William Robinson Leigh Art
American, 1866-1955
William R. Leigh was born in Berkeley County, West Virginia in 1866 and spent his boyhood on a farm. At the age of fourteen he was sent to the Maryland Institute in Baltimore to begin his art training. Although from a very poor family, he managed to spend twelve years in Europe where he studied at the Royal Academy in Munich, Germany. Upon returning to the United States he opened a studio in New York and did illustrations for "Scribner's Magazine". It was not until he was forty years old that he was able to see the West which had occupied his thoughts for such a long time. His bold use of color depicted the clear light and brilliant hues of the West as he saw it. It was during this phase of his career that he came to be known as the "Sagebrush Rembrandt".
In 1921 Leigh married Ethel Traphagen, a women's clothing designer, and together they established the successful Traphagen School of Fashion in New York City.
In 1926 and 1928 he made two trips to Africa. On these trips he did many paintings of big game, and returning to New York he did the backgrounds for animal habitat groups. He painted in the Southwest nearly every summer between 1912 and 1926. His style was realistic and his palette invariably had the Southwestern hues of soft pinks, reds, yellows and purples. In fact, his critics who knew little of the Southwest accused him of fabricating the colors. He died in 1955.(Biography provided by Gallery of the Masters)
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Artist: William Robinson Leigh
'Foul Rope (Left)' — early American rodeo
By William Robinson Leigh
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
William Robinson Leigh, 'Foul Rope (Left)', etching, c. 1920, edition unknown but small. Signed in pencil. Signed in the plate, lower left. A superb, richly-inked impression, in dark brown ink, on buff wove Umbria paper, the full sheet with margins (1 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches); slight toning at the sheet edges, otherwise in excellent condition. Very scarce.
Image size 14 7/8 x 11 15/16 inches (378 x 303 mm); sheet size 20 3/8 x 15 3/8 inches (518 x 391 mm). Archivally matted to museum standards, unframed.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born near Falling Waters, West Virginia on a plantation a year after the Civil War, and raised in Baltimore, William Robinson Leigh (1866 - 1955) became one of the foremost painters of the American West. His career spanning some seventy-five years, Leigh created some of the most iconic depictions of the western landscape, admirers referring to him as ‘The Sagebrush Rembrandt’.
The son of impoverished Southern aristocrats, Leigh took his first art training at age 14 from Hugh Newell at the Maryland Institute where he was regarded as the best student in his class. From 1883 to 1895, he studied in Europe, mainly at the Royal Academy in Munich with Ludwig Loefftz. From 1891 to 1896, he painted six cycloramas or murals in the round, a giant German panorama.
In 1896, Leigh began working as a magazine illustrator in New York City for Scribner's and Collier's Weekly Magazine, and he also painted portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes.
Leigh's trips to the Southwest began in 1906 when he made an agreement with William Simpson, Santa Fe Railway advertising manager, to paint the Grand Canyon in exchange for free transportation West. In 1907, he completed his Grand Canyon painting, which led to more commissions and an extensive painting trip through Arizona and New Mexico. These travels inspired him to paint western subjects for the next 50 years, his primary interest being the Hopi and Navajo Indians.
In 1910, he traveled to Wyoming, where he painted in Yellowstone Park and created sketches, many of which he later converted into large canvases such as ‘Lower Falls of the Yellowstone’ (1915) and ‘Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone’ (1911).
In 1926 he traveled to Africa at the invitation of Carl Akeley for the American Museum of Natural History, and from this experience wrote and illustrated 'Frontiers of Enchantment: An Artist's Adventures in Africa'. In 1933, he wrote and illustrated 'The Western Pony'. His adventures were chronicled in a number of popular magazines including Life, the Saturday Evening Post, and Colliers.
For many years, his work was handled exclusively in New York by Grand Central Art Galleries at the Biltmore Hotel. In 1953 Leigh was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, becoming a full Academician in 1955.
In March 1999, the Historical Center of Cody, Wyoming, held an exhibition of his field sketches and finished works depicting his experiences near Cody in the early part of the century. These years, between 1910 and 1921, when he often painted in the Carter Mountain vicinity, were considered pivotal to his artistic development and his devotion to the western landscape.
Leigh's work is held in many museum collections of American western art...
Category
1920s Realist William Robinson Leigh Art
Materials
Etching
New York Street Scene, Collier's Weekly Magazine Story
By William Robinson Leigh
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1898
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 21.00" x 34.00"
Signature: Signed Lower Left
Exhibited: The Triumph of Winter, National Arts Club, New York, December 16, 2013- January ...
Category
1890s William Robinson Leigh Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Bull
By William Robinson Leigh
Located in Missouri, MO
Bull by W. R. Leigh (1866-1955)
Signed Lower Left
Unframed: 20" x 16"
Framed: 33.25" x 27.25"
Born near Falling Waters, West Virginia on a plantation a year after the Civil War, and raised in Baltimore, William Leigh became one of the foremost painters of the American West with a career of seventy-five years. Some people referred to him as the "Sagebrush Rembrandt".
He was the son of impoverished Southern aristocrats and took his first art training at age 14 from Hugh Newell (1830-1915) at the Maryland Institute where he was regarded as one of the best students in his class. From 1883 to 1895, he studied in Europe, mainly at the Royal Academy in Munich with Ludwig Loefftz. From 1891 to 1896, he painted six cycloramas or murals in the round, a giant German panorama.
In 1896, he began working as a magazine illustrator in New York City for Scribner's and Collier's Weekly Magazine, and he also painted portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes. However, he was not a very successful artist in those years in New York.
Trips to the Southwest began in 1906 when he made an agreement with William Simpson, Santa Fe Railway advertising manager, to paint the Grand Canyon in exchange for free transportation West. In 1907, he completed his Grand Canyon painting...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist William Robinson Leigh Art
Materials
Watercolor, Paper
The Noble Bull
By William Robinson Leigh
Located in Missouri, MO
William Robinson Leigh
"The Noble Bull"
Watercolor on Paper
Signed Lower Left
Site Size: 20 x 15 inches
Framed Size: approx. 33.5 inches x 27 inches
Born near Falling Waters, West Virginia on a plantation a year after the Civil War, and raised in Baltimore, William Leigh became one of the foremost painters of the American West with a career of seventy-five years. Some people referred to him as the "Sagebrush Rembrandt".
He was the son of impoverished Southern aristocrats and took his first art training at age 14 from Hugh Newell (1830-1915) at the Maryland Institute where he was regarded as one of the best students in his class. From 1883 to 1895, he studied in Europe, mainly at the Royal Academy in Munich with Ludwig Loefftz. From 1891 to 1896, he painted six cycloramas or murals in the round, a giant German panorama.
In 1896, he began working as a magazine illustrator in New York City for Scribner's and Collier's Weekly Magazine, and he also painted portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes. However, he was not a very successful artist in those years in New York.
Trips to the Southwest began in 1906 when he made an agreement with William Simpson, Santa Fe Railway advertising manager, to paint the Grand Canyon in exchange for free transportation West. In 1907, he completed his Grand Canyon painting...
Category
Early 20th Century American Realist William Robinson Leigh Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
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