James R. Hopkins (1877-1969)'Mountain Man,' circa 1915-19Oil on canvas37 ½ x 32 ½ inches
Born close to Springfield, Ohio, James Hopkins served as chairman of The Ohio State University Department of Art for 25 years and also served as dean of the Cincinnati Art Academy for one year.
Before he became a professor, he studied in Europe. Hopkins and his wife, Edna Boies Hopkins, lived in Paris from 1900-1914. In fact, they spent every summer in Paris between the wars.
Starting in the early 20th century, Hopkins did an entire series of paintings dedicated to the people of Appalachia, winning the trust of the people through his compassionate observation and personal charm. Not many know that Ohio Stadium owes a good deal to Hopkins, who was a vocal presence on the building committee and raised considerable funds to complete the stadium. After a distinguished teaching career, Hopkins retired to the family farm and happily raised pigs for many years before his passing in 1969.
OSU’s Hopkins Hall has housed the fine arts department since 1960, recently undergoing a two-year renovation.
One of the many fine painters to come out of Hopkins Hall is Eric Barth. As he recalls:
“For several years in the 1990s, Hopkins Hall was central in my world: classes during the day, late nights in the studio and, occasionally, we’d even lug our equipment up to the studios and have band practice in the middle of the night. It was also a place where I met other artists that shared the passion for creating.
“As for my work, I continue to explore the boundaries of oil and soft pastels – a medium I took up during those years at OSU – alternating between the two, blending them together and then often scraping into them. The landscape – or some abstracted, often minimal depiction – is usually the focus. Though my work is less about the place, and more about the impact or emotion that place conjures.”
Ohio and the American Scene will be on view at Keny Galleries in German Village Sept. 15-Oct. 27. It includes works by James and Edna Hopkins, as well as Emerson Burkhart, Robert Chadeayne, Lucius Kutchin and Carl Gaertner.
Following that show, from Nov. 3-30, Keny Galleries will display Eric Barth: Ethereal Landscapes (Recent Pastels), as well as Neil Riley: Painterly Nuance (Recent Paintings).
Michael McEwan teaches oil painting classes in his Summit Street studio. His paintings are available exclusively from Keny Galleries. Learn more at www.michaelmcewan.com.
