Author Barrie James Matthew
Prendergast was born in St. John's, a city in Newfoundland, Canada. With the failure of his father's subarctic trading post, the family moved to Boston. There, young Maurice was apprenticed to a commercial artist and at the outset was conditioned to the brightly colored, flat patterning effects that characterized his mature work. A shy individual, Maurice remained a bachelor throughout his life. He became closely attached to his artist brother Charles, who was a successful frame maker. For three years, Maurice studied in Paris at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie Julian. During one of his early stays in Paris, he met the Canadian painter James Morrice, who introduced him to English avant-garde artists Walter Sickert and Aubrey Beardsley, all ardent admirers of James McNeill Whistler. The influences of these men set his future painting style. He was a member of the 20th century group of American painters called The Eight, whose members included the group's leader Robert Henri, Eve
...rett Shinn, John Sloan, Arthur B. Davies, Ernest Lawson, George Luks, and William Glackens. A further acquaintance with Vuillard and Bonnard placed him firmly in the postimpressionist camp. He developed and continued to elaborate a highly personal style, with boldly contrasting, jewel-like colors, and flattened, patternlike forms rhythmically arranged on a canvas. Forms were radically simplified and presented in flat areas of bright, unmodulated color. His paintings have been aptly described as tapestry-like or resembling mosaics. A trip to Venice in 1898 exposed him to the delightful genre scenes of Vittore Carpaccio and encouraged him toward even more complex and rhythmic arrangements. He also became one of the first Americans to espouse the work of Cézanne and to understand and utilize his expressive use of form and color. Prendergast typically painted people involved in leisurely activities. At the Armory Show in 1913, he displayed seven works that showed his stylistic maturity. Although he predominantly worked in watercolors, he began using oils in his later career. He also produced a large number of monotypes between 1891 and 1902. Green Dress (1891-1894) Street Scene (1891-1894) Lady on the Boulevard/The Green Cape (1892) Along the Seine (1892-94) Skipping Rope (1892-1895) Children at Play (1895) Franklin Park Boston (1895) Spring in Franklin Park (1895) The Tuileries Gardens, Paris (1895) The Breezy Common (1895-1897) Marine Park (1895-1897) South Boston Pier (1895-97) Evening on a Pleasure Boat (1895-1898) Franklin Park Boston (1895-1898) Viewing the Ships (1896) Summer Visitors (1897) Ponte della Paglia (1898-99) Venetian Canal Scene (1898-99) The Balloon (1898) St. Mark's Venice (1898) Easter Procession St. Mark's (1898) Afternoon. Pincian Hill [in Rome], graphite and watercolor by Maurice Prendergast, 1898-9, Honolulu Academy of Arts Courtyard Scene, Siena, watercolor and graphite by Maurice Prendergast, c. 1898-9, Honolulu Academy of Arts The Grand Canal, Venice (1898-1899) Monte Pincio (1898-1899) Monte Pincio Rome (1898-1899) Splash of Sunshine and Rain (1899) Telegraph Hill (1900) West Church Boston (1900-01) Central Park, New York (1901) In Central Park New York (1900-03) Figures Under the Flag (1900-05) The Mall Central Park (1901) May Day Central Park (1901) Madison Square (1901) Opal Sea (1903-1910) Salem Willows (1904) Spring Flowers (1904) Santa Maria Formosa Venice (1911-12) Still Life Apples Vase (1913-1915) Still Life w Apples (1913-1915) The Grove (1915) St. Malo (Unknown) Sunny Day at the Beach (Unknown)
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