33. Oscar Bluemner
(1867-1938)

Winfield, Long Island, Sep. 17, 1904

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Bluemner: Winfield, Long Island

Winfield, Long Island, Sep. 17, 1904

Original pencil drawing, inscribed with title, date and color notes, on laid paper, 123 x 198 mm. In addition to the notes on the drawing, the verso of the sheet contains a long, written analysis of the scene for a prospective painting of it. Bluemner was born in Hannover, Germany, attended technical high schools and held architectural jobs before immigrating to America in 1892. The following year he worked as a draughtsman for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago and somewhat later created the winning design for the Bronx Borough Court House in New York. He also, both in Germany and America, drew and painted landscapes, but it was not until 1910 that he decided to paint full time, giving up architecture. His works were in the 1913 Armory Show and exhibited at the Stieglitz Gallery. He was a modernist, and though his early drawings do not explicitly show that, his analytical approach to landscape led him in that direction. He was, sadly, not commercially successful for most of his life and ultimately committed suicide. The prices paid recently for one or two of his paintings could have lifted him out of poverty for many years.