Charles Wadsworth (artist)

Charles Wadsworth
BornMarch 3, 1917
Ridgewood, New Jersey
DiedAugust 21, 2002
Boston, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Known forPrintmaking (Collagraphy), Painting, Poetry, Illustration
StyleModernism

Charles E. Wadsworth Jr. (March 3, 1917 – August 21, 2002) was an American painter, printmaker, and poet. He was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey and moved to Cranberry Isles, Maine in the 1940s.[1][2] His art and writing frequently deal with themes of nature and the "austere enchantments" of life on Maine's islands, as Wadsworth himself put it.[3] In addition to his work as a visual artist and poet, he also illustrated books and, with his wife Jean, ran a small publishing house called The Tidal Press.[4][5]

Wadsworth studied at the Art Students League of New York and exhibited work at the Whitney Museum and elsewhere.[1][6][7] His printmaking and illustrations made use of modern techniques such as collagraphy; he also produced oil paintings and drawings that are held in the collections of various regional and national museums, along with several of his prints.[4][8][9][10] In 2009, four pieces by Wadsworth were included in a retrospective exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art that featured works from the larger community of artists who had been active in the Cranberry Isles during the second half of the twentieth century, of which Wadsworth was the first (others included Ashley Bryan, Gretna Campbell, Robert LaHotan, and John Heliker).[11][12]

Wadsworth published and illustrated multiple volumes of his own poetry, in addition to illustrating several works by other writers—including Richard Wilbur's Seed Leaves: Homage to R.F. and texts by Christopher Fry.[1][4][13] He was also involved in the literary and cultural life of Great Cranberry Island and often delivered public readings of his poems in the Island's church.[5] A film was made about his life; and several documents, photographs, and other items associated with Wadsworth can be found at the Great Cranberry Island Historical Society.[5][14]

Collections

Works by Wadsworth are held in the following museums' collections:

  • Addison Gallery of American Art[10]
  • Bates College Museum of Art[15]
  • Farnsworth Museum of Art[16]
  • Portland Museum of Art[17][18][19]
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum[20]
  • Worcester Art Museum[9]
  • Yale University Art Gallery[8][21]

Bibliography

Works of Poetry

  • Views from the Island: Poetry and Prints. The Tidal Press, 1978.[22]
  • A Tourist in Ludlow and Other Poems: Poetry and Watercolors. The Tidal Press, 1984.[23]
  • Dachshunds and Other Selected Prejudices. The Tidal Press, 1990.[24]

Books Illustrated by Wadsworth (selected)

  • Christopher Fry. Death is a Kind of Love. The Tidal Press, 1979.[25]
  • Christopher Fry. Root and Sky: Poetry from the Plays of Christopher Fry. Rampant Lions Press, 1975.[26]
  • William H. Matchett. Fireweed and Other Poems. The Tidal Press, 1980.[1][27]
  • Leslie Norris. Islands Off Maine. The Tidal Press, 1977.[13]
  • Paul Petrie. Strange Gravity: Songs Physical and Metaphysical. The Tidal Press, 1984.[1][28]
  • Richard Wilbur. Seed Leaves: Homage to R.F., Godine, c. 1974.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "A Maine Writer: Wadsworth, Charles (1917 - 2002)". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  2. ^ "[Obituaries] Charles Wadsworth". Bar Harbor Times. 29 August 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2024 – via Great Cranberry Island Historical Society, Catalogue # 1000.0.852.
  3. ^ Wadsworth, Charles E. (1978). "Some Afterviews". Views From the Island: Poetry and Prints. Cranberry Isles, Maine: The Tidal Press. p. 92. ISBN 093095405X.
  4. ^ a b c d "Seed leaves; homage to R[obert] F[rost] Poetry by Richard Wilbur. Prints by Charles Wadsworth". Research Catalog, New York Public Library. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  5. ^ a b c Smart, Wini (1 October 2003). ""Waddy": Charles E. Wadsworth (1917-2002)". The Working Waterfront Archives. Rockland, ME: The Island Institute. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  6. ^ "Charles Wadsworth". whitney.org. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  7. ^ Pictures on Exhibit. Vol. 19. 1955 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b "Moon Gulls". Yale University Art Gallery Collection. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  9. ^ a b "The Gull Charmer". Worcestor Art Museum. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  10. ^ a b "Charles Wadsworth, Rockpool". Addison Gallery of American Art. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  11. ^ Bloch, Jessica (21 March 2009). "Inspiring Isles: Portland Museum of Art highlights the diversity of a creative crew from Maine's Cranberry Isles". Bangor Daily News. p. 7.
  12. ^ Little, David; Little, Carl (2016). "Great Cranberry Island: A Community of Artists". Art of Acadia. Downeast Books. pp. 179–192. ISBN 9781608934751.
  13. ^ a b "Islands off Maine / by Leslie Norris ; monotypes by Charles E. Wadsworth - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  14. ^ "[Search Results for "Charles Wadsworth"]". Great Cranberry Island Historical Society Historical Archives. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  15. ^ "Baker's Island Light". Bates Museum of Art Collection. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  16. ^ "Pebble and Feather". Farnsworth Art Museum Collection Online. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  17. ^ "Charles Wadsworth, [Still Life with Lobster Gear]". Portland Museum of Art Collections. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  18. ^ "Golden Fish". Portland Museum of Art Collections. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  19. ^ "Gull and Dark Islands". Portland Museum of Art Collections. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  20. ^ "Spruceverge". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  21. ^ "Turkish Graveyard - Rhodes". Yale University Art Gallery Collection. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  22. ^ "Views from the island : poetry and prints". Worldcat. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  23. ^ "A tourist in Ludlow, and other poems : poetry & watercolors". Worldcat. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  24. ^ "Dachshunds and other selected prejudices". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  25. ^ "Death is a kind of love". Worldcat. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  26. ^ "Root & sky : poetry from the plays of Christopher Fry". Worldcat. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  27. ^ "Fireweed and other poems". Worldcat. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  28. ^ "Strange gravity : songs physical and metaphysical". Worldcat. Retrieved 2024-12-23.