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Bruce Crane Art

American, 1857-1937
Robert Bruce Crane was an American painter. He joined the Lyme Art Colony in the early 1900s. His most active period, though, came after 1920, when for more than a decade he did oil sketches of woods, meadows, and hills. He developed into a Tonalist painter under the influence of Jean-Charles Cazin at Grez-sur-Loing. Crane's mature works were nearly always fall and winter scenes. He usually painted in his studio in Bronxville, New York, where like many of the Tonalists he relied mostly on memories of his outdoor sketching experiences. Selected work can be found at the Florence Griswold Museum and the Newark Museum. He is a descendant of the Continental Congressman Stephen Crane.[1] Bruce Crane's father, Solomon Crane, was an amateur artist himself and interested his son in the New York art scene from a young age. However, it was a summer trip to the Adirondacks that piqued Bruce's interest in painting after witnessing “a lot of young lady amateur (artists.)” At the age of seventeen around 1874 he moved with his family to Elizabeth, New Jersey where he worked as a draftsman for an architect. In hopes of starting a career in this field, he approached the famous artist Alexander Wyant and asked to start an apprenticeship with him. Wyant asked to see some of Crane's work, but Bruce did not believe that his skills were adequate enough to impress Wyant. Therefore, he declined the request and spent the next year improving his skills before he showed his work to Wyant and began to work with him. They remained friends until Wyant's death. Bruce Crane began to then study at New York's Arts Student League and in 1876 he was featured for the first time in an exhibit at the National Academy of Design, submitting his painting called "Old Swedish Church, Philadelphia." Crane soon began to paint locations of East Hampton and Long Island, which brought him praise and critical approval, as well as a steady income. In 1909 he won a bronze medal at the Carnegie Institute exhibition for his work November Hills, showing that he was still a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the first two decades of the 20th century, Crane won at least 10 major national and international awards. This included the Inness Gold Medal (1901), Gold metal at the St. Louis Exposition (1904), The Saltus Medal (1912), and the silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exhibition (1915). From 1929 to 1933, Bruce Crane was the President of the famed Salmagundi Club of New York City (founded 1871) and its artist of the year in 1902. He was also associated with the Grand Central Art Galleries, participating in its 1933 members' drawing. In 1897, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate Academician, and became a full Academician in 1901.
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"Autumn Landscape, " Bruce Crane, Tonalist American Impressionist Fall Scene
"Autumn Landscape, " Bruce Crane, Tonalist American Impressionist Fall Scene

"Autumn Landscape, " Bruce Crane, Tonalist American Impressionist Fall Scene

By Bruce Crane

Located in New York, NY

Bruce Crane (1857 - 1937) Autumn Landscape Oil on canvas 25 x 30 inches Signed lower right Robert Bruce Crane was an American painter. He joined the Lyme Art Colony in the early 190...

Category

Early 20th Century Tonalist Bruce Crane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"November" Bruce Crane, Tonalism Landscape Autumn Scene, American Impressionism
"November" Bruce Crane, Tonalism Landscape Autumn Scene, American Impressionism

"November" Bruce Crane, Tonalism Landscape Autumn Scene, American Impressionism

By Bruce Crane

Located in New York, NY

Bruce Crane (1857 - 1937) November Oil on canvas 25 x 30 inches Signed lower right Robert Bruce Crane was an American painter. He joined the Lyme Art Colony in the early 1900s. His ...

Category

Early 20th Century Tonalist Bruce Crane Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Winter Scene oil/board 10 x 14 image size. Frame shows age appropriate wear and marks throughout but not too bad as viewed in the main photo when viewed straight on. It can be touched up I feel or replaced. The painting might benefit from a light cleaning. Bruce Crane (1857 – October 30, 1937) was an American painter. He joined the Lyme Art Colony in the early 1900s. His most active period, though, came after 1920, when for more than a decade he did oil sketches of woods, meadows, and hills. He developed into a Tonalist painter under the influence of Jean-Charles Cazin at Grez-sur-Loing. Crane's mature works were nearly always fall and winter scenes. He usually painted in his studio in Bronxville, New York, where like many of the Tonalists he relied mostly on memories of his outdoor sketching experiences. Selected work can be found at the Florence Griswold...

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Signed (at lower right): BRUCE CRANE Bruce Crane was a highly successful, widely honored landscape painter in the decades that framed the turn of the century. He was an accomplished artist, best-known for his Barbizon-influenced and, later, tonalist, canvases. Crane turned decisively to tonalism after 1884. “Russet and Gold” may be the same work he exhibited by that name at the National Academy of Design in 1887. Because the title is descriptive, however, the identification remains tentative. Crane was born in New York City, where he attended public schools and accompanied his father, an amateur painter, to art galleries and museums. Crane studied painting with Alexander Wyant. Wyant had begun his career as a landscape artist working in the panoramic, realist style of the Hudson River School, but was subsequently much influenced by a dovetailing constellation of the French Barbizon painters, the work of John Constable, and the influence of his friend, George Inness. Crane’s early work reflects his training with Wyant. The young artist progressed rapidly, supplementing private study with classes at the recently founded Art Students League. He first exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York City in 1876, and showed there almost every year thereafter until his death (missing only three years). He was named an associate in 1897, and a full academician in 1901. In 1878, Crane went to France, and returned there in 1880 and 1882. He studied in Grez-sur-Loing with Jean-Charles Cazin, a French landscape painter. At the same time, he established a winter studio in Manhattan and spent summers on Long Island. Crane was much honored in his time. He exhibited a landscape owned by Andrew Carnegie in the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. He won the Webb prize at the Society of American Artists in 1897...

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Late 19th Century American Realist Bruce Crane Art

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Tonalist Sunset Landscape by Bruce Crane
Tonalist Sunset Landscape by Bruce Crane

Tonalist Sunset Landscape by Bruce Crane

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Located in Buffalo, NY

Tonalist sunset landscape by Bruce Crane (1857-1937). Oil on canvas, circa 1890. Signed lower left, "Bruce Crane". Displayed in a period giltwood frame. Image size, 12&q...

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1890s Tonalist Bruce Crane Art

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Bruce Crane art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Bruce Crane art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Bruce Crane in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Bruce Crane art, so small editions measuring 17 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of John Francis Murphy, Leon Dabo, and John MacDonald. Bruce Crane art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,500 and tops out at $30,000, while the average work can sell for $12,000.

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