Sydney Richmond Burleigh | |
|---|---|
 EarlyProvidence Art Club members, circa 1890. Sydney Burleigh sits at right. | |
| Born | July 7, 1853 |
| Died | February 25, 1931 |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Watercolors, oil paintings, drawings, illustrations, furniture design |
Sydney Richmond Burleigh (July 7, 1853 – February 25, 1931) was an Americanartist, known primarily for hiswatercolors but also for hisoil paintings,drawings,illustrations, and building and furniture designs.
He was born inLittle Compton, Rhode Island, a descendant of thePilgrimWilliam Bradford. In 1875, he married Sarah Drew Wilkinson (1851–1952) and, with her encouragement and wealth, became a full-time artist. He studied inParis withJean-Paul Laurens from 1876 to 1880 and then returned toRhode Island, where he spent most of his life.
Burleigh rose to national prominence after receiving abronze medal at theSt. Louis Exposition in 1904 and an open prize from theBuffalo Society of Artists in 1913. He exhibited regularly at theBoston Art Club, the Providence Art Club, as well as theNational Academy of Design, thePennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and theNewport Art Museum.
He also worked as an illustrator and collaborated with writerWilliam Henry Frost on several children’s books.
He was a painter in therealist style, consistent with theacademic style of his teacher, Laurens. Mabel Ducasse, an art critic for theProvidence Journal, wrote of Burleigh’s art that "there is a quality in his work which suggests that of the masters of the Renaissance when they chose to employ line and wash. It is character — born of perfect certainty of touch and flowing freedom of line. It is seldom achieved by modern watercolorists, who most often mistake the function of their medium, which is that of drawing rather than painting."[1]
A man of versatile creativity, Burleigh designed theFleur-de-lys Studios inProvidence in collaboration with thearchitectEdmund Russell Willson ofStone, Carpenter, and Willson. Built in 1885 in conjunction with theArt Workers Guild, the building was to be used for art studios, including Burleigh’s own. It is an important monument to the AmericanArts and Crafts Movement and was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1992. It is now owned by theProvidence Art Club, and retains its original purpose as artist' studios.[2]
Another of his studios was a unique and eccentric little building known as the "Peggotty." Burleigh built it over the hull of a small sailboat that had been used as a ferry between Little Compton andMiddletown, Rhode Island. It featured athatched roof, and today it is on display at the Little Compton Historical Society.[3]
Burleigh was a leading member of the art community in Rhode Island. He was a founder of the Providence Art Club in 1880 and was the first president of theProvidence Watercolor Club. He had a long association with theRhode Island School of Design, serving on the board of directors (1887–1893), as a teacher (1897–1906), and as a trustee (1919–1931). He received anhonorary degree fromBrown University in 1912.
His works are held in several private and public collections, including theMuseum of Fine Arts in Boston and the museums at Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design, theRhode Island Historical Society, theLittle Compton Historical Society, and the Henry Ford collection in Dearborn, Michigan.[citation needed]
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