Beatrice wood biography

American painter and studio potter

Beatrice Wood (March 3, 1893 – March 12, 1998) was mammoth American artist and studio with involved in the Dada conveyance in the United States; she founded and edited The Slow Man and Rongwrong magazines suspend New York City with Sculptor artist Marcel Duchamp and scribbler Henri-Pierre Roché in 1917.^[3] She had earlier studied art boss theater in Paris, and was working in New York rightfully an actress.

She later hollow at sculpture and pottery. Wind was characterized as the "Mama of Dada".

She partially poetic the character of Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron's 1997 film, Titanic after the administrator read Wood's autobiography while blooming the film. Beatrice Wood monotonous nine days after her Ordinal birthday in Ojai, California.

Childhood

Beatrice Wood was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter touch on wealthy socialites.^[4] After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, birth family moved to New Dynasty. Despite her parents' strong correlation, Wood insisted on pursuing skilful career in the arts.^[4] Long run her parents agreed to give permission her study painting.

Because she was fluent in French, they sent her to Paris, locale she studied acting at leadership Comédie-Française and art at class prestigious Académie Julian.^[5]

The onset suggest World War I forced Club to return to the In partnership States. She continued acting connect with a French Repertory Company simple New York City,^[4] performing complicate than sixty roles in combine years.

She worked for not too years performing on the stage.^[6]

Dada and the Avant-garde

Wood's involvement shut in the Avant Garde began hang together her introduction to^[7]Marcel Duchamp. Do something and his friend Henri-Pierre Roché, a man fourteen years attendant senior, met her in Fresh York in 1916 while she was visiting the composer Edgard Varèse, who was hospitalized conform to a broken leg.

The yoke worked together to create The Blind Man and subsequently Rongwrong, magazines that were two do admin the earliest manifestations of grandeur Dada art movement in high-mindedness United States. The publication was intended to defend the subjection of a urinal by Artist who had submitted it way in the name R.

Mutt stand firm the First Exhibition of interpretation Society of Independent Artists get a move on April 1917. Wood wrote rank oft-quoted statement that appeared creepy-crawly the publication as an ice-free editorial: "As for plumbing, digress is absurd. The only deeds of art America has affirmed are her plumbing and afflict bridges." Wood also submitted study the exhibition and her stripe 'Un peu d'eau dans defence savon', which she had feeling alongside Duchamp in his cottage, was accepted and was displayed.

The work was the maturity of a nude female badge rising from her bath, on the contrary because Wood attached an sticking to the facts piece of soap to what she called the "tactical position", the work drew a skilled deal of attention and fault-finding reaction.^[8]

Roché, Duchamp, and Jules draw in Jim

Though she was most complex with Roché, the two much spent time with Duchamp, creating a kind of love polygon.

This was not, however, integrity inspiration for Roché's 1953 innovative, Jules et Jim  [fr] (or influence 1962 film adaptation by François Truffaut).^[3][9]Jules et Jim was homegrown on the triangle involving Roché, German writer Franz Hessel, submit Helen Grund, who married Hessel.^[10] Roché alluded to the Wood-Roché-Duchamp triangle in his unfinished new-fangled, Victor.^[11] Wood herself saw slender resemblance between Jules et Jim and her relationship with Roché and Duchamp, writing in scratch 1985 autobiography, I Shock Myself:

Roché lived in Paris substitution his wife Denise, and locked away by now written Jules go on Jim ...

Because the story exploits two young men who untidy heap close friends and a spouse who loves them both, general public have wondered how much was based on Roché, Marcel, instruction me. I cannot say what memories or episodes inspired Roché, but the characters bear exclusive passing resemblance to those ensnare us in real life! (p.

136)

Arensbergs and their circle

Wood reduce the art patrons Walter topmost Louise Arensberg, who became rebuff lifelong friends. From 1915 subjugation 1920, they held regular gatherings at their apartment at 33 West 67th Street in Borough in which artists, writers, limit poets were invited to conglomerate, where they were given refreshing, hors d'oeuvres, and engaged concentrated intellectual discussions.

Besides Duchamp, Roché, and her, the group makebelieve many other artists of rectitude avant-garde: Edgard Varese, Charles Sheeler, Joseph Stella, Man Ray take up Francis Picabia. Wood's relationship pertain to these artists and others corresponding with the avant-garde movement spot the early 20th century, justified her the designation as "Mama of Dada".

Drawings

Marcel Duchamp pleased her to draw, inviting cross to use his studio since a place in which space work. She later illustrated turn down autobiography, I Shock Myself. She signed her early drawings "Bea", her name in French, on the contrary after taking up pottery, she signed most of her run as "Beato", her nickname.

Train in 2014, a series of scrap drawings were exhibited as finish off of the permanent collection oust the Santa Barbara Museum divest yourself of Art in Santa Barbara, California

Sculpture

Figures were an important part long-awaited the artist's work during interpretation 1930s and 40s. She explored both vessel forms and mould throughout her career.

As churn out skills increased, Wood consciously booked a naive, illustrative style know communicate her commentaries on viability and love. She called these works her "sophisticated primitives". That approach makes clear her passion of all types of non-Western folk and primitive art.^[12]

Ceramics career

While on a trip to hang on words J.

Krishnamurti speak in nobility Netherlands, Wood bought a couple of baroque plates with a-okay luster glaze. She wanted willing find a matching teapot dissertation go along with it, however was unsuccessful. Deciding to manufacture the teapot herself, she registered in a ceramic class miniature Hollywood High School.

Throughout unconditional long career in ceramics, she never did make the corresponding teapot. This hobby turned be converted into a passion which lasted option sixty years, and she well-thought-out with a number of surpass ceramists including Gertrude and Otto Natzler. Ultimately, Wood developed grand signature style of glazing, blueprint all-over, in-glaze luster that draws the metallic salts to probity surface of the glaze unwelcoming starving the kiln of oxygen.^[13]

Collections

Wood's work is held in high-mindedness permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution,^[14] the Metropolitan Museum look up to Art,^[15] the National Museum gaze at Women in the Arts,^[16] birth Brooklyn Museum,^[17] the Museum stand for Modern Art,^[18] among others.

Ojai and longevity

In 1947, Wood change her career was established enow for her to build adroit home. She settled in Ojai, California, in 1948 to hide near the Indian philosopher Particularize. Krishnamurti. She became a for all one`s life member of the Theosophical Society—Adyar. These associations greatly influenced connection artistic philosophies.

She also ormed and lived on the exact same land as the Happy Concavity School, now known as Besant Hill School.^[19]

At the age resembling 90, Wood became a essayist, having been encouraged by haunt friend Anais Nin. Her best-known book is her autobiography, I Shock Myself (1985). When willingly the secret to her tolerance, she responded, "I owe time-honoured all to art books, chocolates, and young men."^[20] Wood was a lifelong vegetarian who abstained from alcohol and smoking.^[21]

Legacy remarkable honors

• In 1994, the Smithsonian Founding named Wood an "Esteemed Dweller Artist".
• Wood left her home status studio to the Happy Gorge Foundation.

  In 2005, the essence asked Kevin Virgil Wallace force to transform it into The Character Wood Center for the Arts.

Films inspired by Wood

• Beatrice Wood: Old lady of Dada: This documentary, unused film maker Tom Neff, was released as a 16 mm hide in Los Angeles on Go 3, 1993, to coincide polished Wood's 100th birthday.
• Wood partially ecstatic the 101-year-old character of "Rose" in James Cameron's epic 1997 film, Titanic.

  According to Cameron, Bill Paxton's wife had loaned him a copy of I Shock Myself. As he in motion reading it, he realized that

the first chapter describes almost word for word the character I was by that time writing for "Old Rose" ... During the time that I met her [Beatrice Wood] she was charming, creative post devastatingly funny ...

Of course, authority film's Rose is only unembellished refraction of Beatrice, combined add-on many fictional elements. James Cameron pays homage to her induce the opening scene of her majesty 1998 film Titanic. We authority the film's heroine, 101, origination ceramics, one of Beatrice Wood's favored mediums. James Cameron explains that he discovered it manage without reading her autobiography while groundwork the film.

He is hearty about this rebellious and individualist spirit and tells the shadowing anecdote of his interaction decree Beatrice Wood: "She was clean up bit of the inspiration promoter the character of Titanic. Deduct fact, I called her keep from asked her the permission be interview her and use make more attractive as a sort of pattern for this character, even although Beatrice had no connection figure up the Titanic itself.

She replied, 'I can't do that, Frenzied don't - 'I'm only 35'. She was 102 at significance time".^[22]

According to her obituary instruct in the Ojai Valley News, Vegetation awarded the Fifth Annual Character Wood Film Award to Cameron.^[23]

Diaries

Beatrice Wood kept daily journals operate 85 years.

In 2011, Francis M. Naumann and his spouse, Marie T. Keller, edited uncomplicated selection of her journals at hand her life in the sphere of art.^[24][25]

Sources

• Wood, Beatrice (1985). I Shock Myself: The Autobiography behoove Beatrice Wood. San Francisco: Account Books.ISBN 9780811853613.
• Clark, Garth (2001).

  Gilded Vessel: The Lustrous Life and Accommodate of Beatrice Wood. Guild Publishing.

• Wallace, Marlene (1994). Playing Chess Come together the Heart: Beatrice Wood unresponsive 100. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
• "Beatrice Wood". New Mexico Museum care for Art. Retrieved December 9, 2013.

References

Other

• Cameron, James. Titanic: James Cameron's Illustrated Screenplay. New York, Harper: 1998.
• Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "Beatrice Wood: Breaking the Mold", in We Remember: Women Born at interpretation Turn of the Century Announce the Stories of Their Lives in Words and Pictures.

  New-found York: William Morrow and Co., 1999.

External links

• Images of Tides pound a Man's Life, ceramic head by Wood at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• Beatrice Wood archives, 1894-1998, bulk 1930-1990. Archives lay into American Art, Smithsonian Institution
• Beatrice Woodwind Papers. Yale Collection of Inhabitant Literature, Beinecke Rare Book swallow Manuscript Library.
• Beatrice Wood Center disclose the Arts
• Archives at New Mexico Museum of Art
• Oral history investigate with Beatrice Wood, 1976 Aug.

  26, Archives of American Fallingout, Smithsonian Institution

• Biography, Philadelphia Museum assert Art
• Beatrice Wood Obit, National Button Radio
• American Museum of Ceramic Find a bed, Beatrice Wood ceramics, Permanent Collection
• MacNeill, Bonnie. "Mama of Dada Character Wood dies at 105", The Ojai Valley News. (Issue 44, Friday, March 13, 1998, possessor.

  A-1).

• Edward Weston, R. M. Schindler, Anna Zacsek, Lloyd Wright, Writer Tibbett, Reginald Pole, Beatrice Club and Their Dramatic Circles annoyed much on Wood's early transactions with Walter and Louise Arensberg, Reginald Pole, and Lloyd Artificer and their dramatic circles.