Charles W. Bartlett
Encyclopedia
Charles William Bartlett (born 1 June 1860 in Bridport
, Dorset
) was an English
painter and printmaker. He studied metallurgy and worked in that field for several years. At age 23, he enrolled in the Royal Academy
in London, where he studied painting and etching. After three years of study in London, he entered the private studio school Académie Julian
in Paris, where he studied under Jules Joseph Lefebvre
(1836–1911) and Gustave Boulanger
(1824–1888).
In 1889, he returned to England and married Emily Tate, but shortly thereafter, his wife and infant son died in childbirth. Bartlett then traveled to Europe, spending several productive years in Holland, Brittany
and Venice with his friend and fellow artist Frank Brangwyn
(1867–1956). Brangwyn
is believed to have introduced Bartlett to Japanese prints. Bartlett produced some of his most important early works on the Continent, especially studies of peasants painted in broad areas of color. He was invited to join the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in France in 1897. In 1898, he returned to England and married Catherine “Kate” Main. Bartlett returned to the Continent with his second wife, and in 1908, he helped found the Société de la Peinture a l'Eau in Paris. Several Continental museums acquired his paintings at the Paris exhibitions of the Société de la Peinture a l'Eau.
Bartlett made several trips to Brittany
and Holland with the Dutch painter Nico Wilhelm Jungmann
(1872–1935), which provided the former with material for future paintings of peasants, whose dignity derived from the simple placement of shapes.
In 1913, with financial backing from his wife's well-to-do family, the Bartletts traveled to the undivided Pre-Partition British India, Ceylon, Indonesia, China, and Japan. He arrived in Japan in 1915, where he met woodblock print publisher Watanabe Shozaburo
(1885–1962), who was a major force in early 20th century Japanese art (Shin hanga
). In 1916 Watanabe
published 21 woodblocks from Bartlett’s designs, including six prints of Japanese landscapes. In 1917, Charles Bartlett and his second wife left Japan for England. However, they stopped off in Hawaii, where they remained—never returning to England. He did visit Japan in 1919, where he created sixteen Shin hanga
prints for Watanabe
.
Anna Rice Cooke
(1853–1934), who founded the Honolulu Academy of Arts
, became Bartlett’s advocate and patron. In 1928, Bartlett helped to found the Honolulu Printmakers
along with local artists Alexander Samuel MacLeod
, John Melville Kelly
, and Huc-Mazelet Luquiens
. Charles Bartlett died in Hawaii at the age of 79 on 16 April 1940.
(Bristol, England), the Cleveland Museum of Art
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
, and the Library of Congress
(Washington, D. C.) are among the public collections holding work by Charles W. Bartlett.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts
holds a large collection of Charles Bartlett’s paintings and prints, and has held eight solo exhibitions of his work:
Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
painter and printmaker. He studied metallurgy and worked in that field for several years. At age 23, he enrolled in the Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
in London, where he studied painting and etching. After three years of study in London, he entered the private studio school Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
in Paris, where he studied under Jules Joseph Lefebvre
Jules Joseph Lefebvre
Jules Joseph Lefebvre was a French figure painter.Lefebvre entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1852 and was a pupil of Léon Cogniet. He won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1861. Between 1855 and 1898, he exhibited 72 portraits in the Paris Salon...
(1836–1911) and Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger was a French figure painter known for his Neo-Grec style. He was born at Paris, studied with Delaroche and Jollivet, and in 1849 took the Prix de Rome. His paintings are prime examples of academic art of the time, particularly history painting...
(1824–1888).
In 1889, he returned to England and married Emily Tate, but shortly thereafter, his wife and infant son died in childbirth. Bartlett then traveled to Europe, spending several productive years in Holland, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
and Venice with his friend and fellow artist Frank Brangwyn
Frank Brangwyn
Sir Frank William Brangwyn RA RWS RBA was an Anglo-Welsh artist, painter, water colourist, virtuoso engraver and illustrator, and progressive designer.- Biography :...
(1867–1956). Brangwyn
Frank Brangwyn
Sir Frank William Brangwyn RA RWS RBA was an Anglo-Welsh artist, painter, water colourist, virtuoso engraver and illustrator, and progressive designer.- Biography :...
is believed to have introduced Bartlett to Japanese prints. Bartlett produced some of his most important early works on the Continent, especially studies of peasants painted in broad areas of color. He was invited to join the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in France in 1897. In 1898, he returned to England and married Catherine “Kate” Main. Bartlett returned to the Continent with his second wife, and in 1908, he helped found the Société de la Peinture a l'Eau in Paris. Several Continental museums acquired his paintings at the Paris exhibitions of the Société de la Peinture a l'Eau.
Bartlett made several trips to Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
and Holland with the Dutch painter Nico Wilhelm Jungmann
Nico Wilhelm Jungmann
Nico Wilhelm Jungmann , also known as Nico Jungman, was a Dutch painter of landscapes and figural subjects. He was also a book-illustrator and decorator. Jungmann studied with a church painter and also at the Royal Academy, Amsterdam...
(1872–1935), which provided the former with material for future paintings of peasants, whose dignity derived from the simple placement of shapes.
In 1913, with financial backing from his wife's well-to-do family, the Bartletts traveled to the undivided Pre-Partition British India, Ceylon, Indonesia, China, and Japan. He arrived in Japan in 1915, where he met woodblock print publisher Watanabe Shozaburo
Watanabe Shozaburo
was a Japanese print publisher and the driving force behind the Japanese printmaking movement known as shin hanga . He started his career working for the export company of Kobayashi Bunshichi, which gave him an opportunity to learn about exporting art prints...
(1885–1962), who was a major force in early 20th century Japanese art (Shin hanga
Shin hanga
was an art movement in early 20th-century Japan, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods, that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art rooted in the Edo and Meiji periods...
). In 1916 Watanabe
Watanabe Shozaburo
was a Japanese print publisher and the driving force behind the Japanese printmaking movement known as shin hanga . He started his career working for the export company of Kobayashi Bunshichi, which gave him an opportunity to learn about exporting art prints...
published 21 woodblocks from Bartlett’s designs, including six prints of Japanese landscapes. In 1917, Charles Bartlett and his second wife left Japan for England. However, they stopped off in Hawaii, where they remained—never returning to England. He did visit Japan in 1919, where he created sixteen Shin hanga
Shin hanga
was an art movement in early 20th-century Japan, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods, that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art rooted in the Edo and Meiji periods...
prints for Watanabe
Watanabe Shozaburo
was a Japanese print publisher and the driving force behind the Japanese printmaking movement known as shin hanga . He started his career working for the export company of Kobayashi Bunshichi, which gave him an opportunity to learn about exporting art prints...
.
Anna Rice Cooke
Anna Rice Cooke
Anna Rice Cooke was a patron of the arts and the founder of the Honolulu Academy of Arts.-Biography:Anna Charlotte Rice was born on September 5, 1853 into a prominent missionary family on Oahu, Hawaii. Her father was teacher William Harrison Rice , and her mother was Mary Sophia Hyde. Anna grew...
(1853–1934), who founded the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, became Bartlett’s advocate and patron. In 1928, Bartlett helped to found the Honolulu Printmakers
Honolulu Printmakers
Honolulu Printmakers is a non-profit organization of Honolulu-based printmaking artists that operates a printing studio open to the community. It conducts public exhibitions, lectures, demonstration, workshops, and an outreach program in local intermediate and high schools...
along with local artists Alexander Samuel MacLeod
Alexander Samuel MacLeod
Alexander Samuel MacLeod , also known as A. S. MacLeod, was a painter and printmaker. He was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada on April 12, 1888. MacLeod studied at McGill University. After moving to San Francisco, he continued his artistic training at the California School of Design under Frank...
, John Melville Kelly
John Melville Kelly
John Melville Kelly was an American painter and printmaker. He was born in Oakland, California in 1879. He studied art at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art , the Partington Art School and with Eric Spencer Macky .Kelly worked for fourteen years as an illustrator for the San Francisco Examiner,...
, and Huc-Mazelet Luquiens
Huc-Mazelet Luquiens
Huc-Mazelet Luquiens was an American printmaker, painter and art educator who was born June 30, 1881 in Massachusetts to French-speaking Swiss parents. He graduated from Yale University where he received training in art, earning both a bachelor of arts and master of fine arts degrees...
. Charles Bartlett died in Hawaii at the age of 79 on 16 April 1940.
Collections and exhibitions
The Bradford Museums and Galleries (West Yorkshire, UK), the Bristol City Museum and Art GalleryBristol City Museum and Art Gallery
The Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery is a large museum and art gallery in Bristol, England. It is run by the city council with no entrance fee. It holds designated museum status, granted by the national government to protect outstanding museums...
(Bristol, England), the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
, and the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
(Washington, D. C.) are among the public collections holding work by Charles W. Bartlett.
The Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
holds a large collection of Charles Bartlett’s paintings and prints, and has held eight solo exhibitions of his work:
- Charles W. Bartlett: Watercolors, Oils and Prints, May 30, 1939 - June 11, 1939
- Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Sketches by Charles W. Bartlett (1860–1940), February 5, 1946 - March 3, 1946
- A Printmaker in Paradise: The Art and Life of Charles W. Bartlett, November 15, 2001 - January 6, 2002
- Charles Bartlett's Visions of India, April 30, 2009 - January 31, 2010
- Bartlett in Hawaii, May 7, 2009 - September 13, 2009
- Bartlett in China, July 16, 2009 - November 1, 2009
- Bartlett in Europe, September 17, 2009 – January 17, 2010
- Bartlett in Java and Ceylon, January 28, 2010 - June 6, 2010