Frederick Arthur Bridgman | Orientalist painter

Frederick Arthur Bridgman was a famous Orientalist painter of his time. Many today consider him somewhat forgotten even though his works appear regularly and sell well in international art auctions. And some say that his name has become less common today because promoting himself during his life prevented others from approaching him or dealing with his art critically. Since his death, no book has appeared that dates his biography, nor has any of the significant museums organized an exhibition of his works.

Frederick Arthur Bridgman - Orientalist painter

"Bridgman" was a great lover of the countries and cultures of the East, and his long travels took him to Morocco / Algeria / Egypt / Syria / and Turkey / to learn about the aspects of life in them and to photograph them. He was not only a painter, but he was also a poet / and writer/author/musician/. The interest of Arab art collectors, in particular with his art and the art of other Orientalist painters, is mainly because Orientalist painting is the only visual record available today on the lives of the peoples of the region in the nineteenth century.

Yet another reason is that these collectors particularly appreciate Bridgman's ingenuity and creativity. As of 1870, the painter made his permanent home from France, where "Jean-Leon Jerome taught him," and he was his favorite student. His teacher's influence on him can be seen through his adoption of academic drawing and then Orientalist subjects.

There is no doubt that Jerome's trips to the East in 1850 encouraged (Bridgman) to travel there, following in the footsteps of his teacher.

Bridgman's journey to Egypt and Algeria began in 1872. That experience provided him with a constant source of inspiration, and during his trip, he painted more than three hundred sketches, which were the basis for many of the oil paintings that he later executed.

In 1890, Bridgman wrote a book entitled "A Winter in Algeria," He included many unforgettable drawings and stories about his unique travels and experiences in that country. He was allowed to enter women's homes. He painted almost what he saw and did not rely on his memory as his contemporaries did. During his travels, the painter collected clothes/tools of art/heritage/architecture / with which he decorated his home in Paris, to the point that his house became a pilgrimage to many artists. His keen interest in fashion, accessories, and daily lifestyles in Algeria provides a valuable record of some features of Algerian culture in the period of the region's opening up to the West. Bridgman had written several investigations about his experience in Algeria and published them in my magazine: (Atlantic) And (American Harper). He was fascinated by the Moorish decor he saw in the homes of wealthy Algerians. Some of his paintings on those houses remind of the atmosphere of the Thousand and One Nights. Frederick Arthur Bridgman was born in Alabama, USA, in 1847, to a father who was a doctor.

In the beginning, he studied painting at the (Brooklyn) School of Art. Then he traveled to Paris in 1866, where he met Jean Jerome, who greatly influenced his artistic path after the First World War. Bridgman settled in Normandy, and although he continued to paint there, he stopped showing his work to the public. He passed away in Rowen in 1928, almost completely ignored by critics and the press.

Tell us what you think about Frederick Arthur Bridgman and his paintings ...

You can also read: How did Expressionism begin? | Why did Picasso use blue?

contact-form