Edwin Austin Abbey

Edwin Austin Abbey RA ( born April 1, 1852 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, † August 1, 1911 in London) was an American painter and illustrator. He was known for his drawings and paintings Shakespear'scher and Victorian themes. His most famous work, the mural " The search for the Holy. Grail " is on display at the Boston Public Library.

Life

Edwin Austin Abbey began his artistic training at Isaac Williams, a portrait and landscape painter. In 1868 he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he was a student of Christian Schussele. In the same year he also began as an illustrator at Van Ingen & Snyder. At age 19 (1871 ), he went to New York to work there for the art department of Harper 's Magazine. Here he made ​​the acquaintance with other illustrators, such as Francis Davis Millet, Edwin Blashfield and Alfred Parsons.

In 1876 there was the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the U.S., a Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. This was to see a large selection of European painters. Abbey had done it especially the English painter ( Leighton, Watts and Boughton ). At age 26 (1878 ) Abbey went to England to gather here for Harper's background information on the poems of Robert Herrick. In the 1890s he painted murals for the Boston Public Library. On 12 February 1896 he became a member of the Royal Academy of Arts ( RA). Undoubtedly, the year 1902 a highlight for Abbey. Because he was chosen to paint the coronation of Edward VII. In 1907 he declined the offer to be knighted, from; otherwise he would have lost his U.S. citizenship. 1908/ 09 Abbey painted several murals for the new Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, which were completed by his friend John Singer Sargent after his sudden death.

Selections

Anne Hutchinson on Trial, 1901

Spirit of Light, Pennsylvania State Capitol rotunda, Harrisburg

Allegory Science, Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg