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| John Chumley, Late Summer |
John Chumley (1928-1984) was an American
Painter who was known for, and had an impeccable talent for, painting
light. Whether Chumley was painting a landscape or one of his children,
the detail in lighting which he observed was always extremely well portrayed.
Chumley
was born in Minnesota
and originally entered college on a scholarship for football. After
an injury to his knee, he chose to pursue painting and enrolled
in the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota,
Florida. Through his career
Chumley strayed away from the lime light which is why today many are unfamiliar
with his works. His career began with one man shows in New York, and if one researches Chumley
there are many clippings of his work but little information about the artist in
general.
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| John Chumley, Goldie, 1958, |
This
artist is particularly intriguing because despite the many catalogues that rave
of his paintings, it is difficult to find commentary
from Chumley himself. This could be because he was a very
independent artist. He insisted upon living in a rural environment,
which could be why he was never directly in the spotlight. He spent many
of his years not too far from DC in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Many of his works include glimpses of the valleys that surrounded him, his
large estate, and his children. Interestingly enough Chumley never used
photographs to paint. This realist put himself in front of his subject
and translated on to canvas what his eyes saw.
A quirk that we know about the artist is that he
painted alone and only alone until the last brush stroke of his canvas was
completed. His paintings were truly his own from the paint he used to the
finished image. Chumley is known for his use of watercolors, but he often
used an egg tempera paint that he made himself. This medium is difficult
to work with, making Chumley's works even more astonishing. The egg
tempera adds a layered effect to his works creating an interesting depth and a
wide array of shades. Once out of art
school, Chumley was asked what drew him to painting such realistic images he
replied, "In art school I saw students of near genius achieve spectacular
results with abstraction--but too quickly, without what I considered enough
background--then they gave up. It was too easy. For me there has to be a challenge. I wanted
more. More knowledge of what went before, so I could bring it to my work”. [1]
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| Andrew Wyeth, Christina's World, 1948 |
Chumley has been compared to artist Andrew Wyeth
by various sources. Wyeth is most famous for his painting Christina's
World, 1948 which
shows a young girl looking into a vast landscape with a house in the distance
(pictured below). The similarities that exist between these artists
live in their realistic style, their fine detail, and their use of
tempera. The variations of light that Wyeth uses amongst the landscape is also
a prominent aspect of this painting, that makes it comparable to Chumley’s work. In Goldie one can see how Chumley
directed light in order to form the definitions in his shapes and lines within
the pieces. Similarities between the two can be drawn from the detail in both
Christina and Goldie's clothing, such as the folds of the clothing, and the
shadows that the fabric casts among itself. These variations within light
that both artists use helps to portray movement in the surroundings of these
two women. In Christina's World Wyeth's use of light illustrates
movement within the grass, while in Goldie, the detail of light brings
life to the curtains in the windows, along with the fabric that Goldie is
ironing. By comparing Chumley’s work to
Wyeth, it becomes evident that Chumley had the talent, and style of a renowned
painter.
Chumley had a passion for the beauty in both the
landscapes and solitude he found tucked away in the Shenandoah
Valley. While this kept Chumley’s work out of the limelight, if it
were not for the inspiration he found there, we may not be able to appreciate
his expertise today.
[1] J.C, T. (March, 28 2001). Fountain
citians who made a difference. Retrieved from
http://www.fountaincitytnhistory.info/People5-Chumley.htm
