Jon Schueler
Encyclopedia
Jon Schueler was an American
artist.
Schueler was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. He first had the desire to become a writer
, and after he acquired his Masters degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in 1940, he worked for a short time as a journalist
. His writing skills helped him articulate his artistic sensibilities throughout his life.
The Second World War
interrupted his writing, and he spent three years in the United States military
. From 1941 to 1944 he trained in the Army
and the Air Force
; he became a navigator
in the plexi-glass nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, guiding it on missions out of Molesworth
, England
, over France
and Germany
.
After the war, he moved to San Francisco
, California
and taught English. Schueler studied at the California School of Fine Arts where he met Clyfford Still
, one of the staff. He also studied with Edward Corbett, David Park
, Hassel Smith, and Richard Diebenkorn
.
Excited by the Abstract Expressionism
to which he was exposed, Schueler moved to New York City
, New York
in 1951, where Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko
had studios. He soon became part of the New York School
of artists and his first solo exhibition was in 1954, at the Stable Gallery.
In September 1957, Jon set up a studio in Mallaig Vaig, Scotland
, just to the north of Mallaig. In November he went out on a fishing boat, The Margaret Ann, for the first time. That winter was especially difficult, due to personal issues and severe snowstorms.
This experience is also reflected in the following quote:
From the 1960s onward, the colors in his paintings covered a narrower range, suggesting mood, rather than motion. Schueler's handling of his medium became more delicate and expressive in his paintings as he further developed his personal artistic aura, and moved beyond Abstract Expressionism.
After his first stay, in 1958 to 1959, Jon yearned to return to Mallaig, Scotland
. But various circumstances only permitted a few visits until 1970, when he settled there for almost five years. Meanwhile, he had painted in New York
, and Chester
, Connecticut
. Schueler exhibited in both solo and group shows, and taught as a visiting artist at both Yale University
and the Maryland Institute of Fine and Applied Arts, (now the Maryland Institute College of Art
).
On a rare visit to Mallaig in 1967, he experienced his second revelation of the Scottish sky, that became, like the snow storms, a major theme in his future repertoire, as shown in this quote:
The summer of 1967 was also the first time Jon had begun to seriously use the watercolor medium. By this time also, Schueler had cast off the use of heavy impasto
(impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface -or the entire canvas- very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible) that had characterized his earlier oil paintings. He was now using a much lighter hand.
Before 1970, Jon Schueler's times in Scotland had been in the autumn, winter, and early spring, with a brief visit in the high summer. Though he had experienced the very short winter days of the far north, he had yet to see the midnight sun of a June night. When he did, he had an intense revelation as expressed by this quote:
Horizontals indicating the line of the horizon had been a part of Schueler's compositions for some years. With this vision of the June night, Jon concentrated on developing this theme further, producing many paintings in which the picture surface 'vibrates' with bands of color that depend on the effects of light conditions belonging to the changing seasons on the Sound of Sleat. This somber, yet exhilarating vision set the stage for Jon's third theme for his sky repertoire, which he called upon for the next three decades.
Schueler died in New York City on August 5, 1992.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist.
Biography
- For a timelineTimelineA timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
, see Jon Schueler chronology
Schueler was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. He first had the desire to become a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and after he acquired his Masters degree at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1940, he worked for a short time as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. His writing skills helped him articulate his artistic sensibilities throughout his life.
The Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
interrupted his writing, and he spent three years in the United States military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. From 1941 to 1944 he trained in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the Air Force
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
; he became a navigator
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
in the plexi-glass nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, guiding it on missions out of Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
, England
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...
, over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
After the war, he moved to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and taught English. Schueler studied at the California School of Fine Arts where he met Clyfford Still
Clyfford Still
Clyfford Still was an American painter, and one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism.-Biography:...
, one of the staff. He also studied with Edward Corbett, David Park
David Park
David Park was a painter and a pioneer of the Bay Area Figurative School of painting during the 1950s.-Biography:...
, Hassel Smith, and Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn was a well-known 20th century American painter. His early work is associated with Abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. His later work were instrumental to his achievement of worldwide acclaim.-Biography:Richard Clifford Diebenkorn Jr...
.
Excited by the Abstract Expressionism
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
to which he was exposed, Schueler moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1951, where Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
had studios. He soon became part of the New York School
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
of artists and his first solo exhibition was in 1954, at the Stable Gallery.
In September 1957, Jon set up a studio in Mallaig Vaig, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, just to the north of Mallaig. In November he went out on a fishing boat, The Margaret Ann, for the first time. That winter was especially difficult, due to personal issues and severe snowstorms.
This experience is also reflected in the following quote:
There now have been three massive experiences I have had with the Scottish sky. The first, in March 1958, when I had given up and, aching in my head and eyes and soul, I cycled from Mallaig Vaig to the white sands of ArisaigArisaigArisaig is a village in Lochaber, Invernessshire, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands.-History:On 20 September 1746 Bonnie Prince Charlie left Scotland for France from a place near the village following the failure of the Jacobite Rising. The site of his departure is marked by the Prince's...
, where I watched the snow clouds moving toward me, implacable, from the sea. One passed over and through me, snow beating against my face. Then I turned to the south and saw the winter sun glowing in the snow cloud; strange image of light burning and dying through the shadows of a changing form. Though the sun was a winter sun, it translated itself in my mind to the most powerful and vibrant colors, reds, yellows, Indian yellows, or sometimes alizarinAlizarinAlizarin or 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone is an organic compound with formula that has been used throughout history as a prominent dye, originally derived from the roots of plants of the madder genus.Alizarin was used as a red dye for the English parliamentary "new model" army...
through blue.
From the 1960s onward, the colors in his paintings covered a narrower range, suggesting mood, rather than motion. Schueler's handling of his medium became more delicate and expressive in his paintings as he further developed his personal artistic aura, and moved beyond Abstract Expressionism.
After his first stay, in 1958 to 1959, Jon yearned to return to Mallaig, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. But various circumstances only permitted a few visits until 1970, when he settled there for almost five years. Meanwhile, he had painted in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Schueler exhibited in both solo and group shows, and taught as a visiting artist at both Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and the Maryland Institute of Fine and Applied Arts, (now the Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art is an art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the first and oldest art colleges in the United States. In 2008, MICA was ranked #2 in the nation...
).
On a rare visit to Mallaig in 1967, he experienced his second revelation of the Scottish sky, that became, like the snow storms, a major theme in his future repertoire, as shown in this quote:
The second experience was in 1967 when I was at sea with Jim Manson, the day of the gale. A mist hung like a curtain, to the sea, haunted by a subtle glow from the direction of RhumRùmRùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...
. I pointed out the image to Jim, who said, "Yes, we call that a sun dogSun dogA sun dog or sundog, scientific name parhelion ; , also called a mock sun or a phantom sun, is an atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light in the sky, often on a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.Sundogs may appear as a colored patch of light to the left or right of...
; it's the sign of the gale." This warning of the storm that was to drive us from the sea was the most delicate sign, impossible to draw, impossible to define, impossible to understand except in the most exquisitely senitive terms.
The summer of 1967 was also the first time Jon had begun to seriously use the watercolor medium. By this time also, Schueler had cast off the use of heavy impasto
Impasto
In English, the borrowed Italian word impasto most commonly refers to a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas...
(impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface -or the entire canvas- very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible) that had characterized his earlier oil paintings. He was now using a much lighter hand.
Before 1970, Jon Schueler's times in Scotland had been in the autumn, winter, and early spring, with a brief visit in the high summer. Though he had experienced the very short winter days of the far north, he had yet to see the midnight sun of a June night. When he did, he had an intense revelation as expressed by this quote:
Last night I had one of the very important visual experiences of my life. It was late, 11:30, when I looked out the studio window and was struck by the somberness of what I was able to see...I went out...The vision was intensely real, yet it was the most powerful abstraction...this vision of death, or of Nature beyond life, or of Nature as she must exist beyond that fantasy of life that we imagine...This abstraction of the sea and the sky and Sleat – I was possessed by it, wanted to walk into it, to disappear into it. I was exhausted afterward. There was no color I could define: The greys were not grey, the silver was not silver, the blacks were not black. It was all light and all darkness. Believe me, I have seen eternity, and it is frightening and it is most beautiful, more beautiful and more powerful than any man or any woman or the works of either...
Horizontals indicating the line of the horizon had been a part of Schueler's compositions for some years. With this vision of the June night, Jon concentrated on developing this theme further, producing many paintings in which the picture surface 'vibrates' with bands of color that depend on the effects of light conditions belonging to the changing seasons on the Sound of Sleat. This somber, yet exhilarating vision set the stage for Jon's third theme for his sky repertoire, which he called upon for the next three decades.
Schueler died in New York City on August 5, 1992.
Further reading
- Nordland, Gerald, and Richard Ingleby. Jon Schueler: To the North. London: Merrel Publishers, 2002. ISBN 1-85894-177-6.