prize for his portrait of

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniqu ...

Joseph Pennell Joseph Pennell (July 4, 1857 – April 23, 1926) was an American draftsman, etcher, lithographer and illustrator for books and magazines. A prolific artist, he spent most of his working life in Europe, and is known for his interest in landmarks, l ...

. Adams also turned out regional figure studies and street scenes in various media including painting, drawing, and printmaking. One series focuses on the residents of San Francisco's Chinatown, and another on the residents of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Grace King Grace Elizabeth King (November 29, 1852 – January 14, 1932) was an American author of Louisiana stories, history, and biography, and a leader in historical and literary activities. King began her literary career as a response to George Washin ...

, artist Ellsworth Woodward, and mayor

Martin Behrman Martin Behrman (October 14, 1864 – January 12, 1926), an American Democratic politician, was the longest-serving mayor in New Orleans history. Life and career Behrman was born in New York City, the son of Frederica and Henry Behrman. His pare ...

. Adams was well known in American artistic circles for his speedy painting technique, which earned him the nickname of 'Lightning. His portraits were often completed in one sitting. He exhibited widely in the United States and had an exhibition at the

Musée du Luxembourg The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de ...

in Paris in 1919. In 1921, he was elected an associate of 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, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...

. Adams and his wife ran a summer art school in Elizabethtown, New York, from 1933 to 1945. Among Adams's pupils were Sister Mary Rufinia and Lucy Wilson Rice. He died in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. His work is in the collection of the

New Orleans Museum of Art The New Orleans Museum of Art (or NOMA) is the oldest fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans. It is situated within City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue, and near the terminus of the ...

and other institutions. His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held dur ...

Awards

* National Academy of Design — Proctor prize for portraiture (1914) * Mr and Mrs Frank G. Logan Prize (1918) * International Expo, Venice, Italy (1924) * Greenough Memorial Prize (1925) * Sesquicentennial Exposition Medal (1926) * National Academy of Design - first Altman Prize (1926) * Carnegie Institute Prize (1943)

References

Sources

*''American Art Review'' - August, 1997 Masterworks of the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circula ...

- Welsch, Caroline M *''American Art Review'' - December, 2002 - the

Centennial - Warkel, Harriet G.
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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Wayman Elbridge 1883 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters Artists from Muncie, Indiana Herron School of Art and Design alumni Painters from Indiana Olympic competitors in art competitions 20th-century American male artists