John Whitworth Robson - Santa Barbara Landscape - Pastel on Board 1914

Description

A masterly work by a uniquely talented California artist, with a tragic Hollywood twist to his story.

Art measures 9" … more A masterly work by a uniquely talented California artist, with a tragic Hollywood twist to his story.

Art measures 9" x 12", and the frame is 15" x 19".

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 1, 1881, John Whitworth Robson was the third son of Dr. John W. Robson and Cella Lewis Robson.

Education:
Shady Side Academy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Graphic Sketch Club (Founded by Samuel Fleisher in 1898)
American Art Association of Paris, 1905-1908

He was a student of Howard Pyle's in Philadelphia, and studied with Lester G. Hornby in New York City. While in Paris, he studied print making, mezzotint, drawing in pencil, pen, charcoal, pen & ink and pastel. He also produced a few small paintings in oil.

Robson returned to the United States in 1909 to continue his commercial art as an illustrator for Metropolitan, Putnam's Monthly, Outing Magazine, Unique Magazine, Pearson's and others. He lived at 159 E. 33rd Street in New York City, and had a studio at 58 North 24th Street.

In 1912 he moved his family to 926 South Westmoreland Avenue in Los Angeles, California, and opened a studio in the Wilcox Building. Robson continued his career as an illustrator, working for all the motion picture studios, Howard Hughes, and Walt Disney. When the studios switched from artist illustrations to photographs post World War II, the toll was widespread and all but ended this profession. Robson was an artist directly impacted by this shift. His paintings are rare since he destroyed most of his art work shortly before his death in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 1946.

Exhibited:
Shady Side Academy, Philadelphia, PA
Graphic Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
American Art Association of Paris
Societie des Artistes Francais (Paris), 1908. less