Frank Cuprien

Frank William Cuprien (August 23, 1871 – June 21, 1948) was an American plein-air painter of the California impressionism movement, noted for marine scenes and opalescent seascapes. As a leading member of the Laguna Beach, California art colony, Cuprien became known as the "Dean of Laguna Artists."

Education Cuprien, born in Brooklyn, New York, studied both art and music. He took his art training at the Art Students League of New York and the Cooper Union Institute. He then studied landscape painting under Carl Philipp Weber in Philadelphia. During an 11-year residency in Europe, Cuprien studied art in Rome, with Karl Raupp in Munich, and at the Academie Julian in Paris.

Cuprien was also formally trained in voice and classical piano, attending the royal conservatory in Munich (Hochschule für Musik und Theater München) and graduating from the royal conservatory of Leipzig (Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig) in 1905. "The Golden Hour, Laguna Beach" by Frank Cuprien ca. 1923, oil on board, 24 x 28 in (Laguna Art Museum) Death In 1948, Cuprien died after suffering a stroke. The street Cuprien Way in Laguna Beach was later named in his honor.