FELIX
RUSSMANN, AMERICAN ARTIST
SOME
FRIENDS AND INFLUENCES
BY
THOMAS YANUL - PAGE A
INFLUENCES
- KNOWN AND
PROBABLE
ABOVE
- EMIL CARLSEN, PROBABLY RUSSMANN'S MOST INFLUENTIAL INSTRUCTOR AT THE NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
LEFT
- ACCORDING TO FAMILY LEGEND, NOTED NYC ARTIST ARTHUR B. DAVIES WAS ANOTHER
BASIC INFLUENCE PROBABLY MORE AS TO THEORY RATHER THAN STYLE.
OTHERS
PROBABLY INCLUDE ALBERT RYDER
WITH
WHOM RUSSMANN WORKED AS AN ASSISTANT,
AND
INNESS, WHISTLER AND BLAKELOCK.
RUSSMANN'S
STUDY IN GERMANY AT
FRANZ
VON STUCK'S ATELIER WAS
IN
HIS OWN WORDS NOT AN INFLUENCE.
HE
APPARENTLY SPENT MORE TIME
TRAVELLING
AND VISITING CHEMISTS
AND
COLOR THEORISTS.
ABOVE
- BILL ZORACH 1930 - RIGHT - THE ZORACH'S HOME IN MAINE, ROBIN HOOD FARM
WILLIAM
ZORACH AND HIS WIFE MARGUERITE WERE FRIENDS WITH HELEN
MONTGOMERY
(MONTY) WHO RENTED A ROOM IN THEIR NYC APARTMENT.
IN
1913 HELEN RENTED A SMALL CABIN ON THE CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. PROPERTY FOR
$5. A MONTH. SHE HAD MANY ARTISTS AND WRITERS COME FOR
SHORT VISITS
THROUGH
THE SUMMER BUT FELIX CAME AND STAYED THE ENTIRE SUMMER
SEASON.
HELEN BECAME FELIX'S FIRST WIFE.
I
SPENT SEVERAL DAYS WITH MRS. ZORACH IN THE SPRING OF 1967 AT HER HOME
"ROBIN
HOOD"FARM, NEAR BATH, MAINE SHE RELATED THE INFORMATION TO
ME.
TO
SEE THE ZORACH'S CHRISTMAS PRINTS
DESIGNS
BY MARGUERITE ZORACH
TO
SEE A PORTRAIT OF HELEN (MONTY) MONTGOMERY
BY
BILL ZORACH,
GO
HERE. HELEN BECAME HIS FIRST WIFE
LEFT
&
BELOW
ARTIST CLAUDE BUCK (1890-1974) - A FRIEND OF RUSSMANN'S FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY IN NYC. BUCK CAME TO CHICAGO ABOUT 1918-19 AND LIVED A SHORT TIME WITH FELIX IN PALOS PARK, ILLINOIS IN THE OLD BARTLETT HOUSE. A DAUGHTER, ADA, WAS MARRIED TO SCULPTOR LOREDO TAFT. HERE BUCK IS WORKING AT THE INDIANA SAND DUNES AND WITH HIS, FAMILY, WIFE ESTRID AND CHILDREN BOBBIE AND JUEL. ESTRID (R) WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED OPERA SINGER. BUCK LATER DIVORCED HER AND MARRIED ONE OF HIS STUDENTS, LESLIE,MOVING TO CALIFORNIA IN 1943.
ARTIST CLAUDE BUCK (1890-1974) - A FRIEND OF RUSSMANN'S FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMY IN NYC. BUCK CAME TO CHICAGO ABOUT 1918-19 AND LIVED A SHORT TIME WITH FELIX IN PALOS PARK, ILLINOIS IN THE OLD BARTLETT HOUSE. A DAUGHTER, ADA, WAS MARRIED TO SCULPTOR LOREDO TAFT. HERE BUCK IS WORKING AT THE INDIANA SAND DUNES AND WITH HIS, FAMILY, WIFE ESTRID AND CHILDREN BOBBIE AND JUEL. ESTRID (R) WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED OPERA SINGER. BUCK LATER DIVORCED HER AND MARRIED ONE OF HIS STUDENTS, LESLIE,MOVING TO CALIFORNIA IN 1943.
RUSSMANN
HAD LEFT NEW YORK ABOUT 1917 MOVING TO BROWN COUNTY INDIANA. A FEW
YEARS LATER HE MOVED TO PALOS HILLS, ILLINOIS - A CLOSE SW SUBURB OF CHICAGO
WHERE MANY ARTISTS, WRITERS, AND UNIVERSITY PEOPLE HAD SUMMER
COTTAGES.
RIGHT
- ARTIST ETTORE CASER (1880-1944)
BORN VENICE, ITALY - TO NEW YORK CITY 1908
SPENT TIME LATER IN CHICAGO, BUT MOSTLY
IN NEW YORK & MASSECHUSETTS. SEVERAL EXTANT LETTERS TO RUSSMANN, 1920-21 UNABASHIDLY PRONOUNCE HIS GREAT ADMIRATION AND FRIENDSHIP FOR RUSSMANN.
POSSIBLE THE TWO MET FIRST NYC. SELF-PORTRAIT 1915 - PHOTO COURTESY WINCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY, WINCHESTER, MA. WHERE CASER LIVED & WORKED FOR A TIME.
BORN VENICE, ITALY - TO NEW YORK CITY 1908
SPENT TIME LATER IN CHICAGO, BUT MOSTLY
IN NEW YORK & MASSECHUSETTS. SEVERAL EXTANT LETTERS TO RUSSMANN, 1920-21 UNABASHIDLY PRONOUNCE HIS GREAT ADMIRATION AND FRIENDSHIP FOR RUSSMANN.
POSSIBLE THE TWO MET FIRST NYC. SELF-PORTRAIT 1915 - PHOTO COURTESY WINCHESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY, WINCHESTER, MA. WHERE CASER LIVED & WORKED FOR A TIME.