Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1858-1924) was born in St John’s, Newfoundland, a British Colony at the time. The family owned a trading post, and when it failed, they moved to Boston. He was apprenticed at an early age to a commercial artist.
Prendergast studied in Paris from 1891 until 1895 at the Academie Colarossi and the Academie Julian. He met Aubrey Beardsley and the rising contemporary artists Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard among others.
Prendergast traveled to Venice twice. The first visit in 1898 lasted for eighteen months. It was financed by Sarah Choate Sears (1858-1935), a Boston art patron and artist. He wrote to his brother: “It has been the visit of my life. I have been here almost a year and have seen so many beautiful things.” Piazza San Marco (1898) (14”x20”) (watercolor, gouache, scratching) (NGA) is a depiction of the heart of Venice and its major tourist attraction. Prendergast was a typical tourist. He did not seek out the back canals as his subjects, but happily made paintings of Venetian icons. He was shy, but he loved festivals and crowds of people. His view of the Piazza included a major portion of St Mark’s Basilica, the third church constructed on the site. Begun in 1063, St Marks was built to honor the patron saint of Venice, and in 1094 his relics were placed in the Basilica. The building is a magnificent Byzantine structure with five arched doorways and five large domes. The exterior and interior spaces are decorated with rich mosaic tiles of colored glass and gold. The gilt mosaic over the central door as a depiction of The Last Judgement (1836).
To the left is the Clocktower (Torre dell’Orologio) (1496-1499). The lower arch leads to the major shopping street in Venice. Above it is the dial of the astronomical clock in blue and gold enamel that shows the time of day, phases of the Moon, and signs of the Zodiac. At the top is the golden-winged lion with its paw on the Gospel, symbol of St Mark the Evangelist. On the roof, the two large male figures strike the bell on the hour. They are referred to as the Moors because they have become dark as a result of weathering. Red, white, and green Italian flags hang from the three flagpoles. The closest pole to the clock tower supports a large statue of the winged Lion of St Mark, holding his Gospel.
Happy people, many carrying red parasols to provide shade, fill the Piazza. Prendergast used colorful dots and blobs of paint that read so well as a happy throng, but individuals are recognizable. He scratched lines into the surface of the paper to add detail.
Easter Procession, St. Mark’s (1898-99) (18”x14”) (watercolor and pencil) takes the viewer inside the Basilica. The procession includes figures dressed in clerical garb and carrying religious banners. The worshippers are attentive. Behind them is the choir screen that separates the congregation from the clergy. Fourteen marble statues of Mary, St Mark, and the Twelve Apostles are placed at the top of the choir screen. A large gold Gothic cross is positioned at the center. More clergy can be seen behind the screen. The relics of St Mark are contained in a coffin beneath the chapel floor.
The Grand Canal, Venice (1889-99) (18”x14’’) (watercolor and graphite) provides a view of the Grand Canal. Prendergast is a master of composition and the use of watercolor. He divides the composition between the earthtones of the squares and the rectangle of the Riva walk and the blue tones of the rivulets of water. He guides the viewer farther into the composition with the strong edge of the Riva, the receding diagonals of the shops and places along the canal, the tall lamp posts, and the palines (posts) to tie up gondolas.
Prendergast always includes crowds of people on the Riva. Children and adults walk along, some hold hands, others are in conversation, some sitting, some playing, some watching from balconies, an assortment of everyday Venetian life. Gondolas carry passengers up the canal. Prendergast’s quick brushwork catches them. His unique technique captures the beauty and joy of Venice like no other artist.
Prendergast mastered the Impressionist brush stroke, adding his own special twist. Grand Canal, Venice (1898-99) (23”x35”) is more sketch than completed painting, but it shows off his skill. All water-color paper is white, and like Sargent, Prendergast lets anything white be just the paper. Here the water shimmers in the sunlight, created by the flecks of white paper. The piece is not finished; the white costumes of the gondoliers are incomplete. In the earlier scene of the Canal, the white garments that fill the composition are unpainted watercolor paper.
Umbrellas in the Rain (1899) (14”x21”) (MFA, Boston) is a depiction of the bridge over the Rio di Palazzo and the repeated arches of the lower architecture of the Doges Palace. A large crowd of people with umbrellas crosses the bridge in the direction of St Mark’s Square. Watercolor washes of beiges, greens, browns, blues, and oranges create the puddles of rain water on the Riva.
The subject of Festa del Redentore (1899) (11”x23”) is difficult to portray for any artist. The Festa is a yearly event celebrating Venice’s deliverance from the 1576 plague. It is celebrated on the third Sunday in July. A carnival processions is held during the day, but at night gondolas with colorful lamps float along the Grand Canal. Prendergast painted his first night scene to capture this sight. He successfully captured the glowing lamps against the black gondolas and the dark waters. The painting reveals the excitement Prendergast felt. Exceptional.
Romans were the first to make glass in Italy. By the 8th century there was a Glassmakers Guild, and a law was passed in 1291 naming the island of Murano the major center of glass making. All glass making furnaces were moved to Murano. The glass makers were encouraged to keep their processes secret. By 1869, Murano employed 3,500 people. Prendergast, never having worked in mosaics, responded to the brilliance of Murano glass. He created a second version of the Festa del Redentore (1899) (11”x23”) in a glass mosaic.
When Prendergast returned to Boston in 1899, a small exhibition was held at the Boston Watercolor Club. It was a success, and his work was admired by gallery owner, Wiliam MacBeth. Prendergast’s first solo exhibition was at the MacBeth Gallery in New York in 1900. The majority of the works were watercolors and monotypes from his European trip. His work was described as, “A cluster of brilliant watercolors which are in point of color and skill quite remarkable.” His career as an American Modernist was launched. Although his work was different, he was included in shows with American modernists such as The Eight. Seven of his paintings were shown in the famous Armory Show in 1913. He moved from Boston to New York in 1913. He continued to paint scenes of well-known places such as Central Park crowded with people.
Prendergast returned to Paris is 1907 and saw major exhibitions of Cezanne, Matisse, and Seurat. He wrote, “I am so chocked full of the exhibitions here I don’t know what influence it will have after I am once more home.” His later style was influenced by Seurat’s Pointillism. When he returned to Venice in August 1911, his figures were less important than architecture of bridges and canals. Santa Maria Formosa, Venice (1911-12) (22”x15”) (MFA, Boston) shows his interest in architecture, larger brush stokes, and bright colors. The bell tower (1492) (131 feet tall) is featured in this watercolor. It was unique at the time it was built because of its geometric pattern design. Prendergast sets the scene on a cloudy day. He might have intended to reflect the four puffing headed figures, not represented, that are sculpted under the top of the tower. They represent the winds blowing in all four directions
Prendergast began losing his hearing in 1905, and by the end of his life he was completely deaf. He was not discouraged. He remained positive and in touch with the world. In 1923, the year before he died, the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, DC) awarded him the Corcoran Bronze Medal. Prendergast’s response was, “I’m glad they’ve found out I’m not crazy, anyway,”.
“The love you liberate in your work is the only love you keep.” Maurice (Maurice Prendergast, 1905)
One Response
Thank you for this outstanding feature. I felt as though I had traveled to view the actual art!