Today, I dug into the life of Gerald Murphy, an American painter from the early 20th century. It wasn’t easy, but it was interesting.
I started by looking up when the guy even lived. Apparently, he got married in 1916, so he was around in the early 1900s. Found out he discovered modern art in 1921. He was like, “If this is painting, this is what I want to do!” I guess he was pretty much self-taught.
Next, I wanted to see what he actually painted. Turns out, he only did like eight major paintings between 1921 and 1929. From what I gathered, each painting took him months to finish! That’s some serious dedication. He was all about Realism and Abstraction. His style was different from the French Purism stuff going on at the time, even though he also used smooth surfaces and abstract shapes.
Then I looked into his life a bit. He and his wife, Sara, were apparently a big deal in the art world. I stumbled upon this exhibition called “Making It New: The Art and Style of Sara and Gerald Murphy.” Sounds fancy. I bet they threw some wild parties on the French Riviera. The paintings reflected his life – stylish, playful, and generous. It was like his life in France was still “an American experience” somehow.
I also read that becoming a famous artist is a mix of talent, hard work, being creative, and a bit of luck. You never know if your ideas will be popular or not. Murphy’s fame might have been slow or fast, who knows?
Things took a turn though. He stopped painting in 1928 because one of his sons got sick. By 1934, he was back in America running his family’s leather business. What a change! Wonder what that was like for him.
Here’s a list of what I learned about Gerald Murphy’s paintings:
- He only made 8 big ones – Quality over quantity, I guess.
- Each took months – He was meticulous, that’s for sure.
- Realism and Abstraction – That was his style.
- Different from French Purism – He had his own thing going.
- Reflected his life – Stylish, playful, and generous.
So, that was my deep dive into Gerald Murphy. Learned a lot about the guy and his art. It’s interesting how life can take such unexpected turns. One day you’re painting in France, the next you’re back in America running a business. Wild.
