An Appreciation:
Frank W. Benson

Frank W. Benson, Self-portrait

 Frank W. Benson was an American artist in the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. A founding member of The Ten American Painters, he is known for his Impressionistic depictions of genteel New England life and for his prints and watercolors of waterfowl.

Benson came from an old New England family. Born March 24, 1862 in Salem, Massachusetts, Benson's father was a prosperous cotton merchant. His mother was an amateur artist.

Growing up, Benson participated in outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing. He planned to marry his interest in art with his interest in the outdoors by becoming an ornithological illustrator.

After his father was persuaded that this was a practical ambition, Benson entered the School of the Boston Museum of Art at age 18. There he met several other students who were to be important figures in his life including Edmund C. Tarbell, Robert L. Reid and Joseph Lindon Smith. While studying at the school, Benson also taught evening drawing classes in Salem.

In 1883, Benson journeyed to Europe to continue his studies. Once again, he found himself in the company of Tarbell, Smith and Reid at the Academie Julian. He was also exposed to the work of the Impressionists who were now becoming accepted in the Paris art world. At the same time, Benson was  influenced by Old Master paintings, particularly those of Johannes Vermeer and Diego Velazquez, that he encountered at the Louvre and while traveling to Italy, Belgium, Germany and England with Tarbell.

While working during the summer of 1884 in the artists colony at Concarneau, Brittany, Benson became engaged to Ellie Pierson, the daughter of another wealthy Salem family. They would be married in 1888 and would have four children.

Benson returned to the United States in 1886 and settled in New England. While working on portrait commissions, Benson returned to teaching. He taught drawing and painting at the Portland School of Art and then in 1889, he began teaching at the Museum School in Boston. As an instructor and later as a department head, Benson, allied with his friend Tarbell, had a great influence on artists and art in Boston.

During the period 1895 to 1915, Benson produced his most Impressionistic work. Frequently, his subjects were his family enjoying relaxed sun-filled days. He also did murals including paintings for the Library of Congress.

In 1897, Benson joined with Tarbell and Reid and seven other established artists to form The Ten American Painters. Most of these artists were Impressionists and felt that the conservative Society of American Artists was not giving this new art the respect it deserved. Therefore, they banded together to exhibit as a group in New York and other American cities.

In 1914, Benson and Tarbell along with Lilla Cabot Perry founded the Guild of Boston Artists.

As the art world turned toward Modernism, however, the Ten's work was no longer seen as cutting edge and became less popular. Rather than embrace abstraction, Benson shifted from depicting elegant women in casual New England settings to depicting wildlife, particularly water birds. He also turned increasingly to etchings and later watercolors, which  became highly sought after.
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Benson died in 1951 in Salem.

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Above: "Eleanor."

Below: "Summer."

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Above:  "Playing Solitaire."

Below: An etching of waterfowl.

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Artist appreciation - Frank W. Benson