John Wesley Cotton
John Wesley Cotton | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 29, 1869 Simcoe County, Ontario |
| Died | November 24, 1931 (aged 62) Toronto, Ontario |
| Education | Toronto Art Students' League (1886); School of the Art Institute of Chicago; with Eli Marsden Wilson in London (1911-1913) |
| Known for | printmaker, painter, and watercolorist |
| Spouse | Maude Campbell |
| Awards | honorable mention for his exhibition of 21 prints at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco (1915) |
John Wesley Cotton (October 29, 1869 – November 24, 1931)[1] was a printmaker, painter and watercolourist. He was known for his exqusite aquatints,[2][3] etchings, and drypoints. He introduced the colour aquatint process to Canada.[4] He also painted watercolours. While living in Southern California from 1918 on, he added oil paintings of landscapes to his achievements.
Biography
[edit]Cotton was born in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. He studied at the Toronto Art Students' League in 1886, and associated with printmakers such as William J. Thomson, W. W. Alexander, and Alfred H. Howard.[2] Cotton then studied at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago (1893-1905). He exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago (1905-1915) and in 1909, maintained a studio in Chicago[5] where he had been a member of the Palette and Chisel Club since 1904 and later became a member of the Chicago Watercolour Club and Chicago Society of Etchers (1915).[6]
From 1911 to 1912, he lived in London. He hoped to study with Sir Frank Short at the Royal School of Engraving and Etching (now called the South Kensington School of Art) in London,[6][4] but the enrollment being full, was advised to study with Eli Marsden Wilson, an assistant at the school.[7] which he did, till 1912. He exhibited his work at the Royal Academy of Art in London (1912), and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool (1912).[6] In these years, he also made trips to St. Ives in Cornwall,[4] Bruges in Belgium, and possibly France in 1911 and met many artists in their studios.[7] He returned to Toronto from 1912 till 1917.[5]
In Toronto, he had his first solo exhibition at the Art Metropole Galleries (1912)[8][7] and made etchings of local scenic places, such as Winter in High Park, Toronto (1914, Art Gallery of Hamilton) and The Grange, Entrance (1915, Art Gallery of Ontario) (the Grange was the original location of what was then called the Art Museum of Toronto, later the Art Gallery of Ontario). Also in 1915, while a show of his etchings was exhibited at the museum, he demonstrated the process of aquatinting at the institution.[9][4] From 1914 to 1920, he was a member of the Ontario Society of Artists.[10]
After serving in the Educational section of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War I,[11] he settled in Glendale, California in 1918 and made his home there. He was still regarded as Canadian by himself and others. He was included in the Canadian Section of the Fine Arts at the British Empire Exhibition in London in 1924 with an engraving and an acquatint lent by the Natonal Gallery of Canada.[12]
As in Canada, in California Cotton was known for his aquatint prints but added painting in oils to his accomplishments. He travelled widely in the state for inspiration.[13]
Cotton was actively involved in regional art organizations both as an organizer and exhibitor. He was a founder of the California Water Color Society in 1921 and exhibited in nine of its annual exhibitions from 1921 on.[5] He exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1923, and at other California venues during that decade.[5]
He was president of the Painters & Sculptors of Los Angeles (1923-1926) and belonged to the California Printmakers' Society, California Art Club and Glendale Art Association.[5] He was elected president of the Glendale Art Association in 1927.[13] He was also a member of the Society of Canadian Painter-Etchers and Engravers in 1929.[14]
John Wesley Cotton left California in 1930 to visit France[13] and then tracelled to Toronto, Canada where he established a second home. He died suddenly on November 24, 1931.[11]
The Art Gallery of Ontario has photographs of prints made by Cotton possibly taken in the 1920s.[15] The Smithsonian Libraries also has a file on Cotton.[16]
Selected public collections
[edit]- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa;[12]
- Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto;[4]
- Art Gallery of Hamilton;[17]
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art;[13][18]
- Art Institute of Chicago;[19]
- Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico;[5]
Awards and honours
[edit]- Exhibited Royal Academy of Art, London, 1912;[20]
- Exhibited Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 1912;[20]
- DeWolf Prize for etching, Art Institute of Chicago, 1913;[11]
- Honorary mention for his exhibition of etchings at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition World's Fair held in San Francisco, California, 1915;[5]
- Gold medal for painting and medal for aquatint, Pacific Southwest Exposition;[11]
- First prize for watercolour, Pomona, California, 1927;[11]
- First prize, watercolour, Santa Cruz, California, 1928;[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "artists details". app.pch.gc.ca. Gov't of Canada. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ a b Burant, Jim. "Printmaking in Canada". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ Harry Noves Pratt, A Worker in Aquatint, Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine Dec. 1924, pp. 541-542.
- ^ a b c d e Joan Murray, Early Canadian Printmakers, Canadian Antiques Collector 4 (August 1969): 24.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Collection". harwood.emuseum.com. Harwood Museum, Taos. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ a b c National Gallery of Canada Information Form undated but filled out by the artist.
- ^ a b c Star, 22 February 1913, NGC Library John Wesley Cotton file.
- ^ Exhibition of Original Etchings and Watercolours by John W. Cotton Art Metropole Galleries catalogue is in the Artist's file at the Art Gallery of Ontario Library.
- ^ E.M.K. Estelle Muriel Kerr, Charming Etchings and Watercolours, publication illegible, 1915. NGC Library John Wesley Cotton file.
- ^ Murray, Joan. "Ontario Society of Artists: 100 Years". Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1972, p.61. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "John Cotton, Noted Artist, Dies". Source Unknown, Obituary, Nov. 24, 1931, Art Gallery of Ontario Artist's File.
- ^ a b Canadian section of fine arts : catalogue / British Empire Exhibition, London, 1924, nos. 38 and 39. Ottawa. 1924. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c d "Collection". collections.lacma.orgnode. Los Angeles Museum of Art. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ National Gallery of Canada Information Form dated 1930 and filled out by the artist.
- ^ "Photos" (PDF). ago.ca. Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Files". collections.si.edu. Art & Artist files at the Smithsonian American Art Museum/ National Portrait Gallery Library. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Collection". tms.artgalleryofhamilton.com. Art Gallery of Hamilton. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Collections". siris-artinventories.si.edu. American Art Inventory. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Collection". The Art Institute of Chicago. Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ a b Biographical Data for the Art Museum of Toronto, dated 1931.
- 1869 births
- 1931 deaths
- Canadian printmakers
- Canadian etchers
- Canadian male painters
- 20th-century Canadian painters
- 20th-century printmakers
- 20th-century Canadian male artists
- Artists from Toronto
- Canadian watercolourists
- American painters
- American watercolorists
- American printmakers
- Artists from Glendale, California