Waldo Peirce was known for his paintings
of his children, a subject he depicted numerous times when he
settled in Bangor, Maine with his third wife after years of travel
in Europe where he led a fun-filled adventurous life. His style
was loose and imperfect but full of the spirit of what he was
painting, which in his early career was often landscapes.
He was born the son of a wealthy lumberman
in Bangor, Maine and studied at Harvard University where he was
known much more for his personality and football playing skills
than for his scholastic ability.
In 1910, he decided to go to Europe,
but after boarding the ship in Boston, changed his mind, jumped
overboard and swam ashore. However, shortly after that, he left
for England and then went to the Academie Julian in Paris, and
lived partying life around Europe. He engaged in many pastimes
including canoe racing on the Thames in England and football
on a French team in Ireland. During World War I, he served as
an ambulance driver and earned the Croix de Guerre for bravery.
After the War, he toured in Spain with
writer Ernest Hemingway and painted in the styles of Spanish
artist Ignacio Zuloaga and French modernist Henri Matisse.
The following is from Martin L Peterson:
A large oil by Peirce of a slaughtered
steer hangs in the stairwell leading to the second floor of Ernest
Hemingway's house in Ketchum, Idaho. It is inscribed to Hemingway
from Peirce as a birthday present.
Peirce's papers are at Colby College
in Maine.
|