Featured Artists' Biographies (T)

View larger image and more information for The American Red Cross Watercolor, At the Window.

The American Red Cross: American School: From 1917 to 1965 the American Red Cross commissioned important American artists to create original poster art and cover art for its magazines. Among others, these included such publications as American Red Cross Magazine (1913-1921), American Red Cross Courier (1922-1951) and The Volunteer (1947-1950). This original watercolour was most likely used as a cover for either of the two lasted listed publications.

Such giants of illustrative art as James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960), Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952), N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945) and Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) contributed numerous works of original paintings and watercolours to the American Red Cross. At the Window is clearly from the hand of a highly skilled, professional artist.

View larger image, more information and other original works of art by C. David Thomas.

C. David Thomas (American, 20th century): A contemporary American painter and printmaker, C. David Thomas began exhibiting his art shortly after his release from active duty in Vietnam with the United States Army. He has created two often interwoven worlds in his original lithographs; one, a surreal world of dream and imagination, and two, a vehicle of protest against America's military involvement in South East Asia and elsewhere.

Since 1975 Thomas has participated in many national and international exhibitions. In 1992, he was one of twenty American artists (along with twenty Vietnamese artists) who took part in a major two year exhibition entitled, 'As Seen By Both Sides'. The exhibition concentrated upon art of the Vietnam war and toured such places as, the Boston University Art Gallery, the University of California at Los Angeles, the Atlanta College of Arts Gallery, Georgia, Missouri University, the National Museum of Fine Arts, Hanoi, Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum, Vietnam.

View larger image, more information and other original works of art by Diana Thorne.

Diana Thorne (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1895 - U.S.A. ?): Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Diana Thorne left for Germany around 1912 to take formal art studies in Munich and Berlin. Unfortunately, the First World War began two years later and (being Canadian) Thorne was detained by the German government as a hostile alien. She managed, however, to escape to England where she supported herself as a reporter, librarian and writer. At this time she began her first experiments in both illustration and etching.

Diana Thorne moved to the United States in 1917. During the following years she became one of America's most recognized canine artists. In total she illustrated (and often authored) children's books dealing with dogs and animal life. Some of her most famous illustrated books include, Puppy Stories, Chips, Cocker Spaniel, Major and the Kitten, Baby Animals, The Dog Book (1932) and Diana Thorne's Dog-Basket (1930).

During the 1920's and early 1930's Diana Thorne was also active as an original etcher. Most of her etchings were published in New York by Kennedy & Company in editions ranging from one hundred to fifty signed s.

View larger image and more information for Valerie Thornton's original etching, San Mimato.

Valerie Thornton (Born, London, 1931): A major contemporary British painter and watercolourist, Valerie Thornton is even more highly esteemed for her original etchings. To this end she studied under the most innovative printmaker of the 1950's, Stanley William Hayter, at Atelier 17. Thornton then finished her studies and worked for a period of two years at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York.

Valerie Thornton's etchings and watercolours were first exhibited in 1960. Since that time, her art has been included in many major exhibitions in both The United States and in Britain, including exhibitions at the Royal Academy. Thornton's work is included in most major collections including those at the Royal Academy and at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Architectural and landscape designs figure prominently in Thornton's art. And although she has experimented with abstraction, she is primarily concerned with the relationships existing among representational elements. San Mimato is a strong example of her original art. Employing both black and green inks, she uses the inherent depth of the deep etching medium to render a fascinating structure of the architecture.

View larger image and more information for John Hall Thorpe's original woodcut, The Wise Men.

John Hall Thorpe (Victoria, Australia, 1874 - London?, 1947): A leading Australian woodcut artist of the early twentieth century, John Hall Thorpe studied at the Sydney Art Society, Heatherley's and St. Martin's School of Art. He then worked as both an artist and engraver on the staff of the Sydney Mail. Known equally well for both his landscapes and floral studies, his paintings and woodcuts were the subject of one man exhibitions in Paris and London.

Shortly before the beginning of the First World War, John Hall Thorpe moved to London and established a studio on Redcliffe Square. Most of his woodcuts were created between 1920 and 1927 and were widely collected for both their superb colourations and strong Art Deco forms.

An interesting point about Thorpe's woodcuts was that he not only created the art but printed and published each woodcut himself. They were then shipped and sold not only in Great Britain but in France and the United States. Perhaps for this reason he felt no need to limit his prints in specific editions. Today, however, his woodcuts are quite scarce.

John Hall Thorpe was a full member of the Royal Society of British Artists and of the Art Workers' Guild.

View larger image, more information and other original works of art by Walter Ernest Tittle.

Walter Ernest Tittle (Springfield, Ohio, 1883 - New York, 1966): One of America's greatest portrait artists, Walter Ernest Tittle studied under William Merritt Chase in New York. During his successful career, Tittle lived and worked in both England and the United States and became a member of the Royal Society of Arts, London, the Society of American Etchers, the Chicago Society of Etchers and the Print Makers' Society of California. His work in etching, lithography and painting include such famous portraits as Joseph Conrad, Arnold Bennett and George Bernard Shaw. Although he rarely numbered his original lithographs, engravings and etchings it is known that Tittle's prints were usually published in editions of only thirty-five s.

Today the graphic art of Walter Tittle is included in the following collections: the Library of Congress and the National Gallery, Washington, DC, the Art Institute of Chicago, the New York Public Library, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, London.

View larger image, more information and other original works of art by Charles Henri Toussaint.

Charles Henri Toussaint (Paris, 1849 - 1911): A nineteenth century French painter, illustrator and etcher, Charles Henri Toussaint gained his highest reputation for his architectural studies of Paris, the French provinces, Oxford and Cambridge. Toussaint studied painting in Paris under Gaucherel and Andre and etching under Brunet-Desbaines. He first exhibited his art at the Paris Salon in 1874 and during the following years received numerous awards, including medals from the Exposition Universalle in 1876, 1884, 1899 and 1900.

Toussaint's architectural etchings were as well known in England as in his native France. He was a frequent contributor to P. G. Hamerton's, Portfolio, and was invited to etch views in Britain. This original etching may have been published by this source.

View larger image and more information for Toyokuni II (Toyoshige's) original woodcut Portrait of a Beautiful Woman.

Toyokuni II (Toyoshige) (Japan, 1777 -1835): The Utagawa school was founded by the great late eighteenth century woodcut artist, Toyokuni (1769-1825). This school of art would dominate the development of the Japanese woodcut throughout the entire nineteenth century, producing such influential designers as Toyokuni II, Kunisada, Kuniyoshi and finally, Yoshitoshi. Toyoshige was the adopted son and pupil of Toyokuni. As was the custom, upon Toyokuni's death he inherited his name and became Toyokuni II. This original woodcut is signed with this title. The title of 'Toyokuni' was obviously of great importance and it was thus challenged by other former pupils, most notably, Kunisada. This pressure forced Toyokuni II to relinquish his adopted name in 1830. For the remaining five years of his life he signed his woodcuts with his original name of Toyoshige.

Of all the followers of Toyokuni, Toyokuni II remains most firmly attached to the art of his master. Like Toyokuni, his full length portraits are famous for their expressiveness and psychological intensity. And, although he created some stunning landscapes near the end of his life, Toyokuni II (like his mentor) is today best remembered for his portrayals of actors and of beautiful women (bijin-ga).

View larger image, more information and other original works of art by Henry Emerson Tuttle.

Henry Emerson Tuttle (Lake Forest, IL., 1890 - New Haven, CT., 1946): Along with Frank W. Benson, Henry Emerson Tuttle is considered one of America's greatest twentieth century etchers of birds. Tuttle was educated at Yale University and attended classes in art at the Slade School, in London. First pursuing a scholastic career, he created his first published drypoint engraving in 1925 at the age of thirty-five. His initial works of art in this medium were so widely received that Tuttle dedicated himself solely to his art from that point on.

Henry Emerson Tuttle was a full member of the American Federation of Arts, the Brooklyn Society of Etchers and the Chicago Society of Etchers. Examples of his original drypoint engravings are included in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Yale University, the British Museum, London, and the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. During the 1930's and 1940's, Tuttle assumed the post of Curator of Prints at the Yale University Art Gallery.