William Sommer
Encyclopedia
William Sommer was an American Modernist
painter.
William Sommer was born in Detroit, Michigan
in 1867. He was largely self-taught, but received instruction early on from artist and commercial lithographer Julius Melchers. He apprenticed with the Detroit Calvert Lithograph Company for seven years but in 1890 he traveled to Europe where he trained with Professors Johann Herterich, Ludwig Schmid, and Adolph Menzel. In 1907 he accepted a position with the Otis Lithograph Company of Cleveland, Ohio
and in 1911 he co-founded the Kokoon Arts Club
to promote modern art in Cleveland. In 1914 he relocated to Brandywine
, Ohio where he worked on several large-scale murals for the Federal Art Project
.
Artist William Sommer spent most of his life in Summit County
near Brandywine Falls. Sommer was an acknowledged leader of the "Cleveland School
," a group of Cleveland-based artists who were active from the teens through the mid-1940s. These artists formed the core of an art community whose size and activity paralleled the growth and energy of Cleveland during that period. Sommer painted from the turn of the century into the forties, absorbing the ideas of the Cubists and other adventurous artists of that time and integrating these concepts and techniques into his own work. His subjects were thoroughly rooted in the American midwest, however; favorite subjects included young children and farm scenes.
He continued to paint until his death in 1949.
American modernism
American modernism like modernism in general is a trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation, and is thus in its essence both progressive and optimistic...
painter.
William Sommer was born in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in 1867. He was largely self-taught, but received instruction early on from artist and commercial lithographer Julius Melchers. He apprenticed with the Detroit Calvert Lithograph Company for seven years but in 1890 he traveled to Europe where he trained with Professors Johann Herterich, Ludwig Schmid, and Adolph Menzel. In 1907 he accepted a position with the Otis Lithograph Company of Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and in 1911 he co-founded the Kokoon Arts Club
Kokoon Arts Club
The Kokoon Arts Club, sometimes spelled Kokoon Arts Klub, was a Bohemian artists group founded in 1911 by Carl Moellman and William Sommer to promote Modernism in Cleveland, Ohio. Moellman had been a member of New York City's Kit Kat Club, which served as inspiration for Kokoon...
to promote modern art in Cleveland. In 1914 he relocated to Brandywine
Brandywine
-Geographic locations:In British Columbia*Brandywine Falls Provincial Park*Brandywine MountainIn Delaware*Brandywine Creek, a tributary of the Christina River.*Brandywine Hundred, an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County...
, Ohio where he worked on several large-scale murals for the Federal Art Project
Federal Art Project
The Federal Art Project was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression-era New Deal Works Progress Administration Federal One program in the United States. It operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate works, FAP artists created...
.
Biographical Highlights
- 1878-1883: Studies with Julius Melchers
- 1881-1888: Works as lithographic apprentice in Detroit for Calvert Lithograph Co.
- 1888-1907: Works as lithographic journeyman in Boston, England, Munich, and NYC; Sommer studied fine art in Munich for a year in 1890, then returned to New York City and married. Sommer continued to work as lithographer and privately concentrated on his own art.
- 1892: Sommer joins NYC's bohemian artists' group known as the Kit Kat Klub.
- 1907: Sommer moves his wife and children to Cleveland where he worked for Otis Lithograph Co.; the Sommer family ultimately settled in Brandywine, Ohio (today Northfield). Sommer remained there, working in Cleveland and painting in watercolors and oils at home and on outdoor junketts.
- 1912- : Sommer co-founds Cleveland's bohemian artists' group known as the Kokoon Club; exhibits in the 1913 Taylor Show, Cleveland's response to the Armory ShowArmory ShowMany exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
in NYC; frequents the Laukhuff Bookstore with other members of the Kokoon Club; this club was known for its evening activities of "painting, talking, reading and--not infrequently--drinking. . . .the Kokoon Club would still be honored today as the home-away-from-home of William Sommer." - 1929: Sommer loses his job as a lithographer to the new offset printing process
- 1933: Sommer exhibits at the Whitney Biennial and the Museum of Modern Art, both in NYC; paints mural for the Cleveland Public Hall as part of the Public Works of Art ProjectPublic Works of Art ProjectThe Public Works of Art Project was a program to employ artists, as part of the New Deal, during the Great Depression. It was the first such program, running from December 1933 to June 1934...
- 1934: Sommer paints a mural for the Cleveland Public LibraryCleveland Public LibraryThe Cleveland Public Library was founded in 1869 and is located in Cleveland, Ohio. It operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 28 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and a library for the blind and physically...
- 1937-1949: Sommer receives numerous exhibitions and one-artist shows in NYC, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Oberlin, and Akron
Artist William Sommer spent most of his life in Summit County
Summit County, Ohio
Summit County is an urban county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 542,899. In the 2010 Census the population was 541,781. Its county seat is Akron...
near Brandywine Falls. Sommer was an acknowledged leader of the "Cleveland School
Cleveland School
The Cleveland School refers to the flourishing local arts community of Northeast Ohio during the period from 1910-1960. It was so named in 1928 by Elrick Davis, a journalist with the Cleveland Press...
," a group of Cleveland-based artists who were active from the teens through the mid-1940s. These artists formed the core of an art community whose size and activity paralleled the growth and energy of Cleveland during that period. Sommer painted from the turn of the century into the forties, absorbing the ideas of the Cubists and other adventurous artists of that time and integrating these concepts and techniques into his own work. His subjects were thoroughly rooted in the American midwest, however; favorite subjects included young children and farm scenes.
He continued to paint until his death in 1949.