Skip to main content

Video Loading

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 9

Albert Ernest Backus
Hammock on Shores of Indian River South of Fort Pierce, Florida

About the Item

Hammock on Shores of Indian River South of Fort Pierce, Florida By Albert Ernest Backus (1906-1990) Signed Lower Right Unframed: 19.75" x 24" Framed: 29.25" x 33.25" A.E. "Bean" Backus Albert Ernest Backus (1906-1990) was a largely self taught artist from Fort Pierce, Florida who created iconic images of the timeless beauty of the Florida landscape. Whether in the glades, the beaches, the rivers, the savannas, or the back country, his paintings capture a unique sense of place that is instantly recognizable and beloved. Praised and renowned as an exceptional artist in the regionalist tradition, he was also a mentor and advocate for countless people in his lifetime, and is remembered today both for his artistic accomplishments, his altruistic spirit, and in sharing the arts with his community. EARLY YEARS 1920s - 1930s From an early age, Backus showed an interest in art. As a teenager, Backus began harnessing his early love for the landscape toward a possible future as an artist. With financial help from Reginald L. Goodwin (“Uncle Reg," who insisted that he "pass it on" rather than be paid back), he spent the summer of 1924 attending the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (now Parsons School of Design). He studied commercial art to refine skills he thought would be more useful than fine art back home. He went back for summer classes in 1925, but with Florida's faltering economy preceding the Great Depression, any hopes for continued formal training were set aside for more practical concerns. Returning to Fort Pierce, he opened a commercial art business with his brother, and in 1930 also became the resident artist for Sunrise Theatre. There, he created marketing materials for the films with inexpensive supplies such as poster paint and Upson board. Backus was also painting landscapes on the side, and was starting to get noticed. Dorothy Binney (1888-1982), daughter of Crayola crayon inventor Edwin Binney, recognized something special in this young artist and gave him his first art showing in 1931. Her patronage was the encouragement he needed to believe in himself and find the resolve to steadily improve. By the late 1930s, he was becoming more skilled and confident, entering statewide competitions and winning prestigious awards. “Bean” Backus was beginning to establish himself as a serious artist. THE WAR YEARS 1942-1945 On January 1, 1942, Backus enlisted in the U.S. Navy, three and a half weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor and only two days before his 36th birthday. His posting throughout the war was as a quartermaster, second class aboard the troop transport U.S.S. Hermitage AP-54. With the encouragement of the ship’s commander, he was able to get art materials and paint in many of the ports to which their duty called them. Backus visited far-flung and exotic locales during the war, including Casablanca, Le Havre, Marseille, Southampton, Belfast; Panama City and ports in the Canal Zone; Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney in Australia, as well as Wellington, New Zealand; Bombay (Mumbai), Honolulu, Pago Pago (now American Samoa), and Bora Bora (in French Polynesia), painting in watercolor and oils wherever possible. His eye was constantly seeking and absorbing the world around him. THE OLD STUDIO YEARS 1946-1960 Returning from the war, Backus was intent upon continuing his artistic pursuits. Fueled by his keen observation and new worldly experiences, he immediately picked up where he left off. With the proceeds from the sales of his paintings during the war years, he was able to purchase property in Fort Pierce, converting his family’s former boat works on Moore’s Creek into an eclectic home and first studio. Backus was working to develop a statewide clientele, and fashioned a Bohemian-styled hangout where all were welcome. People from all walks of life were attracted to this enclave of hospitality, conversation, friendly debate, music, and of course, art. Backus was known to host parties with live jazz music, and even began to offer art lessons to children on Saturdays. During this productive period, the artist perfected an energetic, colorful painting style for his landscapes that captured the effects of the Florida light with thickly applied paint, often expertly using a palette knife more than a brush. In 1950, Backus married Patricia Hutchinson (1926-1955), who became an important balance in his life and fixture in his studio. As his career began to flourish, Patsy provided the kind of structure and management he needed to entertain clients, attend to guests, and help her husband make productive use of his creative time. It was at the Old Studio that Backus had his first contacts with Harold Newton (1934-1994) and Alfred Hair (1941-1970), the future Highwaymen artists to whom he provided guidance and assistance. JAMAICA THE CARIBBEAN - "A SPIRITUAL HOME" - 1950s-1980s In a bid to escape his pain following the death of his wife, Backus resumed his voyages to the Caribbean. In 1956 he visited Jamaica, and was captivated by the lush vegetation, varied topography, and deep tropical colors the enchanted island offered. Purchasing land near Priestman’s River, he built a studio retreat in 1958 that became a creative sanctuary for him, a place to relax and recharge his spirit. The landscape of Jamaica challenged and delighted his eye. The rich, verdant greens tasked him to counterbalance his palette with complementary warmer hues, and his compositions often feature more people than his solitary Florida scenes. Over the years, he would spend many summers here, and many in his circle of friends and artists would visit for an island getaway and the trademark Backus hospitality. Always quick with a joke, Backus once said, “Jamaica is an opportunity to look at one’s self from the outside. You come here to forget your problems. I came here to drink rum — I just paint on the side.” THE NEW STUDIO YEARS 1960-1990 With progress and growth in mind, Backus sold the Old Studio land to accommodate the city’s new electric power plant to be built at Moore’s Creek. He made certain in purchasing the old Platts house at 122 Avenue C that the “New Studio” would be only a short walk from the site of his former home, so as not to lose any returning clients. But in comparison to the Old Studio, here the atmosphere was more settled and established, as was befitting an artist of greater stature with a client base of more serious collectors. He could now prioritize having a studio manager and others to assist him, first Paul Abstein(1952-2004) and then Don D. Brown (b.1947), who provided an important stability which allowed his creative output to thrive. It was a new start, but many of the successful qualities were still in place. He continued to practice his open door policy, and to be known for treating people with equality and respect. He frequently hosted parties, mentored younger artists, offered art lessons, and gave back to the community. In his mature years, Backus landscape subjects expanded to include more scenes of savannas, glades, rivers, and the back country of rural Florida. His style shifted as well, and his work became more reflective and more detail-oriented. He was focusing on his brushwork more, creating smoother and more refined surfaces, and his market continued to respond with reverence and enthusiasm. During these years he was referred to as “Florida’s painter laureate,” and by 1968 was declared the “Dean of Florida’s landscape painters.” In 1976 he was called a “state treasure,” and was recognized in 1979 by Governor Bob Graham as the “best-known representational artist in the state” at a ceremony in Tallahassee. In 1980, Florida Atlantic University conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters – a crowning honor for the self-taught artist. Backus suffered a series of heart attacks in his latter years, succumbing to the last one in 1990. Despite his failing health, he continued painting up until his final days. LEGACY The artist who embodied the advice to “pass it on” is remembered today both for his artistic accomplishments and his humanitarian spirit. Back in the 1800s and in the early 1900s, there were notable artists from the north who would paint the Florida landscape in their brief visits to a wild and beautiful region. But Backus was the first Florida-born artist to build his professional renown by painting the landscape and scenes from daily life with the experienced eye and intimate knowledge of a native. Backus is fondly recalled as a mentor and advocate to countless individuals, credited with freely conveying moral, intellectual, artistic, and financial support to those in need. Recognized as a figure respected on both sides of a painful racial divide, he was one of the community leaders appointed to Fort Pierce’s first Bi-Racial Commission in the 1960s. During his lifetime, Backus was well known for prioritizing painting requests for local charities to use as fundraisers, typically doing live demonstrations to generate interest. And he was one of the founders and first Art Director of the original Fort Pierce Art Gallery (renamed the A.E. Backus Museum Gallery after his death). Artists who became associated with him and influenced by his style are often referred to as part of the Indian River School, and Backus was instrumental in encouraging the young African American artists who later became known as the Highwaymen. Twenty-eight artists in the Florida Artists Hall of Fame can trace their beginnings to his studio door, and Backus himself was posthumously given this honor in 1993. Today the original Platts-Backus House or New Studio has been restored as the headquarters of Main Street Fort Pierce, with the street renamed A.E. Backus Avenue in honor of Fort Pierce’s famous native son.

Creator:
Albert Ernest Backus (1906 - 1990, American)
Dimensions:
Height: 19.75 in (50.17 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)
Medium:
Oil,Board
Movement Style:
American Impressionist
Period:
20th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Missouri, MO
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU747310774932

You May Also Like

“Bermuda Coast” Henrietta Dunn Mears American Impressionist Oil on Board Signed

By Henrietta Dunn Mears

Located in Yardley, PA

A vibrant Bermuda seascape depicting the rocky shoreline with turquoise waters breaking against sunlit boulders beneath a sweeping tree. Mears uses bold, textured brushstrokes and a ...

Category

20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

“Bermuda Coast” Henrietta Dunn Mears American Impressionist Oil on Board Signed

Henrietta Dunn Mears
“Bermuda Coast” Henrietta Dunn Mears American Impressionist Oil on Board Signed, 20th Century

$1,950

H 19.5 in W 23.5 in D 1 in

“Untitled (Low Country Home)” American Impressionist Spanish Moss South Carolina

Located in Yardley, PA

An exceptional work by George Waller Parker (1888-1957) of a home in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Perhaps the best example of Parker’s work to be offered in recent decades, this w...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

“Untitled (Low Country Home)” American Impressionist Spanish Moss South Carolina

George Waller Parker
“Untitled (Low Country Home)” American Impressionist Spanish Moss South Carolina, 2nd Quarter of 20th Century

$5,950

H 19 in W 23 in D 1 in

“Village Street” by Mary Nicholena MacCord, American Impressionist European Town

By Mary Nicholena MacCord

Located in Yardley, PA

A wonderful view of a charming European town. This work captures the quiet intimacy of a cobbled lane, its golden stones leading the viewer toward a cluster of whitewashed and brick ...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

“Village Street” by Mary Nicholena MacCord, American Impressionist European Town

Mary Nicholena MacCord
“Village Street” by Mary Nicholena MacCord, American Impressionist European Town, Early 20th Century

$2,750

H 26.75 in W 22.75 in D 1.25 in

Summer, Quaker Hill oil painting by Nell Blaine

By Nell Blaine

Located in Hudson, NY

This work by Nell Blaine was exhibited at the Poindexter Gallery, as well as the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, both in New York City. It is signed lower left, and signed, titled, and dated ...

Category

1960s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Summer, Quaker Hill oil painting by Nell Blaine

Nell Blaine
Summer, Quaker Hill oil painting by Nell Blaine, 1969

$14,000

H 18 in W 24 in

"Race Point 1" Impressionistic Coastal Landscape Paintings of Rocks and Ocean

By William Henry Dethlef Koerner

Located in Austin, TX

An impressionistic, antique landscape painting depicting the rugged coastal beauty of Race Point Beach, Massechusets. The rocky coastline and rushing waves are rendered in luminous ...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Race Point 1" Impressionistic Coastal Landscape Paintings of Rocks and Ocean

William Henry Dethlef Koerner
"Race Point 1" Impressionistic Coastal Landscape Paintings of Rocks and Ocean, 1922

$3,500

H 14 in W 16 in

"Race Point 2" Impressionistic Coastal Landscape Paintings of Rocks and Ocean

By William Henry Dethlef Koerner

Located in Austin, TX

An impressionistic, antique landscape painting depicting the rugged coastal beauty of Race Point Beach, Massechusets. The rocky coastline and rushing waves are rendered in luminous ...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Race Point 2" Impressionistic Coastal Landscape Paintings of Rocks and Ocean

William Henry Dethlef Koerner
"Race Point 2" Impressionistic Coastal Landscape Paintings of Rocks and Ocean, 1922

$3,500

H 14 in W 16 in

Bird Bath, 10x8" oil on board

By Lu Haskew

Located in Loveland, CO

Bird Bath by Lu Haskew Oil Painting of backyard garden 10x8" image size 18x16" framed Shipping price includes the custom packing necessary for safe transport of fine art. ABOUT THE...

Category

Early 2000s American Impressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Bird Bath, 10x8" oil on board

Lu Haskew
Bird Bath, 10x8" oil on board, 2008

$500

H 18 in W 16 in D 1.5 in

Plein Air Creekside, 8x9" oil on board

By Lu Haskew

Located in Loveland, CO

Plein Air Creekside by Lu Haskew Oil 8x9" image size Landscape Painting This painting is unframed, canvas on gator board, the price reflects that it is unframed. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Lu Haskew 1921-2009 "Life is good to me. Being able to go to my studio five days weekly and paint for several hours, living in a supportive community, having family and friends who encourage me--all have contributed to helping me become an artist. Being fortunate to study with some of the artists I admire has kept me painting from the garden, people and my favorite things. With the support of galleries, teaching and doing demos, how could I do anything else? My goal is to try to be the best I can be by always being a student, looking for new ideas and stretching my horizons." Upon retirement from a 33-year teaching career, Lu rented a studio in Loveland and began concentrating on her oil and watercolor painting. Learning from artists she had followed and admired throughout the years her painting became a full time career that lasted 17-years. Beginning in 1992, she studied with renowned painters Richard Schmid, Clyde Aspevig, Joyce Pike...

Category

Early 2000s American Impressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Plein Air Creekside, 8x9" oil on board

Lu Haskew
Plein Air Creekside, 8x9" oil on board, 2008

$340

H 8 in W 9 in D 0.5 in

Summer Light, 7x10" oil on board

By Lu Haskew

Located in Loveland, CO

Summer Light by Lu Haskew Oil 7x10" image size Painting of a home nestled in trees. This painting is unframed, canvas on gator board, the price reflects that it is unframed. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Lu Haskew 1921-2009 "Life is good to me. Being able to go to my studio five days weekly and paint for several hours, living in a supportive community, having family and friends who encourage me--all have contributed to helping me become an artist. Being fortunate to study with some of the artists I admire has kept me painting from the garden, people and my favorite things. With the support of galleries, teaching and doing demos, how could I do anything else? My goal is to try to be the best I can be by always being a student, looking for new ideas and stretching my horizons." Upon retirement from a 33-year teaching career, Lu rented a studio in Loveland and began concentrating on her oil and watercolor painting. Learning from artists she had followed and admired throughout the years her painting became a full time career that lasted 17-years. Beginning in 1992, she studied with renowned painters Richard Schmid, Clyde Aspevig, Joyce Pike...

Category

Early 2000s American Impressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Summer Light, 7x10" oil on board

Lu Haskew
Summer Light, 7x10" oil on board, 2008

$325

H 7 in W 10 in D 0.5 in

Lone Cottonwood, 6x10" oil on board

By Lu Haskew

Located in Loveland, CO

Lone Cottonwood by Lu Haskew Oil 6x10" image size Landscape painting - spring colors with trees against a mountain backdrop This painting is unframed, canvas on gator board, the pri...

Category

Early 2000s American Impressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Lone Cottonwood, 6x10" oil on board

Lu Haskew
Lone Cottonwood, 6x10" oil on board, 2008

$275

H 6 in W 10 in D 0.5 in

More From This Seller

Along the River

By Samuel Hyde Harris

Located in Missouri, MO

By the great California Impressionist, Samuel Hyde Harris. "Along the River" c. 1930s Oil on Board Signed Lower Left Image Size: 12 x 16 inches Framed...

Category

1930s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Along the River

Samuel Hyde Harris
Along the River, c. 1935

Price Upon Request

Above the Beach

By Samuel Hyde Harris

Located in Missouri, MO

By the great California Impressionist, Samuel Hyde Harris. "Above the Beach" c. 1940s Oil on Board 12 x 16 (image) 18 3/4 x 23 1/4 (framed Signed Titled Verso At 14 years of age Sa...

Category

1940s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Above the Beach

Samuel Hyde Harris
Above the Beach, c. 1940s

Price Upon Request

Autumn II

By Samuel Hyde Harris

Located in Missouri, MO

By the great California Impressionist, Sam Hyde Harris. Image Size: 12 x 16 inches Framed Size: 14.25 x 18 inches Signed and Titled Verso At 14 years...

Category

1930s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Autumn II

Samuel Hyde Harris
Autumn II, c. 1935

Price Upon Request

Lone Pine (Cottonwoods)

By Samuel Hyde Harris

Located in Missouri, MO

By the great California Impressionist, Samuel Hyde Harris. "Lone Pine (Cottonwoods)" c. 1940s Oil on Board 16 x 20 (image) 23 x 27 (framed) At 14 years of age Sam Hyde Harris was already a successful commercial artist. A 1903 letter of recommendation from Andre & Sleigh, stated that, "We have the pleasure in stating that Samuel Harris (aged 14 ½ years) has given every satisfaction during the 8 or 9 months he has been engaged in our Artists Department." After moving to California with his family Harris got a job as painter of signs, billboards and hand-lettered show cards in 1906. He developed a reputation for doing excellent commercial work and opened his own commercial art studio by 1914. His commercial art business received a boost in 1920 when he was hired by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company to work on their poster advertising. He was later hired to do artwork Southern Pacific Railways as well. He began studying painting with Hanson Puthuff in 1906, and continued studying throughout much of his life. As early as 1920 he was exhibiting with the California Art Club. He continued exhibiting his paintings for the next fifty plus years including with the Painters and Sculptors of Southern California, the Pacific Advertising Club Association (1929), the San Gabriel Artists Guild, the Laguna Beach Art Association and many other venues. He won countless awards in hundreds of exhibitions throughout Southern and Northern California. Sam Hyde Harris was "Highly recognizable because of his six-foot-three stature and cigar." He "was known for his jovial personality and his love for his adopted California and her landscape." He preferred painting en plein air to the studio. He loved the outdoors. Harris's paintings employ a progressive composition, pushing the viewers eye to an unexpected place. He taught art classes at the Chouinard School of Art (1935) and for many Clubs and Groups. He met and married Marion Dodge in 1945. They moved to Alhambra in 1946. He bought Jack Wilkinson Smith's "Artists' Alley" studio on Champion Place in 1950. He loved looking at the San Gabriel Mountains from his Champion Place studio. Biography submitted by Maurine St. Gaudens, Administrator, Marion Dodge Harris Estate: Sources: Maurine St. Gaudens, Marian Yoshiki-Kovinick, Gary Lang...

Category

1940s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Lone Pine (Cottonwoods)

Samuel Hyde Harris
Lone Pine (Cottonwoods), c. 1940s

Price Upon Request

The Deer Hunters

Located in Missouri, MO

Laverne Nelson Black (American, 1887-1938) "The Deer Hunters" Signed Lower Left Canvas: 24 x 22 inches Framed: 30.5 x 28.5 inches Born in Viola,...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Deer Hunters

Laverne Nelson Black
The Deer Hunters, c. 1930

Price Upon Request

Central Park Autumn

By Paul Cornoyer

Located in Missouri, MO

Paul Cornoyer “Central Park Autumn” c. 1910 Oil on Canvas Framed Size: approx 29 x 35 inches Canvas Size: approx 22 x 26.5 inches Provenance: The Artist to Private Collection, St. Louis thence by Descent Conservation report: Excellent condition. On original canvas, not relined. No in-painting. Paul Cornoyer was born in 1864 in St. Louis, Missouri. He studied there at the School of Fine Arts in 1881. His first works were in a Barbizon mode, and his first exhibit was in 1887. In 1889, he went to Paris for further training, studying at the Academie Julien, and returned to St. Louis in 1894. By the early 1890s, his work was more lyrical and Tonal, and he applied this style to subjects such as cityscapes and landscapes. In 1894, he painted a mural depicting the birth of St. Louis for the Planters Hotel in that city. His activities during the next six years were not particularly profitable, however, and the whereabouts of his St. Louis paintings are scarcely known. One exception is the triptych, A View of Saint Louis, with its strong urban realism. It shows the Eads Bridge...

Category

1910s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Central Park Autumn

Paul Cornoyer
Central Park Autumn, c. 1910

Price Upon Request

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Indian Landscape Painting

Florida Oil Painting

Paintings Of Florida

Florida Impressionist Painting

Florida Landscape Painting

Oil Painting American Indian

Oil Painting Florida Landscape

South America Impressionist

C D Pierce And Son

Vintage Crayola Crayons

American Artist Landscape Paintings

Vintage Horse Carriages

Rare Oil Paintings

Sailboat Oil Paintings

View All Popular Landscape Paintings Searches