William J. Forsyth

Artist: William J. Forsyth
Birth: October 15th,1854
Birth City: California, Ohio
Birth County: Hamilton
Death: March 29th, 1935
Death City: Irvington, IN.
Burial: Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, IN.
Married; Alice Atkinson in 1897
Children: Constance (1903-1987), Dorothy (1899), Evelyn (1906)

Artist Summary

Formal Training: Barton S. Hays, Munich Academy of Fine Art, Royal Academy
Subject Matter: still life, landscapes, portraits, mural painting
Media: Oil, Gouache, Ink, Watercolor, graphite, etchings, plaster sculptures, carved wood frames, furniture
Art Associations: Society of Western Artists (1896-1914), American Water Color Society, Painters in Watercolor, Boston Art Club, Hoosier Salon
Art Awards: Bronze medal 1885 student exhibition at the Royal Academy
Art Exhibitions: Hoosier Salon, Boston Art Club, Louisiana Purchase Expo, World Columbian Exposition, Chicago 189201893, St Louis World's Fair 1904, Panama Pacific Exhibition 1915, Art Institute of Chicago, Armory Show New York 1913

Biography of William J. Forsyth

Early years of William Forsyth (1854 - 1872)

William Forsyth 44 years old

William Forsyth spent the first ten years of his life along the Ohio River in the small town of California. From an early age, William remembers civil war soldiers marching past his home and drawing them. He must have been about 7 to 10 years old when he saw the soldiers because the civil war was fought between 1861 and 1865. According to Mary Burnette, "He has an inherited talent for art from his mother, who was a woman of splendid taste and a keen appreciation of better things of life and who had a great interest in the fine arts"[5]. The family moved back to Versailles, Indiana, in 1864 when William was 10 years old. Then after five years in Versailles, William and his family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where at 15, he was able to pursue more formal art studies with Barton S. Hays.

Early Art Training (1873 - 1881)

Barton was already an established artist and teacher in Indianapolis and taught the well know artist William Merritt Chase. However, Barton thought William was too young for art instruction and did not encourage him to take lessons. The art instruction provided by Barton was too costly for his parents to continue the lessons. So in1873, when William was 19, he joined his brother on trips to paint houses in and out of Indiana. This provided William the opportunity to explore and paint the countryside, visit artist studios and galleries in his spare time. On occasion, William would meet John Washington Love while he was out painting, and they became acquainted with each other. When John opened the Indiana School of Art in 1877

William immediately enrolled in the school excited about pursuing more formal art studies. Eventually, he became an assistant instructor after co-founder Gookins left the school, but the school closed after a couple of years. Left without a place to paint, Forsythe and his friends formed a group called the Bohemian Club in the same building and space occupied by the school. The group would meet, discuss art and travel around Indiana to sketch and paint the countryside. It was during this time he discovered the satisfaction of plein air painting and the life experiences it provided.

William Forsyth at the Royal Academy in Munich Germany (1882-1888)

William sought out more formal art instruction, and like T. C. Steele and John Ottis Adams, he wanted to get that training in Europe. Thomas Hibbon offered to finance William's formal art education for half of the paintings he produced while studying abroad. In April 1882, he met Steele, who had been in Europe studying for two years at the Royal Academy in Munich. William was thankful for the opportunity to study abroad and received a good foundation in art under the instruction of Nikolaus Gysis and Whilelm Diez.

William concentrated on his drawing and worked to gain a full understanding of how tone and shading are a crucial aspect of drawing and painting. Rachel Berenson Perry said, "Forsyth applied his belief in the importance of drawing to his later teaching methods. He firmly held that one could become an accomplished artist only through persistence, hard work, and mastery of traditional drawing skills [3].

Kathie - A Model (1885)
Bronze Medal

William would study art and attend class during the school year, but in the summer, Forsyth and Steele traveled around Europe, painting the countryside. William's completed paintings would be sent home to Hibben and sold at art exhibitions. In 1885 he won a bronze medal at the Academy exhibition for a portrait titled "Kathie - A Model."

After four years in Europe, his formal education was complete. Like Steele and other artists, William decided to stay in Europe longer to hone his skills as an artist and shared a studio with J. Ottis Adams.

Forsyth Establishes Himself as a Professional Artist (1888 - 1896)

Forsyth spent an additional two years in Europe, returning to the United States in 1888. Upon his arrival in the US, he joined John Adams in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as an instructor at a school of art.
The two artists decided to open their own school of art in Muncie, Indiana. John had already established a residence in the town just northeast of Indianapolis. In 1891 William left his position at the school to return to Indianapolis, where he became a principal instructor at T. C. Steele's Indiana School of Art. Forsyth and Steele made painting trips to Vernon Indiana during the summers of 1891 and 1892, along with a trip to Hanover in 1893 and 1894. In 1894 the works of Forsyth, Steele, Stark, Adam, and Gruelle were placed on exhibit at the Denison Hotel in Chicago. In 1896 Forsyth, Steel, Adams, and 15 artists from the midwest created the Society of Western Artists. William would exhibit his work at the annual Exhibition until the group disbanded in 1914.

William Forsyth Family and Career (1897- 1906)

In the summer of 1897, William traveled to Brandenburg, Kentucky, with his two sisters and Alice Atkinson to paint the countryside along the Ohio River. At the end of the summer, on October 14, 1897, William and Alice were married at the Grace Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY. The couple returned to Indianapolis with winter already well underway. T. C. Steele's art school closed, so William taught his own students in the winter and Spring to support his new bride. He would continue to paint in and around Indiana and Kentucky to build his reputation as an artist. In 1899 William and Alice had their first child, a girl named Dorothy followed by two more girls, Constance in 1903 and Evelyn in 1906.

William went to Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, in 1903 to paint the religious village of Shakertown, which was an active community from 1805 to 1910. William won his first award since Munich for two Kentucky paintings, an oil titled Late Afternoon and a watercolor titled In the Afternoon.

Life in Irvington (1906 to 1935)

After Evelyn was born in 1906, William moved his family to the small community of Irvington, the original home of Butler University (1875-1928). He purchased a house at 15 South Emerson Avenue, built a studio, and planted flower gardens for inspiration. Also, in 1906, William joined the faculty as the principal instructor of drawing and painting at the Herron School of art. The teaching position would provide additional support for his family and the opportunity to continue teaching aspiring artists. Rachel Berenson Perry wrote, "Forsyth's Irvington household with his wife, Alice, kept an "open door" policy welcoming their children's neighborhood friends as well as Herron students, facility, fellow artists, relatives, and acquaintances. Lively dinners with opinionated conversations were the norm" [2]. William continued to paint and received a bronze medal for a painting titled Moonrise and Twilight at the International Exposition in Buenos Aires in 1910.

Forsyth Supervises the Murals at City Hospital

During the summer of 1914, William was chosen to supervise the painting of 33 murals at the City Hospital in Indianapolis. The project was organized by the St Margaret's Hospital Guild, a group of women volunteers who approached the president with the mural idea to decorate the new buildings. Sixteen of Indiana's best artists were chosen to participate in the project. William would earn $125 to $150 per month, overseeing the project while leaving the subject matter of each mural up to the artist. William did impose some rules to follow, including selecting a color palette of muted tones. The project opened to the public on November 28th, 1914, and featured 33 murals and a quarter-mile of art.

Centennial Essay

For Indiana's centennial held in 1916, William wrote an essay entitled Art in Indiana where he wrote, "To live out-of-doors in intimate touch with nature, to feel the sun, to watch the ever-changing face of the landscape, where waters run and winds blow and trees wave and clouds move, and to walk with all the hours of the day and into the mysteries of night through all the seasons of the year--this is the heaven of the Hoosier Painter."

William continued to flourish as an artist and a teacher dedicating a lot of time and devotion to his students. According to Rachel Berenson Perry, "he believed that teaching art exposed him to fresh ideas and continually honed his skills.".

William painted two self-portraits in 1928 and exhibited one of them at the first annual exhibition of The Irvington Artist, which attracted more than 1,500 people. William sold nine paintings along with the self-portrait purchased by the Women's Club.

Unfortunately, William was fired in 1933 from the Herron Art Institute after 26 years on the faculty. To continue to make a living, William worked for the Public Works projects and the Indiana State Library. William continued to paint for the remainder of his life, but his failing health made it more difficult the passed away in 1935

Five Facts About William J. Forsyth

Was one of the five members of the famed Hoosier Group of Indiana Impressionist painters.
Was known to be feisty and quick-tempered.
Unlike other Indiana artists, William only painted in Brown County in 1897.
Taught for 26 years at the Herron Art Institute.
Was experimental in his art throughout his life.

List of paintings submitted by William J. Forsyth at the annual Society of Western Artists Exhibition (1896 - 1914)

The First Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” 1896 to 1897 submitted five paintings titled - Frost and Sun, September afternoon, The Blue Spring, A bit of summer, Old houses at Corydon (Watercolor).
The Second Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” 1897 - 1898 submitted six paintings titled – A Woodland Road, Late Summe, A Farm Garde, Summer Afternoon (Watercolor), A Fence Corner, Street in Casydan.
The Third Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted seven paintings titled Priscilla, Sunset in Cedar Park, The Marauders - Watercolor, A frosty morning (Watercolor), A street in Corydon, Autumn morning, Waiting for a customer - (Watercolor).
The Fourth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted seven paintings titled September morning, Pool in the woods, A showery day, Edge of the village, At the lake gate, In the garden, In autumn.
The Fifth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted six paintings titled By the wayside, Autumn Ravine, Still life - wild duck, Persimmons and apples, A high corner of the hill, Where waters murmur.
The Sixth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted six paintings titled A bit of autumn forest, Afternoon early October, Peonies, Before snow, A touch of late sun, In November.
The Seventh Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted five paintings titled A cornfield, autumn morning, From the beech woods, The ford.
The Eighth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted five paintings titled The time of the redbud - October, The listener (oil pastel), Thinning leaves, (oil pastel), A little river (Watercolor), The farmer's daughter (Watercolor)
The Ninth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted four paintings titled Late October, Kentucky River, Hollyhocks, A gray morning, Blue and Gray.
The Tenth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted six paintings titled In the gloaming (watercolor), Autumn roadside, Kentucky, Late afternoon, Across the valley, Sunset after rain, In the crest of a hill road (watercolor).
The Eleventh Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted three paintings titled Least of the Leaves, Wet day in spring, Woods, and water autumn.
The Twelfth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted six paintings titled A summer brook, Between town, and woods, Late afternoon - November, Brink of the valley, Behind the village, Rough country.
The Thirteenth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted three paintings titled Moonrise and twilight, Under the apple trees, Approach of night.
The Fourteenth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted seven paintings titled Hollyhocks (Watercolor), The Huntress (Watercolor), In the wintertime (Watercolor), November, Up the street, A snowy day, Still Life.
The fifteenth annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted four paintings titled October morning, September afternoon, Late summer afternoon, The last gleam.
The Sixteenth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted three paintings titled An autumn morning, A meadow brook, The valley October (watercolor)
The Seventeenth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted three paintings titled In Summertime, A Wind from the west, November afternoon.
The Eighteenth Annual Exhibition of “The Society of Western Artists” submitted three paintings titled A castle in Spain, Riding storm, Thunderheads.

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