Highlights

Frederick Stone Batcheller (American 1837 – 1889)

19th Century Fine Art Legacy

Batcheller was born in the fledgling industrial city of Providence, Rhode Island. He started as a marble cutter in Providence with Tingley and Brothers, and did produce a few marble busts, before turning to oil painting. Today he is known best for his beautifully detailed still-life paintings.

As Providence was growing into a major industrial center, Batcheller, along with artists George Whitaker, Edward Bannister, James Lewin, John Arnold, Charles Stetson, Thomas Robinson, and Marcus Waterman, were molding it into an eastern cultural center.  Together they formed The Group of 1855 to promote art and culture in Providence.

Later, in 1880, meeting in the studio of Edward Mitchell Bannister, Batcheller along with artists George William Whitaker and Charles Walter Stetson molded The Group of 1855 into a more permanent venue for art study and exhibition. From that initial meeting, sixteen artists organized the Providence Art Club, which became the dominant organization in Providence.

Batcheller was known for his "moodiness" and during periods of melancholy he would confine himself to his studio with his violin, not unlike the fictional sleuth, Sherlock Holmes.  This quirk led his friend George Whitaker to call him "the "Romantic". His mood swings did not hamper his art, but perhaps even enhanced it—his still-lifes are among the best of those produced during that time.

Batcheller was a skilled artist and well respected by his contemporaries, although never attained the same level of recognition as his fellow artists.  Nonetheless, his paintings are treasures waiting to be rediscovered by those with a discerning eye.

References:

Falk, Peter, ed., 1999, Who Was Who in American Art, Sound View Press, Madison, CT.

Gerdts, William H,1990, Art Across America, Vol. 1, Cross River Press, Ltd.

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