Will Shuster

For persons of a similar name, see William Shuster (disambiguation).
Will Shuster
Born
William Howard Shuster Jr.

(1893-11-26)November 26, 1893
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 1969(1969-02-09) (aged 75)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Resting placeSanta Fe National Cemetery
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.
EducationJohn Sloan
Alma materDrexel Institute
Known forPainting
Notable workZozobra
MovementLos Cinco Pintores

William Howard Shuster Jr. (1893–1969) was an American painter, sculptor and teacher.

Youth

six hooded figures walk rightwards bathed in a dim yellow light from an unseen source
The Eve of Saint Francis, 1922

Shuster was born November 26, 1893, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the second of three children.[1]

He served in the U.S. Army during World War I in France, where he developed tuberculosis after being gassed.[2] He would receive a disability pension thereafter.

New Mexico

hilly, snowy landscape in muted blues, whites, greys and browns
New Mexico Snow Country, 1921

In 1920, Shuster moved to New Mexico[3] to improve his health and became friends with the small but growing arts community. Shuster made money doing ironwork and painting to supplement the pension.[4] In 1921, he became a member of Los Cinco Pintores ("the five painters"), and showed throughout Santa Fe and the rest of the country with the group.

Oeuvre

portrait of a man with arms crossed holding a pipe in the left hand
Portrait of John Sloan, 1928

His artwork is in the permanent collections of the Stark Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Newark Museum, and New Mexico Museum of Art.[5]

  • undated — Senator Bronson Cutting (bronze bust)
  • undated — Avanyu 1
  • undated — Avanyu 2
  • undated — Prayer for the Hunt
  • undated — Portrait of Teresa Bakos
  • undated — 40th Wedding Anniversary
  • 1921 — New Mexico Snow Country
  • October 1922 — The Eve of Saint Francis
  • 1924 — Zozobra, a giant puppet now burned every year in effigy, and symbolizing the gloom of the passing year.
  • 1927 — New Mexico Mountain Scene
  • 1928 — Portrait of John Sloan
  • 1929 —The Santo Domingo - Corn Dance
  • c. 1930 — Trees at Canyoncito
  • c. 1934 — Eagle Dancer (study for The Voice of the Sky)
  • 1934 — Winnowing Wheat
  • May 28 - August 8, 1934 — The Voice of the Earth (The Basket Dance)
  • 1934 — Pottery Maker
  • May 28 - August 28, 1934 — The Voice of the Water (The Spring Flute Ceremony)
  • 1934 — Sermon at Cross of the Martyrs
  • 1935 — The Voice of Sipapu (The Kiva)
  • c. 1940 — Sketchbook
  • September 14 - October 12, 1943 — The Voice of the Sky (The Eagle Dance)
  • 1949 — Untitled (Deer Dance)[6]
  • 1952 — El Toro, a symbol for the Santa Fe Rodeo.
  • 1964 — Zozobra Mural

Notes and references

  1. ^ John Sloan ~ Will Shuster: A Santa Fe Friendship. Santa Fe, NM: The Peters Corporation. 1993. ISBN 0935037497.
  2. ^ Dispenza, Joseph & Louise Turner (1989). Will Shuster: A Santa Fe Legend. Santa Fe, NM: Museum of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0890131988.
  3. ^ "Oral history interview with Will Shuster". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  4. ^ Robertson, Edna (1975). Los Cinco Pintores. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0890130809.
  5. ^ Lewandowski, Stacia (2011). Light, Landscape and the Creative Quest : Early Artists of Santa Fe. New Mexico: Salska Arts. p. 144. ISBN 9780615469171.
  6. ^ "Untitled (Deer Dance)". 1949.