Born in Marion,
Massachusetts on Cape Cod, Gerard Delano, with a strong New England heritage,
became a well-known illustrator and fine-art painter of western scenes,
particularly Navajo Indians in landscape.
He was the son of a
sea captain and named for Gerard Curtis, the man who owned the ship that his
father commanded. He began his art studies in New Bedford and as a youth sold
illustrations to "Life Magazine." His first training was at the
Swaine Free School of Design near Marion, and in 1910, he enrolled at the Art
Students League in New York City, becoming the pupil of George Bridgman, Frank
Vincent DuMond, and Edward Dufner. He also worked as a textile designer.
At the Grand
Central School of Art, Gerard Delano studied with illustrators Dean Cornwell,
Harvey Dunn and N.C. Wyeth. He became a successful commercial artist and
illustrator, working in New York City until 1919 when he first came West and
worked on a Colorado Ranch.
In 1920, Gerard
Delano homesteaded at Cataract Creek in Summit County, Colorado, and built his
own dirt-roof studio. In 1933, he settled there permanently, but found the life
hard because of the isolation, lack of art sales from being out of contact with
his eastern market, and extreme winters in the high altitude.
From there he took
a trip into Navaho country, where the subject matter set the course of his
career. He was fascinated by the colorful clothing of the Indians against the
spectacular canyons of Arizona, and he painted scenes of Indians herding sheep
and goats, emphasizing subtle coloration and mystical, contemplative mood.
Needing to be near
libraries for authentic research, he commuted to New York for illustration
assignments. He later established a studio in Denver, having earned enough
money from illustrating a weekly magazine feature called "The Story of the
West. He spent his summers in Opdike, Illinois, his wife's home town.
Delano's work has
been featured in "Arizona Highways" and "American Artist"
magazines.
Sources include:
Peggy and Harold
Samuels, "The Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West"
Peter Falk,
"Who Was Who in American Art"
Doris Dawdy, "Artists
of the American West"
(Courtesy of AskArt)
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