French influence: Clay Edgar Spohn

An American painter may known in USA but in Europe unknown, this is Clay Edgard Spohn(1898-1977), very polyhedral artist that has tried every technique, he has been a painter, muralist, printmaker, sculptor, designer and also professor, in fact he taught in California School of Fine Arts, that now is San Francisco Art Institute; but the important meeting to his style, at last I think, is to Fernard Legèr(1881-1955) that Spohn has had as professor in the Académie Moderne de Paris, 1926-1927, I think that this year was very deeply to Clay, certainly he has known the art of Jean Miró(1893-1983),  because in this painting we can find the clues and influence of these two artists, and we can identify the influence of Léger, that is palmar in The ramification(Figs.1), datable 1941-1942, evidently Spohn has brought from Paris the direct style of Legér, because the same line and the same net line that defines the body and objects; it is same definition of form that used from Legér(Figs.2-4), but Spohn reused in painting of same year(Figs.5-6); as the irrational composition(Figs.7-8) and the colors as the summary conformation of some particular(Figs.9,12) are from Miró(Figs.10-11); since the friendship to Calder, during the return to USA of Alexander he could speak about these European masters; I think that he has seen the works of Miró, because he has transferred to French in 1919, and Spohn was in French in years 1926-1927, whereby he has seen the painting of Spanish; but versatility of Spohn is evident also to choice of styles because in other painting; he took from Jackson Pollock(1912-1956)(Figs.13-15), that through his dynamic painting has influenced directly our Spohn(Fig.16); but Edgard turned also the classic and academic definition of landscape(Fig.17), because he certainly during the French period has had contact both direct and indirect to Caspar David Friedrich(1774-1840); indirect certainly because the German painter was died, but to his works, although the Louvre Museum has alone some drawing, but Spohn may has seen some reproduction; Friedrich has suggested to Spohn some cloud for his painting(Fig.20). We have seen an eclectic artist that has took both the different technic and the different artist, thereupon he was a total polyhedral.

Alessandro Lusana     

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

Fig.4

Fig.5

Fig.6

Fig.7

Fig.8

Fig.9

Fig.10

Fig.11

Fig.12

Fig.13

Fig.14

Fig.15

Fig.16

Fig.17

Fig.18

Fig.19

Fig.20