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By 1899, Berninghaus held his first one-man show, and thus had developed a reputation as an artist.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hunt|first=David|title=O.E. Berninghaus: Soulful Artist, Gentle Man|journal=American Art Review|year=1997|month=February|volume=IX|series=1|page=124-129}}</ref> He was offered a [[commission]] by the [[Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]] to produce promotional sketches of the [[Colorado]] and [[New Mexico]] landscapes and soon traveled West. After spending a day in Denver, he traveled south to [[Antonio, Colorado]] on a [[standard gauge]] railroad before transition to a [[narrow gauge]] track for the remainder of his trip into [[New Mexico]]. All the while, Berninghaus sketched, and was eventually invited by the [[conductor]] to ride on the top of the train car. <ref>{{cite book|last=Sanders|first=Gordon|title=Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West|year=1985|publisher=Taos Heritage Publishing Company|isbn=ISBN 0-9615177-1-9}}</ref>
By 1899, Berninghaus held his first one-man show, and thus had developed a reputation as an artist.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hunt|first=David|title=O.E. Berninghaus: Soulful Artist, Gentle Man|journal=American Art Review|year=1997|month=February|volume=IX|series=1|page=124-129}}</ref> He was offered a [[commission]] by the [[Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]] to produce promotional sketches of the [[Colorado]] and [[New Mexico]] landscapes and soon traveled West. After spending a day in Denver, he traveled south to [[Antonio, Colorado]] on a [[standard gauge]] railroad before transition to a [[narrow gauge]] track for the remainder of his trip into [[New Mexico]]. All the while, Berninghaus sketched, and was eventually invited by the [[conductor]] to ride on the top of the train car. <ref>{{cite book|last=Sanders|first=Gordon|title=Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West|year=1985|publisher=Taos Heritage Publishing Company|isbn=ISBN 0-9615177-1-9}}</ref>


When he passed nearby [[Taos, New Mexico]] he [[disembarked]] the train and travelled overland. During his 8 day stay, he met and befriended [[Bert Phillips]], who had established himself as a painter in Taos the previous year. <ref>{{cite book|last=Peters (ed.)|first=Gerald|title=The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces|year=1998|publisher=Gerald Peters Gallery|isbn=ISBN 0-935037-78-0}}</ref> Although he soon returned to St. Louis, Berninghaus was captivated by the [[Puebloan peoples|local Indian culture]] and the landscape and light of New Mexico, and would continue to make yearly trips to Taos until he established himself as a permanent resident.
When he passed nearby [[Taos, New Mexico]] he [[disembarked]] the train and travelled overland. During his 8 day stay, he met and befriended [[Bert Phillips]], who had established himself as a painter in Taos the previous year. <ref>{{cite book|last=Peters (ed.)|first=Gerald|title=The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces|year=1998|publisher=Gerald Peters Gallery|isbn=ISBN 0-935037-78-0}}</ref> Although he soon returned to St. Louis, and was married to Emelia Miller in 1900, Berninghaus was captivated by the [[Puebloan peoples|local Indian culture]] and the landscape and light of New Mexico. For the next few years, the painter lived in St. Louis during the winters, where he pursued his [[commercial illustration]] work, and return to Taos in the summers to pursue his [[fine art]] painting.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sanders|first=Gordon|title=Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West|year=1985|publisher=Taos Heritage Publishing Company|isbn=ISBN 0-9615177-1-9}}</ref>


These visits grew longer, soon turning into six-month retreats. In 1915, he became a founding member of the [[Taos Society of Artists]], along with his friend Bert Phillips and four other artists. He was the first (temporary) chairman of the Society. He also spent more time as secretary of the Society than any other member. <ref>{{cite book|last=Peters (ed.)|first=Gerald|title=The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces|year=1998|publisher=Gerald Peters Gallery|isbn=ISBN 0-935037-78-0}}</ref>
These visits grew longer, soon turning into six-month retreats. In 1915, he became a founding member of the [[Taos Society of Artists]], along with his friend Bert Phillips and four other artists. He was the first (temporary) chairman of the Society. He also spent more time as secretary of the Society than any other member. <ref>{{cite book|last=Peters (ed.)|first=Gerald|title=The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces|year=1998|publisher=Gerald Peters Gallery|isbn=ISBN 0-935037-78-0}}</ref>

Revision as of 00:20, 13 June 2013

Oscar E. Berninghaus
Born(1874-10-02)October 2, 1874
St. Louis, Missouri
Died(1952-04-27)April 27, 1952
Taos, New Mexico
NationalityAmerican
Known forPainting
MovementTaos Society of Artists

Oscar Edmund Berninghaus (2 October 1874 – 27 April 1952) was an American artist and a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists. He best known for his paintings of Native Americans, New Mexico and the American Southwest. His son, Charles Berninghaus (1905–1988), was also a Taos artist.

Early life and education

Oscar Berninghaus was born on October 2, 1874 in St. Louis, Missouri. His father ran a lithography business, which stimulated an interest in watercolor painting in Oscar. The young artist regularly sketched local scenes around St. Louis, including the St. Louis riverfront. He developed an interest in business and sold his works to tourists and newspapers. At sixteen, he had quit school and taken a job with Compton & Sons, a local lithography company, where he started as an errand boy, but soon learned the technical details of engraving, color separation and printmaking. In 1893, he left Compton & Sons and joined Woodward and Tiernan, one of the largest printing concerns in the world at the time. [1]

In search of something more then the practical experience he was receiving at the lithography companies, Berninghaus attended night classes at the School of Fine Arts at Washington University in St. Louis and sketched and painted in his spare time. [2]

Artistic career

By 1899, Berninghaus held his first one-man show, and thus had developed a reputation as an artist.[3] He was offered a commission by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad to produce promotional sketches of the Colorado and New Mexico landscapes and soon traveled West. After spending a day in Denver, he traveled south to Antonio, Colorado on a standard gauge railroad before transition to a narrow gauge track for the remainder of his trip into New Mexico. All the while, Berninghaus sketched, and was eventually invited by the conductor to ride on the top of the train car. [4]

When he passed nearby Taos, New Mexico he disembarked the train and travelled overland. During his 8 day stay, he met and befriended Bert Phillips, who had established himself as a painter in Taos the previous year. [5] Although he soon returned to St. Louis, and was married to Emelia Miller in 1900, Berninghaus was captivated by the local Indian culture and the landscape and light of New Mexico. For the next few years, the painter lived in St. Louis during the winters, where he pursued his commercial illustration work, and return to Taos in the summers to pursue his fine art painting.[6]

These visits grew longer, soon turning into six-month retreats. In 1915, he became a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists, along with his friend Bert Phillips and four other artists. He was the first (temporary) chairman of the Society. He also spent more time as secretary of the Society than any other member. [7]

He continued to reside in St. Louis until 1925, when he finally made the move to Taos. [8]

Berninghaus was committed to the artist colony of Taos, maintained the Society's business affrais, and insisted that Taos would be the single location from which a distinctly American Art would originate; "We have had French, Dutch, Italian and German art. Now we have American art. I feel that from Taos will come that art." [9]

In 1936 Berninghaus was commissioned to paint "Commerce on the Levee", a rendition of early commercial life in St. Louis. Upon completing the 8 foot x 12 foot canvas in his Taos, New Mexico studio, the painter is said to have wrapped the work around a stovepipe to be shipped east. The work was installed in the lobby of the St. Louis Star Times. [10]

Art Clubs & Associations

Berninghaus was a member of the following arts organizations; [11]

Collections

Today Berninghaus paintings can be found in the collections of; [12]

Murals

Berninghaus's murals decord the walls of; [13]

File:St-geneveieve-cropped.jpg
Le Vieux Village (Old Ste. Genevieve, ca. 1735), by Oscar E. Berninghaus (1924). Mural from the Missouri State Capitol building depicting the original village settlement of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri located on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Further reading

  • Sanders, Gordon E. Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Frontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company, 1985. ISBN 0-9615177-1-9

References

  1. ^ Peters (ed.), Gerald (1998). The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces. Gerald Peters Gallery. ISBN ISBN 0-935037-78-0. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  2. ^ Peters (ed.), Gerald (1998). The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces. Gerald Peters Gallery. ISBN ISBN 0-935037-78-0. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  3. ^ Hunt, David (1997). "O.E. Berninghaus: Soulful Artist, Gentle Man". American Art Review. 1. IX: 124-129. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  5. ^ Peters (ed.), Gerald (1998). The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces. Gerald Peters Gallery. ISBN ISBN 0-935037-78-0. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  6. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  7. ^ Peters (ed.), Gerald (1998). The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces. Gerald Peters Gallery. ISBN ISBN 0-935037-78-0. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  8. ^ Peters (ed.), Gerald (1998). The Taos Society of Artist: Masters and Masterpieces. Gerald Peters Gallery. ISBN ISBN 0-935037-78-0. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  9. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  10. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  11. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  12. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  13. ^ Sanders, Gordon (1985). Oscar E. Berninghaus, Taos, New Mexico: Master Painter of American Indians and the Fontier West. Taos Heritage Publishing Company. ISBN ISBN 0-9615177-1-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)

See also

Paintings

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