Anna Lea Merritt (born 13 September 1844 in Philadelphia , died. 7 April 1930 in Hurstbourne Tarrant, in the county of Hampshire ) - American artist active in England . Dealt with the oil painting and decoration, created etchings and murals , was also a writer and publicist.
She was born in a wealthy Philadelphia family of Quakers , her father was an entrepreneur involved in cotton and its processing. As a teenager she attended the progressive schools of learning the classical literature, mathematics and foreign languages, and music with private teachers. Also studied the anatomy of the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia.
In 1865 she moved with her family to Europe, visited, among others in Italy, Germany and France, among others collects painting lessons in Léon Cognieta in Paris and Stefano Ussi in Florence . After the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, settled in England, where she met the painter and art critic Henry Merritt, who was initially her teacher and mentor, and in March 1877 was her husband. The marriage lasted only three months after the sudden death of Anna Merritt has documented his life and achievements in the two-volume publication of Henry Merritt: Art Criticism and Romance .
She lived until his death in England, but often visited America. Exhibited at the Royal Academy and Paris Salon , painted portraits , allegorical paintings and religious landscapes and flowers. In 1888 he issued the 33 etchings in the exhibition Work of the Women Etchers of America organized by the Union League Club in New York . She was also a member of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers in London. In 1893 he received the prize and medal for preparing the decorations for the British section of the World Exhibition in Chicago . She participated, among others the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 and the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889. Also done murals for the church of St. Martin County in Chillworth Surrey [1] .
Although the work of Anna Lea Merritt has enjoyed considerable popularity in Victorian England, is now the artist is forgotten [2] . The most famous is the image of the Tate Britain Fri Love Locked Out (1889). The canvas shows a naked Cupid, without the characteristic attributes dobijającego to the closed door of the tomb. The work was created in memory of her love for the prematurely deceased husband, Henry Merritt (1822-1877).
Publications
· Henry Merritt: Art Criticism and Romance , 1879,
· A Hamlet in Old Hampshire , 1902,
· An Artist's Garden , 1908,
· Memories , 1926.
Footnotes
1. ↑ Church of Sts. Martin's parish at Blackheath ( in English ) . [Access 23/02/2010].
2. ↑ Her work and life promotes the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC
References
National Museum of Women in the Arts: Guide to the Anna Lea Merritt Papers , online (pdf)
External links
§ Anna Lea Merritt in Artcyclopedia.com ( in English ) . [Access 23/02/2010].
§ Art Renewal Center - biography and gallery ( in English ) . [Access 23/02/2010].
