< Emile Gruppé ~ BOI's of New Hope Art Gallery

VINTAGE ART

Emile Albert Gruppé

1896 - 1978
Emile Albert Gruppé:
Son of renowned painter Charles Gruppé, Emile was born in 1896 and, in addition to his father's artistic influence, attended the Carnegie Art School where he studied with George Bridgeman, the Arts Students League, Woodstock NY under John F. Carlson, Provincetown, MA with Charles Hawthorne, Richard Miller, and George Chapman. He briefly interrupted his career when he entered the Unites States Navy in 1917 and served for a year

Gruppé painted numerous works throughout his life. He is best known for his impressionistic landscapes, painted figures and portraits - especially for "his views of fishing boats docked at Gloucester and Rockport, and for his Rockport village scenes." For the majority of his professional career, he worked and lived in Gloucester, Massachusetts, often wintering in Vermont and Florida. In 1942, he founded the Gruppé Summer School in Gloucester with his mentors Miller, Carlson, Bridgeman, and Chapman.

Like many artists of the time, Gruppé was largely influenced by the work of Claude Monet. In his various paintings of the Bass Rocks area, Gruppé offers a view of the dramatic rocky seashore as it's majestic waves crash through it. A common theme in his work, his views of the coast differ in the time of day, season, and point of view, with variant intentions affecting the depth and breadth of brushstroke and the thickness of paint. Gruppé reveals the conflict of the sea and the formidable rocky coastline against the calm orange light of the early morning, or the deep orange sunset as a day draws to a close. He paints the rocks thick and heavy, but uses a surprisingly delicate hand to convey the variations in the sky.

Gruppé lived a long and prolific life, passionate about his art and about sharing the joys and skills of visual creativity with future generations. He died in 1978 at the age of 82. In one of his last interviews revealed his philosophy of painting: "If you want exacting details in a painting, than you might as well look at a photograph. I make an impression on a canvas, and let one's imagination fill in the details."

Gruppé's works can be found in the Richmond Art Museum, the Hickory Museum of Art, Springville Museum of Art, Whistler House Museum of Art, and more. His works are highly collectible and have brought dramatic prices near $40,000 at auction

If you would like information about the artist or on upcoming special exhibitions and artist receptions, send your address to:

BOI's of New Hope Art Gallery
9 W. Mechanic Street
New Hope, PA 18938
215.862.8292
boisofnewhope@verizon.net
Castalia Harbour - Grand Manor
Castalia Harbour - Grand Manor  
Oilk on Canvas  
13.5 x 10.5