Early Life and Education
Charles Webster Hawthorne, a renowned American portrait and genre painter, was born on January 8, 1872, in Lodi, Illinois. His parents returned to Maine, where his father was born, raising Charles in the state. At 18, he moved to New York, working as an office boy by day and studying at night with
Henry Siddons Mowbray and
William Merritt Chase. He also studied abroad in the Netherlands and Italy.
Artistic Career
In 1899, Hawthorne founded the
Cape Cod School of Art, which became a leading art school under his guidance for thirty years. His teaching style emphasized the importance of tone values and oil painting as a medium. Notable students include
Norman Rockwell, who studied with Hawthorne one summer, and
Bertha Noyes, a prominent figure in the Washington, D.C. artistic scene.
Notable Works and Exhibitions
Some of Hawthorne's most admired works are depictions of the seaside around Provincetown, MA. His paintings can be found in the collections of the
Art Institute of Chicago, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the
Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.
Legacy
After his death on November 29, 1930, in Baltimore, MD, Hawthorne's wife,
Marion Campbell Hawthorne, collected his writings, which were published in the influential book
Hawthorne on Painting in 1938. Today, his works continue to be celebrated for their lush, tonal values and masterful use of oil paint as a medium.
Key Dates:
- January 8, 1872: Born in Lodi, Illinois
- 1899: Founded the
Cape Cod School of Art
- November 29, 1930: Passed away in Baltimore, MD