Maurice Prendergast
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Maurice Brazil Prendergast (October 10,1858-February 1, 1924) was a U.S. post-impressionist watercolor painter. Unlike the Impressionists his work was not purely light and color. He also found structure to be important. He was a member of The Eight but initially distanced himself from the group.
Biography
Young life
Prendergast was born in
St. John's, a city located in
Newfoundland,
Canada on
October 10,
1858. With the failure of his father's subarctic trading post, the family moved to
Boston.There, young Maurice was apprenticed to a commercial artist and at the outset was conditioned to the brightly colored, flat patterning effects that characterized his mature work.
Interpersonal relations
A shy individual, Maurice remained a bachelor throughout his life. He became closely attached to his artist brother Charles, who was a successful frame maker. For three years, Maurice studied in
Paris at the Atelier Colarossi and the
Académie Julian.
During one of his early stays in Paris, he met the Canadian painter James Morrice, who introduced him to English avant-garde artists Walter Sickert and Aubrey Beardsley, all ardent admirers of James McNeill Whistler. The influences of these men set his future painting style.
Style
A further acquaintance with
Vuillard and
Bonnard placed him firmly in the
postimpressionist camp. He developed and continued to elaborate a highly personal style, with boldly contrasting, jewel-like colors, and flattened, patternlike forms rhythmically arranged on a canvas. Forms were radically simplified and presented in flat areas of bright, unmodulated color. His paintings have been aptly described as
tapestry-like or resembling
mosaics. A trip to
Venice in
1898 exposed him to the delightful genre scenes of
Vittore Carpaccio and encouraged him toward even more complex and rhythmic arrangements. He also became one of the first
Americans to espouse the work of
Cézanne and to understand and utilize his expressive use of form and color.
Prendergast typically painted people involved in leisurely activities. At the Armory Show in 1913, he displayed seven works that showed his stylistic maturity. Although he predominantly worked in watercolors, he began using oils in his later career. He also produced a large number of mono-types between 1891 and 1902.
Maurice Prendergast gallery
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Green Dress (1891-1894).jpg|Green Dress (1891-1894)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Street Scene (1891-1894).jpg|Street Scene (1891-1894)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Lady on the Boulevard (The Green Cape) (1892).jpg|Lady on the Boulevard/The Green Cape (1892)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Along the Seine 1892-94.jpg|Along the Seine (1892-94)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Skipping Rope (1892-1895).jpg|Skipping Rope (1892-1895)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Children at Play (1895).jpg|Children at Play (1895)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Franklin Park Boston (1895).jpg|Franklin Park Boston (1895)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Spring in Franklin Park (1895).jpg|Spring in Franklin Park (1895)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - The Tuileries Gardens, Paris (1895).jpg|The Tuileries Gardens, Paris (1895)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - The Breezy Common (1895-1897).jpg|The Breezy Common (1895-1897)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Marine Park (1895-1897).jpg|Marine Park (1895-1897)
Image:Prendergast Maurice South Boston Pier 1895-97.jpg|South Boston Pier (1895-97)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Evening on a Pleasure Boat (1895-1898).jpg|Evening on a Pleasure Boat (1895-1898)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Franklin Park Boston (1895-1898).jpg|Franklin Park Boston (1895-1898)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Viewing the Ships (1896).jpg|Viewing the Ships (1896)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Summer Visitors 1897.jpg|Summer Visitors (1897)
Image:Maurice Brazil Prendergast 002.jpg|Ponte della Paglia (1898-99)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Venetian Canal Scene 1898-99.jpg|Venetian Canal Scene (1898-99)
Image:Prendergast Maurice The Balloon 1898.jpg|The Balloon (1898)
Image:Prendergast Maurice St. Mark-s Venice 1898.jpg|St. Mark's Venice (1898)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Easter Procession St. Mark-s 1898.jpg|Easter Procession St. Mark's (1898)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Afternoon Pincian Hill 1898-99.jpg|Afternoon Pincian Hill (1898-1899)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - The Grand Canal, Venice (1898-1899).jpg|The Grand Canal, Venice (1898-1899)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Monte Pincio (1898-1899).jpg|Monte Pincio (1898-1899)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Monte Pincio Rome (1898-1899).jpg|Monte Pincio Rome (1898-1899)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Splash of Sunshine and Rain 1899.jpg|Splash of Sunshine and Rain (1899)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Telegraph Hill (1900).jpg|Telegraph Hill (1900)
Image:Prendergast Maurice West Church Boston 1900-01.jpg|West Church Boston (1900-01)
Image:Maurice Brazil Prendergast 001.jpg|Central Park, New York (1901)
Image:Prendergast Maurice In Central Park New York 1900-03.jpg|In Central Park New York (1900-03)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Figures Under the Flag 1900-05.jpg|Figures Under the Flag (1900-05)
Image:Prendergast Maurice The Mall Central Park 1901.jpg|The Mall Central Park (1901)
Image:Prendergast Maurice May Day Central Park 1901.jpg|May Day Central Park (1901)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Madison Square 1901.jpg|Madison Square (1901)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Opal Sea (1903-1910).jpg|Opal Sea (1903-1910)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Salem Willows (1904).jpg|Salem Willows (1904)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Spring Flowers (1904).jpg|Spring Flowers (1904)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Santa Maria Formosa Venice 1911 12.jpg|Santa Maria Formosa Venice (1911-12)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Still Life Apples Vase (1913-1915).JPG|Still Life Apples Vase (1913-1915)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Still Life w Apples (1913-1915).jpg|Still Life w Apples (1913-1915)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - The Grove (1915).jpg|The Grove (1915)
Image:Prendergast Maurice Brittany Coast.jpg|Brittany Coast
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - St. Malo (Unknown).JPG|St. Malo (Unknown)
Image:Maurice Prendergast (1858-1924) - Sunny Day at the Beach (Unknown).jpg|Sunny Day at the Beach (Unknown)
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