ARTIST OR HACK?
I wonder how and why it is that we continue to ignore, one of the finest national artists our nation has ever produced?
His name is J, L.G. Ferris and, if just the sight of that name brings immediate recognition to you as that of one of the truly outstanding artistic talents of our national history - – you may to the head of the class.
You will find, however, that you have been sent to a lonely place. Very few Americans know - or care to know, it seems - who Ferris was ; much less what his work should mean to all of us.
This artist, who died in 1930, produced a series of seventy large oil paintings of outstanding events in American history.
Much of the the information one can find about Ferris today is confused and middled. His father wanted his son to become an artist and even gave him the name of Gene Leon Gerome - hence the “J .L.G”.tag , who was a famed French painter of the mid-1800's. The elder Ferris gave his son good training here with reputable teachers, and took him to Algeria ,Spain and France with him to study art and to paint. Ferris actually me this famous namesake who helped him with his plans.
In seeking reasons why the Ferris name was espenged almost entirely from art encyclopaedia's listings in the United States. He is not recorded for having had any personality flaws would have made him for association with the art community of the time.. Around l900, Ferris selected seventy American historical events and set about painting of each of them. His critics accuse him of “lack of continuity”. He did not do the paintings in chronological order. He roamed among the seventy themes and chose to work on the ones which moved him to a confident worsk on that he had enouigh detail in mind to do a good job.,and only when he felt he had sufficient information to make them authentic representations in every detail. I also find rather snide references to him as being “an illustrator” rather than a “ true” artist. This accusation was true in a sense, but not a demerit at all because noteworthy magazines such as “The Literary Digest” featured his works as front-cover art.. There is also some mention of “copyright difficulties” related to the large number of print made for his works. I have an idea there might be other reasons why Ferris was shunned by the art world of his day and I intend to find out what they may have been.
He was born in 1863, in Philadelphia. He willed his paintings to his wife and she, in turn, did so to the City of Philadelphia. I find that many of the seventy series have been on display at the Independence Hall Museum Hall Museum and I find references to the Library of Congress..You may well have some of his works:::The Rail Splitter” (Abe Lincoln in Illinois), “:the Writing of the Declaration of Independence”,: Liberty Bell"”, “Virginia Dare”, “Blacksmith”: and others., but he has been denied his proper place in our cultural history.. His paintings, in book form, would be the basis for an impressive telling of our national heritage and of America's proper place in world affairs.. I intend to find out more about J. L.G. Ferris, Won't you join me?
A.L.M. February 8, 2004 [c575wds]
