Ralston Crawford Works

Ralston Crawford (1906 – 1978)

Born in 1906 in Ontario Canada, Ralston Crawford is best known for his images of American landscapes and as a member of the Independents group in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Crawford traveled extensively between the years 1927 and 1933 to study at such institutions as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, the Barnes Foundation, the Hugh Breckenridge School in East Gloucester, Columbia University, the Academie Colarossi and Academie Scandinave in Paris. He held his first solo exhibition in 1934 at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore.

He was particularly inspired by the Pennsylvania rural landscape around Chadds Ford and Exton, where he lived from 1934 to 1939. While in Pennsylvania, Crawford became associated with the Precisionist movement, which stressed flat colors, sharp edges and industrial images. He became disillusioned by modern industry, however, after witnessing the devastating effects of this technology in World War II his style reflected this change as it became progressively more fragmented.

Throughout Crawford’s life, he served as an art instructor at various schools including the Cincinnati Art Academy, the Albright Art School, the University of Michigan, the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, and the University of Colorado. He was briefly appointed as a guest director at the Honolulu School of Arts in 1947.

His work can be found in many museums, universities, and corporate collections, such as the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., and the Library of Congress.

Photo Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum