Francis Focer Brown
Encyclopedia
Francis Focer Brown was a well-known American Impressionist painter
, as well as professor and head of the Fine Arts Department at Ball State University
in Muncie, Indiana
from 1925-1957, and Director of the Muncie Art Museum. His work was exhibited frequently at the Hoosier Salon
- Indiana Artists Annual, Herron School of Art
Museum, Ball State University, Indiana State Fair
, Indiana Art Club and others. Brown studied With J. Ottis Adams
and William Forsyth (artist)
at the Herron School of Art
; Ball State Teachers College, B.S.; Ohio State University
, M.A. Member Indiana AC; Hoosier Salon. He exhibited at the Richmond Art Museum
, 1922 (prize); John Herron Art Institute, 1922 (prize); Hoosier Salon, 1922–45 (awards); CMA, 1922–25; PAFA, 1922, 1923. His work is held in collections at John Herron Art Institute; Ball State University
; Richmond Art Museum, and in various schools and libraries throughout Indiana. Also known as Francis Brown and Francis F. Brown.
, Brown received instruction from J. Ottis Adams in Brookville, Indiana
. The course J. Ottis Adams
offered lasted only seven weeks, so Brown rented a room at The Hermitage to be near Adams, whom he described in later years as "a wonderfully kind and inspiring teacher" (Eldredge, 1964). Following his instruction with Adams, Brown later enrolled at the John Herron Art Institute where he studied directly under William Forsyth (artist)
, a teacher known for his stern manner. Brown later shared a studio with his wife, Beulah H. Brown
, whom he met while a student at the Herron Art Institute. Because Beulah was allergic to oil paints, the majority of Brown's work was created in Tempera, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pastel, Charcoal and Pencil, with only a very small percentage conducted in Encaustics or Oils.
Brown's subsequent progress and recognition a premier Indiana painter later allowed him to paint and teach at Winegate, Mitchell, and Richmond – all towns in Indiana. This experience prepared him for a post in the Art Department at Ball State University, a post which he would maintain from 1925 to 1957, and from 1957 as Professor Emeritus. Brown was also a well-known exhibitor of the Hoosier Salon, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Indiana Art Club, The Western Art Association, and other local and national art organizations, including the Richmond Group
, a well-known collective of Indiana artists working in the area of Richmond, Indiana
.
Brown achieved an enviable local reputation, exhibiting regularly at national shows, including those at the Hoosier Salon (1925-64), where he won a number of awards, as well as the Cleveland Museum of Art
and many others. Notably, Brown's portrait was painted by Wayman Elbridge Adams
, who also studied at the Herron School of Art. Adams, in turn, was well known by historians for portraits of prominent persons including important artists, political leaders and authors, such as Booth Tarkington
.
; he utilized a system of juxtaposed strokes of contrasting color, that later lead him to better understand and assimilate his own formula of impressionism. Notably, unlike many other impressionists of the era, Brown began to expand the boundaries of impressionism far beyond many of his contemporaries with departures that encompassed both the Fauve
and Expressionist movements. In these artistic expressions, Brown experimented with bold color palates and often nearly formless subject matter which was often intertwined with atmospherics and light in a manner very similar, in substance, to those of Charles Burchfield in watercolors, and the Vincent Van Gogh
signature style, especially when working in egg Tempera
or Oils.
Throughout his lifetime, Brown maintained a consistent pattern of experimentation, clearly intending to move beyond the boundaries of impressionism. To that end, Brown’s subject matter often focused upon the Hoosier countryside in a manner that approached the effects of atmosphere and light in a most profound manner. Of note, works undertaken later in Brown's lifetime were much more broadly brush stroked, often focusing on life pictures that reveal a spontaneity similar to his early landscapes.
Among his peers, Brown's interpretation of atmospherics was regarded as vastly superior to many of his older colleagues, who largely sacrificed their conservative palettes in order to exploit a more decorative artificiality. The effects of atmospherics and light often appear to be amplified by Brown's use of brightly pigmented Tempera, which created a depth and texture similar to that found in many of the great post-impressionist painters. Brown's subject matter was equally far reaching, including portraits, still life
, marine art
, landscape art
, architectural art and industrial scenes.
Notwithstanding the breadth of subject matter encompassed by Brown's work, there is another side of Brown's life work, as revealed in several exceptionally spontaneous works which truly captured the essence of Midwestern atmosphere, and more importantly, the feeling of a simple place and time. Indeed, Brown's rather direct brushwork and rapid manipulation of bright pigments were incredibly successful in simplifying both elements and forms for the viewer.
After his death at the age of eighty, The Muncie Star Newspaper described the Francis Focer Brown's work as art which "didn’t attempt to cure the World’s ills or point out a message." Indeed, Brown’s imagery and style greatly expanded the scope of basic Midwestern impressionism far beyond those of his contemporaries.
Francis Focer Brown's works are currently exhibited at the following museums:
pages 47, 59, and 463;
http://www.AskArt.com - Brown, Francis; http://www.askart.com/askart/artist.aspx?artist=102722
Ball State University
Museum of Art;
Indianapolis Museum of Art
;
Richmond Art Museum
;
FADA - Fine Art Dealers Association - http://www.fada.com/browse_by_artist.html?gallery_no=44&artist=4855
Spainerman Gallery - http://www.spanierman-at-easthampton.com/06_Vintage/brown960028f.htm
Spainerman Detail - Francis F. Brown Oil Landscape - http://www.spanierman-at-easthampton.com/06_Vintage/checklist.htm
Treadway Toomey Auction Detail - Francis F. Brown Watercolor - http://www.treadwaygallery.com/ONLINECATALOGS/DEC2006/catalog12-06/0701-0800.html
Cincinnati Art Gallery - http://www.cincinnatiartgalleries.com/artistdetail;
Fine Estate Art - http://www.fineestateart.com/artists/francis_focer_brown;
Wright Fine Art - http://wrightfineart.com/artist.php?id=14
R.H. Love Galleries - http://www.rhlovegalleries.com/site/epage/19321_472.htm
Art Net - http://www.artnet.com/artist/19334/francis-focer-brown.html
Art Price - http://web.artprice.com/artistdetails.aspx?idArti=MTA0NjAwNjIzMzAzNzU=&src=3
Trocadero - Erin S. Nito Fine Art - http://www.trocadero.com/thornton/items/419369/item419369store.html
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, as well as professor and head of the Fine Arts Department at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
from 1925-1957, and Director of the Muncie Art Museum. His work was exhibited frequently at the Hoosier Salon
Hoosier Salon
The Hoosier Salon is a non-profit arts organization that was founded in 1925 by a group called the Daughters of Indiana. That year, the Salon hosted an exhibit in the galleries of the Marshall Field and Company Building in Chicago featuring Indiana artists such as T.C. Steele, J. Ottis Adams and...
- Indiana Artists Annual, Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
Museum, Ball State University, Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902....
, Indiana Art Club and others. Brown studied With J. Ottis Adams
J. Ottis Adams
J. Ottis Adams was an American impressionist painter and member of the Hoosier Group of Indiana painters.He spent his youth in Franklin, Shelbyville, and Martinsville, Indiana and attended Wabash College for two years....
and William Forsyth (artist)
William Forsyth (artist)
William J. Forsyth was an American Impressionist painter who was part of the "Hoosier Group" of Indiana artists.Forsyth was the first student of the Indiana School of Art in Indianapolis and entered the Munich Academy along with T. C. Steele and J. Ottis Adams in 1882...
at the Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, a school of Indiana University, was ranked 45th overall by U.S. News and World Report among graduate schools of fine arts in 2008....
; Ball State Teachers College, B.S.; Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, M.A. Member Indiana AC; Hoosier Salon. He exhibited at the Richmond Art Museum
Richmond Art Museum
The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy was instrumental in the founding.- Permanent Collection :...
, 1922 (prize); John Herron Art Institute, 1922 (prize); Hoosier Salon, 1922–45 (awards); CMA, 1922–25; PAFA, 1922, 1923. His work is held in collections at John Herron Art Institute; Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
; Richmond Art Museum, and in various schools and libraries throughout Indiana. Also known as Francis Brown and Francis F. Brown.
Background
Francis Focer Brown was a child prodigy drawn at an early age to the field of art. Born in Glassboro, New Jersey, Brown later relocated to Muncie, Indiana, where he attended school as a teenager. During summer vacations while attending Muncie Southside High SchoolMuncie Southside High School
Muncie Southside High School in Muncie, Indiana, is a public high school which had an enrollment of 1,075 during the 2007/2008 school year. The school is part of the Muncie Community Schools Corp. It opened on September 6, 1962...
, Brown received instruction from J. Ottis Adams in Brookville, Indiana
Brookville, Indiana
Brookville is a town in Brookville Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,625 at the 2000 census. The town is the county seat of Franklin County.-Geography:...
. The course J. Ottis Adams
J. Ottis Adams
J. Ottis Adams was an American impressionist painter and member of the Hoosier Group of Indiana painters.He spent his youth in Franklin, Shelbyville, and Martinsville, Indiana and attended Wabash College for two years....
offered lasted only seven weeks, so Brown rented a room at The Hermitage to be near Adams, whom he described in later years as "a wonderfully kind and inspiring teacher" (Eldredge, 1964). Following his instruction with Adams, Brown later enrolled at the John Herron Art Institute where he studied directly under William Forsyth (artist)
William Forsyth (artist)
William J. Forsyth was an American Impressionist painter who was part of the "Hoosier Group" of Indiana artists.Forsyth was the first student of the Indiana School of Art in Indianapolis and entered the Munich Academy along with T. C. Steele and J. Ottis Adams in 1882...
, a teacher known for his stern manner. Brown later shared a studio with his wife, Beulah H. Brown
Beulah H. Brown
Beulah H. Brown , aka Beulah Elizabeth Hazelrigg Brown, was a gifted Hoosier artist and designer who married one of the Midwest's best known and stylistically expansive Impressionist Artists, Francis Focer Brown.- Biography :...
, whom he met while a student at the Herron Art Institute. Because Beulah was allergic to oil paints, the majority of Brown's work was created in Tempera, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pastel, Charcoal and Pencil, with only a very small percentage conducted in Encaustics or Oils.
Brown's subsequent progress and recognition a premier Indiana painter later allowed him to paint and teach at Winegate, Mitchell, and Richmond – all towns in Indiana. This experience prepared him for a post in the Art Department at Ball State University, a post which he would maintain from 1925 to 1957, and from 1957 as Professor Emeritus. Brown was also a well-known exhibitor of the Hoosier Salon, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Indiana Art Club, The Western Art Association, and other local and national art organizations, including the Richmond Group
Richmond Group
The Richmond Group also known as the Richmond School, is a group of American Impressionist painters who worked in the Richmond, Indiana area from the late 19th Century through the mid-20th Century...
, a well-known collective of Indiana artists working in the area of Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
.
Brown achieved an enviable local reputation, exhibiting regularly at national shows, including those at the Hoosier Salon (1925-64), where he won a number of awards, as well as 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...
and many others. Notably, Brown's portrait was painted by Wayman Elbridge Adams
Wayman Elbridge Adams
Wayman Elbridge Adams was an American Painter who was born in Muncie, Indiana, that demonstrated a keen interest in drawing and painting throughout his early years. Adams later received formal instruction in the arts at the Herron School of Art of Indianapolis. Thereafter, he continued his...
, who also studied at the Herron School of Art. Adams, in turn, was well known by historians for portraits of prominent persons including important artists, political leaders and authors, such as Booth Tarkington
Booth Tarkington
Booth Tarkington was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams...
.
Lifeworks
During his formative years as an educator, Brown developed a personal style that bordered on impressionismImpressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
; he utilized a system of juxtaposed strokes of contrasting color, that later lead him to better understand and assimilate his own formula of impressionism. Notably, unlike many other impressionists of the era, Brown began to expand the boundaries of impressionism far beyond many of his contemporaries with departures that encompassed both the Fauve
Fauve
Fauve may refer to:* Fauve , American comics artist* Fauve , a short legged hunting breed of dog* Fauvism, a short-lived and loose grouping of early 20th century modern art* Fauve Software, a defunct software company...
and Expressionist movements. In these artistic expressions, Brown experimented with bold color palates and often nearly formless subject matter which was often intertwined with atmospherics and light in a manner very similar, in substance, to those of Charles Burchfield in watercolors, and the Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
signature style, especially when working in egg Tempera
Tempera
Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium . Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very long lasting, and examples from the 1st centuries AD still exist...
or Oils.
Throughout his lifetime, Brown maintained a consistent pattern of experimentation, clearly intending to move beyond the boundaries of impressionism. To that end, Brown’s subject matter often focused upon the Hoosier countryside in a manner that approached the effects of atmosphere and light in a most profound manner. Of note, works undertaken later in Brown's lifetime were much more broadly brush stroked, often focusing on life pictures that reveal a spontaneity similar to his early landscapes.
Among his peers, Brown's interpretation of atmospherics was regarded as vastly superior to many of his older colleagues, who largely sacrificed their conservative palettes in order to exploit a more decorative artificiality. The effects of atmospherics and light often appear to be amplified by Brown's use of brightly pigmented Tempera, which created a depth and texture similar to that found in many of the great post-impressionist painters. Brown's subject matter was equally far reaching, including portraits, still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
, marine art
Marine art
Marine art or maritime art is any form of figurative art that portrays or draws its main inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea—a genre particularly strong from the 17th to 19th centuries...
, landscape art
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
, architectural art and industrial scenes.
Notwithstanding the breadth of subject matter encompassed by Brown's work, there is another side of Brown's life work, as revealed in several exceptionally spontaneous works which truly captured the essence of Midwestern atmosphere, and more importantly, the feeling of a simple place and time. Indeed, Brown's rather direct brushwork and rapid manipulation of bright pigments were incredibly successful in simplifying both elements and forms for the viewer.
After his death at the age of eighty, The Muncie Star Newspaper described the Francis Focer Brown's work as art which "didn’t attempt to cure the World’s ills or point out a message." Indeed, Brown’s imagery and style greatly expanded the scope of basic Midwestern impressionism far beyond those of his contemporaries.
Francis Focer Brown's works are currently exhibited at the following museums:
- Ball State UniversityBall State UniversityBall State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
Museum of Art - Indianapolis Museum of ArtIndianapolis Museum of ArtThe Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
- Richmond Art MuseumRichmond Art MuseumThe Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy was instrumental in the founding.- Permanent Collection :...
Sources
Who's Who in American ArtWho's Who in American Art
Who's Who in American Art is a biographical hardcover directory of noteworthy individuals in the visual arts community in the United States, published by Marquis Who's Who, formerly by R.R. Bowker Publishing. The directory has also listed some individuals from Canada and Mexico, plus some American...
pages 47, 59, and 463;
http://www.AskArt.com - Brown, Francis; http://www.askart.com/askart/artist.aspx?artist=102722
Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
Museum of Art;
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
;
Richmond Art Museum
Richmond Art Museum
The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond, Indiana. Artist John Elwood Bundy was instrumental in the founding.- Permanent Collection :...
;
FADA - Fine Art Dealers Association - http://www.fada.com/browse_by_artist.html?gallery_no=44&artist=4855
Spainerman Gallery - http://www.spanierman-at-easthampton.com/06_Vintage/brown960028f.htm
Spainerman Detail - Francis F. Brown Oil Landscape - http://www.spanierman-at-easthampton.com/06_Vintage/checklist.htm
Treadway Toomey Auction Detail - Francis F. Brown Watercolor - http://www.treadwaygallery.com/ONLINECATALOGS/DEC2006/catalog12-06/0701-0800.html
Cincinnati Art Gallery - http://www.cincinnatiartgalleries.com/artistdetail;
Fine Estate Art - http://www.fineestateart.com/artists/francis_focer_brown;
Wright Fine Art - http://wrightfineart.com/artist.php?id=14
R.H. Love Galleries - http://www.rhlovegalleries.com/site/epage/19321_472.htm
Art Net - http://www.artnet.com/artist/19334/francis-focer-brown.html
Art Price - http://web.artprice.com/artistdetails.aspx?idArti=MTA0NjAwNjIzMzAzNzU=&src=3
Trocadero - Erin S. Nito Fine Art - http://www.trocadero.com/thornton/items/419369/item419369store.html