Agnes Lawrence Pelton (1881-1961) was a modernist painter who was born in Germany and moved to the United States as a child.
She studied art in the United States and Europe. She made portraits of Pueblo Native Americans, desert landscapes and still lifes.
Pelton's work evolved through at least three distinct themes: her early "Imaginative Paintings," art of the American Southwest people and landscape, and abstract art that reflected her spiritual beliefs.
Early life
Agnes Lawrence Pelton was born in Stuttgart, Germany to American parents, William and Florence Pelton.
She lived in Rotterdam, the Netherlands from 1882-1884 and in Basel, Switzerland from 1884-1888.
In 1888, Agnes and her mother moved to Elizabeth Tilton's home in Brooklyn, New York, located at 1403 Pacific Street. Agnes' father tragically died of a morphine overdose May 23, 1891, at his brother's home in Louisiana.
Florence Pelton studied music at the Stuttgart Conservatory of Music and operated the Pelton School of Music, from the family home, in Brooklyn for 30 years.
She also gave lessons in French and German.
Due to her poor health, Agnes was educated at home and her mother and Arthur Whiting taught her piano.
Education
Pelton studied at the Pratt Institute from 1895-1900, graduating with fellow Modernist artist Max Weber.
She continued her studies with one of her instructors, Arthur Wesley Dow, in Ipswich, Massachusetts. She studied landscape and was Dow's assistant at his summer school, where he taught Modernism, inspired by Chinese and Japanese art.
Biographer Tiska Blankenship said that "Dow emphasized structure, spirit, imagination, creation, and the nonnaturalistic use of color, a technique he taught using Japanese prints to demonstrate space relations and the appropriate use of light and dark masses... Dow's influence was critical to Pelton's development of abstractions based on interior, spiritual values".
Dow also taught Georgia O'Keeffe.
Pelton took summer classes from William Langson Lathrop in 1907.
Pelton studied in Italy in 1910 and 1911, taking life drawing lessons and studying Italian painters at the British Academy in Rome, and also studied with Hamilton Easter Field, who was another of her Pratt instructors.
Career
Her work was exhibited in Ogunquit, Maine at Field's studio in 1912. Based upon her work at that show, Walt Kuhn invited her to participate in the 1913 "Armory Show", where two of her paintings, Stone Age and Vine Wood were exhibited.
What Pelton called "Imaginative Paintings" were influenced by the work of Arthur B. Davies and depicted the effect of natural light. She made these paintings from 1911-1917.
Pelton's work changed significantly following a visit to Mabel Dodge Luhan in Taos, New Mexico in 1919.
She painted in oil and used pastels to create realistic portraits and desert landscapes and her works were exhibited in Santa Fe at the School of American Research. Pelton visited Pueblo Native Americans in the American southwest.
Pelton had her studios in Greenwich Village in New York City until 1921 when her mother died. She moved to Long Island and lived in a Hayground windmill that had been converted to a house. She also traveled to Hawaii, Beirut, Syria, Georgia and California.
She painted portraits and still lifes in Hawaii in 1923 and 1924.
She created abstract works of art beginning 1926, which were exhibited in New York at the Argent Galleries and the Museum of New Mexico.
By 1926, she had exhibited in 20 group exhibitions and 14 solo exhibitions.
She settled in Cathedral City, California in 1932. Pelton originally intended to just visit the area, but lived there for nearly 30 years. She wrote:
The vibration of this light, the spaciousness of these skies enthralled me. I knew there was a spirit in nature as in everything else, but here in the desert it was an especially bright spirit.
Pelton recorded her spiritual and philosophical thoughts, had an "intense interest" in Agni Yoga, which influenced her work. Seven of her paintings, like Fires of Spring and White Fire, represented the fire symbol of Agni Yoga.
She had a close friendship with modern transpersonal astrology pioneer Dane Rudhyar and Modernist Southwest painter Raymond Jonson.
In 1938, she was a co-founder, first president, and the oldest member of the Transcendental Painting Group.
Pelton died in Cathedral City in 1961 and was cremated. Her ashes were buried in the San Jacinto Mountains.
Posthumous exhibitions and legacy
"Agnes Pelton, Poet of Nature", a 1995-1996 retrospective exhibition of her work, brought national attention to her work.
Curator Michael Zakian wrote:
"Pelton's works were poetic celebrations of nature that explored the vital forces animating the physical world. Interested in themes of creation, growth, and radiance, Pelton translated favorite subjects - a glowing star, an opening flower - into life-affirming images of rare beauty and resonance. In many ways, her paintings resemble the art of her contemporary Georgia O'Keeffe, only more colorful, more spiritual, and more imaginative".
In 2009, her work was exhibited with three other Modernist artists: Georgia O'Keeffe, Florence Miller Pierce and Agnes Martin. A 192-page catalog accompanied the exhibition. From March to September 2019, the Phoenix Art Museum held an exhibition featuring over 40 of Pelton's works.
From March 13 to June 28 2020, Whitney Museum of American Art held an exhibit organized by the Phoenix Art Museum, "Agnes Pelton: The Desert Transcendentalist".
The Agnes Pelton Society was founded in 2013 to promote Pelton's life and legacy. | © Wikipedia
Agnes Lawrence Pelton è stata una pittrice modernista nata in Germania e trasferitasi negli Stati Uniti da bambina.
Ha studiato arte negli Stati Uniti e in Europa. Ha realizzato ritratti di nativi americani Pueblo, paesaggi desertici e nature morte.
Il lavoro di Pelton si è evoluto attraverso almeno tre temi distinti: i suoi primi "Dipinti fantasiosi", l'arte del popolo e del paesaggio del sud-ovest americano e l'arte astratta che rifletteva le sue convinzioni spirituali.
Istruzione
Pelton studiò al Pratt Institute dal 1895-1900, diplomandosi con il collega artista modernista Max Weber.
Ha continuato i suoi studi con uno dei suoi istruttori, Arthur Wesley Dow, a Ipswich, nel Massachusetts. Ha studiato paesaggio ed è stata assistente di Dow nella sua scuola estiva, dove ha insegnato Modernismo, ispirato all'arte cinese e giapponese.
Il biografo Tiska Blankenship ha affermato che "Dow ha enfatizzato la struttura, lo spirito, l'immaginazione, la creazione e l'uso non naturalistico del colore, una tecnica che ha insegnato utilizzando stampe giapponesi per dimostrare le relazioni spaziali e l'uso appropriato delle masse chiare e scure ... L'influenza di Dow è stata fondamentale allo sviluppo da parte di Pelton di astrazioni basate su valori interiori e spirituali".
Dow insegnò anche a Georgia O'Keeffe.
Pelton prese lezioni estive da William Langson Lathrop nel 1907.
Pelton studiò in Italia nel 1910 e 1911, prendendo lezioni di disegno dal vero e studiando pittori italiani presso l'Accademia britannica di Roma, e studiò anche con Hamilton Easter Field, che era un altro dei suoi istruttori del Pratt Institute.
Carriera
Il suo lavoro fu esposto a Ogunquit, nel Maine, nello studio di Field nel 1912. Basandosi sul suo lavoro in quella mostra, Walt Kuhn la invitò a partecipare all'Armory Show del 1913 , dove furono esposti due dei suoi dipinti, Stone Age e Vine Wood.
Quelli che Pelton chiamava "Dipinti fantasiosi" furono influenzati dal lavoro di Arthur B. Davies e rappresentarono l'effetto della luce naturale. Ha realizzato questi dipinti dal 1911-1917.
Il lavoro di Pelton è cambiato in modo significativo in seguito a una visita a Mabel Dodge Luhan a Taos, New Mexico nel 1919. Dipinge ad olio e usa pastelli per creare ritratti realistici e paesaggi desertici e le sue opere sono esposte a Santa Fe presso la School of American Research.
Pelton visitò i nativi americani dei Pueblo nel sud-ovest americano.
Pelton aveva i suoi studi nel Greenwich Village a New York City fino al 1921, quando sua madre morì. Si è trasferita a Long Island e ha vissuto in un mulino a vento di Hayground che era stato convertito in una casa. Ha anche viaggiato alle Hawaii, Beirut, Siria, Georgia e California.
Ha dipinto ritratti e nature morte alle Hawaii nel 1923 e nel 1924.
Ha creato opere d'arte astratte a partire dal 1926, che sono state esposte a New York alle Argent Galleries e al Museum of New Mexico.
Nel 1926 aveva esposto in 20 mostre collettive e 14 mostre personali.
Si stabilì a Cathedral City, in California, nel 1932. Pelton inizialmente intendeva visitare la zona, ma ci visse per quasi 30 anni.
Lei scrisse: "La vibrazione di questa luce, l'ampiezza di questi cieli mi ha affascinato. Sapevo che c'era uno spirito nella natura come in ogni altra cosa, ma qui nel deserto era uno spirito particolarmente luminoso".
Pelton ha registrato i suoi pensieri spirituali e filosofici, ha avuto un "intenso interesse" per l'Agni Yoga, che ha influenzato il suo lavoro. Sette dei suoi dipinti, come Fuochi di Primavera e Fuoco Bianco, rappresentavano il simbolo del fuoco dell'Agni Yoga. Aveva una stretta amicizia con il pioniere dell'astrologia transpersonale moderna Dane Rudhyar ed il pittore modernista del sud-ovest Raymond Jonson.
Nel 1938 fu co-fondatrice, prima presidente e membro più anziano del Gruppo della Pittura trascendentale.
Pelton morì a Cathedral City nel 1961 e fu cremata. Le sue ceneri furono sepolte nelle montagne di San Jacinto.
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