W.H. (WILLIAM HENRI) SINGER JR.


Artists

Biography

W.H. (WILLIAM HENRI) SINGER JR.
1868 Pittsburgh (United States) - 1943 Olden (Norway)

Singer was the son of steel magnate William Henry Singer (Singer and Nimick Company) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was supposed to be his father's successor, but he wanted to be a painter. His mother supported him, but especially his wife Anna Spencer Brugh meant a lot to him in this. They moved from Maine (where he painted coastal scenes with ships) to Paris - accompanied by Singer's friend, the American sculptor-painter Martin Borgord. In 1901 they moved to Laren and in that area he painted some Gooi landscapes, but after some time he lost his inspiration. The couple had villa De Wilde Zwanen built in 1911, part of today's Singer museum and theater. They then left for Borgord in Norway. He grew up in the era of Impressionism and he admired Monet, Boudin and Le Sidaner. In the Laren era he painted in flowing colors and light touch, as we know from impressionist work. In his Norwegian (snow) landscapes, where the shadows are not so strongly contrasted because of the snow, he had to use a different technique. By applying the colors with small touches on an unprepared canvas, which absorbs quickly, he got the best results. This allowed him to render the pure landscape with sparkling light most beautifully.