Ross Moffett

Ross Embrose Moffett (February 2, 1888 – March 13, 1971) was an American artist specializing in landscape painting, social realism themed murals and etching. He was a significant figure in the development of American Modernism after World War I. He worked with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to complete four murals in the 1930s. For the most part, his paintings depict the life and landscapes of the Provincetown, Massachusetts area.

Biography

Early life Born on February 2, 1888, in Clearfield, Iowa. Moffett began his studies at the Cummins Art School of Des Moines in 1907. In 1908 he transferred to the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (now known as the Art Institute of Chicago) and studied with John Vanderpool and Harry Wallcott. He then studied with Charles Hawthorne, in Provincetown, Massachusetts in the summer of 1913. In 1914, he continued his studies at the Art Students League of New York, returning to Provincetown to establish his career as an artist in 1915. As one of the founders of the Provincetown Art Association, he was a leading figure in the town's art scene.

Career

In 1924, after serving in the United States Army and traveling across Europe, Moffett returned to Provincetown, Massachusetts and became one of the early founders of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM).

Between 1932 and 1933, he taught at Miami University and, in 1942, Moffett became a full member of the National Academy of Design. In 1954, he was chosen, along with another artist, to paint murals of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's civilian life for the new Eisenhower Memorial Foundation Museum by the National Academy of Design. He continued serving as a juror for the Provincetown Art Association and, in 1970, was artist-in-residence for the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center.

The Moffett House, 296A Commercial Street, Provincetown, Massachusetts was built in 1860. It is the former location of the home and studio of Ross Moffett and his wife Dorothy. It has since been restored and is now called the Moffett House Inn.

Work Moffett's 1936 work, "Captain Alezue Holyoke's Exploring Party on the Connecticut River", as seen in the Holyoke Post Office.

Awards 1927 - French Gold Medal at the Art Institute of Chicago

Murals 1936 - "Captain Alezue Holyoke's Exploring Party on the Connecticut River" (oil on canvas) at the U.S. Post Office, in Holyoke, Massachusetts 1937 - "A Skirmish between British and Colonists near Somerville in Revolutionary Times" at the U. S. Post Office, Somerville Main Branch 1939 - "The First Store and Tavern" at the U.S. Post Office, in Revere, Massachusetts 1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower's life (multiple murals painted with artist, Louis George Bouché), in Abilene, Kansas