Emile A. Gruppé (1896-1978), "Flowers in a Courtyard, Florida," ca. 1968, oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches
Carol Lowrey
For many American artists who liked to paint outdoors, winter was considered an ideal time to translate the effects of frigid air and cool sunlight into paint. The Gloucester-based painter Emile A. Gruppé (1896-1978) followed this line of thinking for a good part of his career; indeed, during the 1930s and ‘40s, he typically spent his winters in Vermont, creating vigorously rendered snow scenes featuring mountains roads and covered bridges (see lower right). However, later on, he decided to change direction, heading south, instead of north, for his annual winter vacation. His destination was Florida, a seasonal retreat for American artists since the late 1800s, when Martin Johnson Heade, George Inness and Thomas Moran began to frequent its sunny shores. They were followed in the twentieth century by the likes of John Singer Sargent, Ernest Lawson, Jane Peterson, Milton Avery and many others who were drawn to Florida’s exotic, unspoiled landscape and warm climate. Gruppé’s connection with the Sunshine State got underway in about 1951, when he began spending his winters in the resort city of Naples, teaching at the gallery-studio of the McNichols family and conducting painting classes on the beach. He eventually acquired a home in Naples that was (not surprisingly, in view of his love of the maritime environment) close to the water. As well as providing him with a respite from the bitter chill of Massachusetts, Gruppé’s sojourns in Florida gave him the opportunity to engage in his favorite pursuits––fishing, gardening and painting. Read the rest of this entry »
