ESCANABA, MI – Bay College is excited to announce a special event in honor of the 100th birthday of renowned artist Robert William Addison. Join us on Thursday, October 24 at 2pm ET in the Besse Theater for a presentation by Matt Shaughnessy, representative of the Robert Addison Gallery, and Kristine Granger, Bay College Art Faculty and Fine Arts Coordinator. A reception will follow in the Besse Gallery, where Addison’s work will be on display, including pieces in the dedicated Addison Alley.
Robert Addison, who found artistic inspiration from Escanaba’s people and places, is considered by art historians to be “the greatest Realist of the 20th Century.” Bay College houses the largest collection of Addison’s critically-acclaimed body of work found anywhere in the world, a distinction made possible through the generous donations of artworks made by his wife, Betsy Wickman Addison of Escanaba and most recently, Lacy Rasberry of South Carolina and others.
In celebration of Addison’s centennial, we will also be hosting a special auction featuring three reproductions of his iconic works. This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome to come and explore the life and legacy of this celebrated artist.
For questions or additional information, please contact Kristine Granger at e: kristine.granger@baycollege.edu and p: (906) 217-4252, or the Events Department at e: events@baycollege.edu or p: (906) 217-4040.
About Robert William Addison
The late Robert William Addison was a Chicago-based artist for over 40 years. Born on January 17, 1924, in Boise, Idaho, Mr. Addison originally intended to become an architect. Fortunately for the art world, his plans were sidetracked when he joined the Army right out of high school. After suffering an injury during training, he spent his recovery time painting. The Red Cross sponsored a show of his works, where all his paintings were sold, providing him with the confidence to pursue a career as an illustrator.
Fate intervened again in 1948, as post-war America saw an influx of aspiring illustrators. With classes filled, Mr. Addison turned to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he intensified his commitment to fine art. Encouraged by his teacher, Paul Wiegard, he was introduced to the Dutch and Italian Renaissance masters he came to admire, especially Bernardo Bellotto. Bellotto’s scenes, characterized by topographical precision and architectural detail, would inspire Mr. Addison’s own work.
Intrigued by Mr. Addison’s dedication to realism during a time when abstraction was in vogue, Wiegard provided individual instruction three days a week, challenging him to study the technical excellence of the masters. During his time at the Art Institute, Mr. Addison realized he could organize his artistic gifts with such virtuosity that he could imitate any past painting style or expression, including those of the master’s he admired. However, he believed these artists had exhausted their respective forms in ways appropriate to their times.
Of the hundreds of paintings Mr. Addison created over the course of his distinguished career, there are certain pieces that are considered benchmarks: works in which he achieved some type of breakthrough in the development of his painting technique. El Tracks is certainly one of them. Another is The Children are Gone (1955) a rendering of carousel horses placed in a deserted setting in which an almost surrealistic quality of timelessness exists within reality. The horses appear at once sad and lonely, yet they are also slightly menacing and eerie; two levels of consciousness balanced within each other. This is a characterization the artist brilliantly conveyed time and again. Many of his works operated on dual levels – loneliness and warmth, familiarity with solitude combining to create the haunting quality that was his trademark. It was Mr. Addison’s mastery of mood, spatial vision and light that was responsible for drawing viewers deep into his paintings, never allowing for a stop at first glance – compelling, almost demanding, deeper inspection of the work, literally inviting the viewer to experience the image.
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