ROCKPORT ART ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES MAJOR EXHIBITION: ROCKPORT, Mass., September 12, 2008 -- The Rockport Art Association, in partnership with the Spanierman Gallery, LLC, of New York, is pleased to announce an important upcoming exhibition, “Emile A. Gr
born in Rochester, NY, although he spent much time in Holland, where he developed his love of maritime subjects. Classically trained, he quickly developed his own impressionistic style. His work is known for its bold brushwork, local color and ability to capture a sense of place and atmosphere of his subjects. He was a prolific painter and a beloved and generous teacher who became one of the most prominent members of the Cape Ann art community. In 1929, Emile established a studio in Gloucester’s Rocky Neck, and in 1942 he founded the Gruppé Summer School. Although he painted in Jeffersonville, Vermont and Florida, he maintained his primary studio in Gloucester until his death in 1978.
In addition to his father's artistic influence, Emile attended the Carnegie Art School where he studied with George Bridgeman; the Arts Students League, Woodstock NY under John F. Carlson; Provincetown, MA with Charles Hawthorne, Richard Miller, and George Chapman. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1917 and served for a year. He was a member of the Salmagundi Club; North Shore Arts Association; Rockport Art Association; Gloucester Society of Artists; Allied Artists of America; Longboat Key AA; Sarasota AA; Grand Central Art Galleries; Rochester AA; Audubon Artists; Northern Vermont Artists; New Haven Paint & Clay Club; CAFA; Meriden Arts & Crafts; St. Augustine AA; and Academic Artists, Springfield, MA.
Charles P. Gruppé, was a Canadian-born artist, who instilled a love for art in his children. A more traditional landscape painter, he made his living representing the European Barbizon artists’ work in America, and he split his time between Holland and New York. He died in 1940, at age 80, in his Rockport summer studio on Bearskin Neck, one he had shared with his son when they first arrived on Cape Ann in the mid-1920’s.
Robert C. Gruppé, a contemporary impressionist painter, was born in 1944. He continues the artistic legacy of his father Emile and grandfather, Charles, in his own evolving personal style which embodies the influences of his heritage and his environment -- Cape Ann and Naples, Florida. He records the impressions of a scene with increasingly powerful brush strokes in his characteristic palette of vibrant colors. His paintings capture the light, movement, and mood of the composition. They share with the observer a story which blends the past and present combining his family tradition with a contemporary need for a personal statement. He maintains his studio and gallery in the historic schoolhouse on Rocky Neck in Gloucester, where his father worked and ran the Gloucester School of Painting.
Exhibition Details:
• Preview and opening gala: October 3, 2008 from 7 pm to 9 pm. Tickets for the gala are $50 per person, and may be purchased in advance by calling the Rockport Art Association at 978-546-6604.
• Exhibition: October 5 to November 23, 2008. The Rockport Art Association is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm. Admission to the exhibition is $5.00.
• Gallery Talks: In
