Collinwood School Fire, Collinwood, Ohio, 1908. Oil on Canvas, Framed
By Eric Edward Esper
Located in Chicago, IL
“Ash Wednesday of Ashes” March 4, 1908
At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 1908, a fire started in the basement near the furnace, under the front stairwell of the school, which blocked the front door. Panicked children were trapped by a crush of bodies in the doorway of the exit of the rear stairwell, trapping the rest of the students and teachers in the upper floors. The community rushed to the school for rescue efforts only to find an impenetrable wall of bodies at the doors. Unable to help, rescuers could do nothing for nearly four hours but watch in horror as some children jumped from the windows to escape, while others remained trapped in the inferno. Firefighters eventually arrived from 10 miles away in nearby Cleveland, but they were too late. 175 perished including two teachers and one rescue worker.
Eric Edward Esper
Collinwood School Fire, Ohio 1908
oil on canvas
22h x 28w in (29.5h x 34w in, framed)
55.88h x 71.12w cm
EEE010
Eric Edward Esper
After obtaining my BFA in Illustration from Northern Michigan University in 1996 I relocated to Chicago to pursue my artistic endeavors. Here, I began exclusively oil painting and have assembled a body of paintings chronicling scenes of Chicago done primarily in plein air.
Capturing parts of the city’s landscape during its cultural evolution had been my way of conveying history as a painter. My fascination with landscapes and history has led me to create oil paintings of scenes that have affected us in dramatic ways. Recently I have begun painting aerial views of locations that have interesting historical significance, encapsulating true stories that are hard to imagine and harder to forget. My latest paintings capture these places and depict them with historically accurate attention to detail. Using various sources I recreate these scenes with as many photographs of every angle of the incident and research the stories, submersing myself in the event. My newest body of paintings depicts events with a more historically tragic significance, depicting scenes of the darkest hours in America’s Midwest history, where the landscape became the backdrop for tragedy and calamity. These events that irrevocably altered so many lives are important to remember, not only for the people lost and how it affected our culture, but also to remind us that disaster can occur at any time, anywhere.
Eric Edward Esper
EDUCATION
1995 BFA, Illustration, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan
SELECT EXHIBITIONS
2013 Chicago Catastrophes, Conflagrations, and Calamities, Solo show, Linda Warren Projects, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Group show, Metropolitan Capital Bank, Chicago, Illinois
2012 Ten year anniversary show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois
2010 Group show, Concordia University, River forest, Illinois
2009 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois
2008 Somewhere, Elsewhere, Group show, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
2008 Scene in Chicago, Group show, Judy Saslow Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
2007 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois
2007 Cityscapes, Solo Exhibition, Oculus Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
2006 Solo exhibition, Meztli Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
2005 Around the Coyote 2005, Biannual Art Festival, Chicago, Illinois
2004 Chicago Art Open 2004, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit. Chicago, Illinois
2004 Chicago Images, Group show, Frederick Baker Inc. Chicago, Illinois
2004 Around the Coyote Winter Festival, Curator's Choice Show, Biannual art festival, Chicago, Illinois 2003 Landscape Unlimited, Group show, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
2002 Chicago Art Open 2002, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit, Chicago, Illinois
1998 Shoe Show, Group show, Ariana Gallery, Royal Oak, Michigan
1998 Art and Design Alumni Exhibit, Lee Hall...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings