Sunday, July 8, 2012

Bertha Boynton Lum: Woodcuts, Part 1


+ JMJ +

Bertha Boynton Lum
Printmaker and Illustrator
American (1869–1954)

Biography from TERRA Foundation for American Art and  IFPDA:

Bertha Lum ranks among the important twentieth-century American printmakers who were inspired by Asian culture, particularly the style and masterful technique of Japanese prints.

Born Bertha Boynton Bull and raised in Iowa and Minnesota, Lum began her formal art education in 1895 at the Art Institute of Chicago's prestigious school, where she studied design and later, in 1901, figure drawing. 

Peter
Peter, 1912  (Lum's daughter, baby Eleanor, called Peter.) 
Color Woodcut by Bertha Boynton Lum 
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)

She also received training from newspaper illustrator and printmaker Frank Holme (1868-1904). Lum's aesthetic sensibilities were further shaped by the display of Japanese prints she saw at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and by Arthur Wesley Dow's influential textbook Composition (1899), which promoted Japanese color woodcuts as models.

Cherry Blossoms, 1912  by Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries

In 1903, she married Burt Lum, a Minneapolis lawyer. During their honeymoon trip to Japan, the aspiring artist collected ukiyo-e woodcut prints and sought out artisans practicing traditional printmaking techniques.

"A Beautiful Waitress" by Eizan KIKUKAWA (1787-1867)
Image dates originally to Edo era (1738-1868). This "re-carved" Meiji-edition print was published 1903-1906.

In 1904, Lum made her first prints inspired by Japan and its graphic tradition.

A Rainy Twilight by Bertha Lum, 1905
From the Hanga and Torii Galleries 

Lum returned to Tokyo in 1907 and spent two months studying with master block cutter Bonkotsu Igami (1875-1933), followed by extensive lessons with master printers on intricate Japanese color printing technique.

O Fuji San by Bertha Lum, 1907 
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries 

In 1911, Lum, accompanied by her two daughters, again traveled to Japan to work with master cutters and printers in making print editions using traditional techniques. 

Through the Night, 1912  by Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries 

In 1912, she was the only foreign artist included in the Tenth Annual Art Exhibition in Ueno Park, Tokyo, where her works were admired for their distinctive blending of western and Japanese styles.

Bamboo Road, 1912  By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries

Successful solo exhibitions at Chicago and New York galleries followed. At the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, Lum's prints received a silver medal; she was recognized among other awardees who excelled in color printmaking, namely Gustave Baumann, Helen Hyde, and Dow.

Snowballs, 1912  By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)

Until 1933 (and intermittently thereafter), Lum's color woodcuts were exhibited to acclaim in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. 


(Undoubtedly Lum's daughters, Catherine and baby, Eleanor, called Peter.) 
By Bertha Boynton Lum 
Color Woodcut, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA)

Lum lived alternately in the United States and abroad. She made further visits to Japan from 1915 - 1936 to make prints.


Wind and Rain, 1912  By Bertha Boynton Lum 
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries

Lum was divorced by the early or mid-twenties. From 1922 to 1924, she lived with her daughters in China, where she learned Chinese printmaking methods and created images inspired by Chinese scenes. 

China Boy by Bertha Lum, 1904
From the Hanga and Torii Galleries

In 1954, Lum joined her daughter's family in Genoa, Italy. She died there several months later, leaving a graphic legacy of 158 color woodcuts in addition to watercolors and illustrations.

Magic Carpet by Bertha Lum, 1912 

Though not the most famous turn-of-the-century artist, whose works no longer have the appreciation and notoriety they used to, Lum's art is of a rare subtlety and elegance.


Rain, 1912  By Bertha Boynton Lum 
Color Woodcut, From the Hanga and Torii Galleries 

Red haired, with green eyes and a strong personality, she managed to impose her works in Asia as well as America. Her very personal style pleased the two cultures at the beginning of the last century, and it still strikes a cord today. Just look how difficult it is to find any of her works on sale and how high the asking price is.

Junks on the Inland Sea
Junks on the Inland Sea, 1908  By Bertha Boynton Lum
Color Woodcut, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) 


Click here to go to Part 2 of this post.
Click here to go to Part 3 of this post.


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