Thomas Manley
Thomas Manley, full name Thomas Rathbone Manley, was an American artist who lived from 1853 to 1938. Manley is mostly remembered for his association with the American Impressionism art movement, but he was well versed in etching and lithography as well.
Manley was born in Buffalo, NY in 1853. His first studies were in law. However, he became interested in art as a career after meeting an artist painting en plein air with watercolors in the woods near his home. This inspired him to purchase his first set of watercolors. Manley was mostly self-taught. His only formal training was under the prestigious tutelage of the well-respected realism artist, Thomas Eakins, for two months at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where Manley enrolled in Eakins life class. While in Philadelphia, he met the etcher, Joseph Pennell. Pennell’s work inspired Manley, who decided to shift the focus of his art to include more printmaking.
In 1887, Manley married Evelyn Burr. After the birth of their two daughters, the Manley family relocated to New Jersey in 1893 where he met other American artists, including the landscape artists, George Inness and Charles Eaton. By 1890, the Impressionism art style had made the leap from Europe to America with vivacity and would remain in vogue until the 1920s. Manley was influenced by and worked in this new style for decades.
Manley worked in a variety of mediums, mastering one before moving onto the next. His technique involved painting small “thumb nail” versions of a scene before bringing it home to paint a larger version in his studio. Most of his landscapes were of scenes around his home in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. Leaving nothing unattended, he also made his own paints and inks to use in his artwork. Manley ground his own pigments to use for his oil and tempera paintings to ensure the quality and longevity of his art. His style was to apply thick paint with visible texture in small strokes reminiscent of pointillism.
Manley did quite well in his lifetime, acting as Vice-President of the American Society of Miniature Painters, and serving as a member of the Watercolor Society, the New York Watercolor Club, and the National Arts Club. He also helped found the Montclair Art Museum in Montclair, New Jersey. Thomas Manley remained in New Jersey for the rest of his life. He died in 1938 at 85 years of age.
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