Nan Watson, aka, Agnes Paterson Watson, Mrs. Forbes Watson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mrs. Watson came to the to the U.S. in her infancy. She received her early education in Buffalo, NY. She started painting early in her life and when she was 18 she arrived in Paris and studied at Academie Colarossi, later returning to New York where she studied further at the Art Students League with William Merritt Chase. She was married to the nationally known author and art critic Forbes Watson, who was an administrator in the Works Progress Administration's Art Section during the Roosevelt administration.
For many years she had her own studio in New York before moving to Washington, DC. Her first exhibit was at the old Whitney Studio Club, now the forerunner of the present Whitney Museum. In New York she had several one-man shows at such galleries as Kraushaar, Rehn and Wildenstein.
Watson was always interested in painting portraits, fresh fruit and flowers. In 1939, Watson had a major exhibit at the Chappell House, a branch of the Denver Museum of Art. Fred S. Bartelett interviewed Watson for the Denver Post, wherein she was quoted saying: "A flower picture should express the painter's sense of the momentous power of natural growth - the power that is manifested when a seedling breaks through a solid asphalt pavement - and it should also be an orchestration of color and form, complete and entirely without accidental touches."
In "Victorian Bouquet" (below) there are richly painted flowers gathered in a Victorian white vase with a light background. It is a still-life composition in oil with great depth, where the eye is led deftly around and through the design. Her flowers in the vase take on a gentle rhythm of harmonious color providing a fresh crispness as they spring from the vase, giving the impression that she has not labored over the mixed bouquet. Upon close inspection, the paint takes on texture, as the oils are built up and thinned out to enhance the composition.
In this composition and her painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection she uses similar compositions. The work at the MET is called "Little Bouquet." Watson's work is other fine collections including; the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Phillips Collection, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Smithsonian Institute, National Portrait Gallery and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Watson died at age 90 in 1966.
For many years she had her own studio in New York before moving to Washington, DC. Her first exhibit was at the old Whitney Studio Club, now the forerunner of the present Whitney Museum. In New York she had several one-man shows at such galleries as Kraushaar, Rehn and Wildenstein.
Watson was always interested in painting portraits, fresh fruit and flowers. In 1939, Watson had a major exhibit at the Chappell House, a branch of the Denver Museum of Art. Fred S. Bartelett interviewed Watson for the Denver Post, wherein she was quoted saying: "A flower picture should express the painter's sense of the momentous power of natural growth - the power that is manifested when a seedling breaks through a solid asphalt pavement - and it should also be an orchestration of color and form, complete and entirely without accidental touches."
In "Victorian Bouquet" (below) there are richly painted flowers gathered in a Victorian white vase with a light background. It is a still-life composition in oil with great depth, where the eye is led deftly around and through the design. Her flowers in the vase take on a gentle rhythm of harmonious color providing a fresh crispness as they spring from the vase, giving the impression that she has not labored over the mixed bouquet. Upon close inspection, the paint takes on texture, as the oils are built up and thinned out to enhance the composition.
In this composition and her painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection she uses similar compositions. The work at the MET is called "Little Bouquet." Watson's work is other fine collections including; the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Phillips Collection, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Smithsonian Institute, National Portrait Gallery and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Watson died at age 90 in 1966.
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| Victorian Bouquet SLL - Nat Watson Oil on Canvas |
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| Signature Example Frame by: Louvre Frames, NYC
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Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. These photos were created by Mr. Waller and all materials are used under the Fair Use Section 107, Copyright Act, unless otherwise noted. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #nanwatson
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