Sperry Andrews

Charles Sperry Andrews III (1917–2005), professionally known as Sperry Andrews, was an American landscape painter and educator. He was elected a National Academician by the National Academy of Design in 1994 and spent nearly five decades living and working at Weir Farm in Wilton, Connecticut. His paintings are held in the permanent collections of the National Academy of Design, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, The Century Association, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, and other public and private institutions.

Early life and education Charles Sperry Andrews III was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1917. In 1920, his family moved to Bronxville, New York.

Andrews began sketching during his childhood. He studied at the National Academy of Design from 1933 to 1936. Under the GI Bill, he resumed his art studies at the Art Students League of New York from approximately 1946 to 1948. During his time at the League, he received instruction from American modernist Morris Kantor, who introduced him to early elements of Cubist structural composition.

In 1947, Andrews married artist and preservationist Doris Bass Andrews.

World War II military service

Andrews enlisted in the United States Army on February 19, 1941, initially serving with the 50th Ordnance Company. Promoted to Sergeant in August 1941, he was deployed overseas to Iceland in September 1941 as part of Task Force 4. During his time in Iceland, he produced gouache sketches documenting the local volcanic landscape, churches, GIs, and residents. He served in Iceland until November 1943 before transferring to the European Theater of Operations via Scotland and England.

Elevated to Technical Sergeant in August 1944, Andrews deployed to mainland France on June 9, 1944, shortly after the Normandy landings. During his service in Western Europe, he earned two Bronze Service Stars for his participation in the Northern France and Central Europe/Rhineland campaigns. He returned to the United States in April 1945.

Artistic style Andrews was primarily a plein air landscape painter who worked in oil, watercolor, pastel, gouache, scratchboard, etching, graphite, and charcoal. The majority of his works were created at locations throughout Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island. Describing his direct, observational approach to landscape painting, Andrews stated: "An artist friend once told me that there are two kinds of artists—the eyeballers and the cerebrals... I'm an eyeballer, I'd say. I'm inspired by things I see." He used a modified Willys Jeep as his mobile studio for overnight painting trips.

Two of his early paintings, Buttery's Mill and Melody Fair, were featured in Ernest W. Watson's 1959 book Composition in Landscape and Still Life. He later moved away from his post-war cubist style toward realism, but traces of the former are evident in his landscapes from the 1960s. Stylistically, his landscape interpretations of the New England countryside in the 1980s were noted by The New York Times art critic Vivien Raynor for their use of color and structural composition.

Andrews was known for working directly in nature rather than relying on studio reconstruction. In 1983, Charles Ferguson, then-director of the New Britain Museum of American Art, remarked on Andrews' practice and stylistic influences:

Throughout his career, Andrews regularly attended life drawing sessions, producing figurative works in oil, watercolor, scratchboard, graphite, and charcoal.

Artistic network and teaching After moving to Connecticut, Andrews initiated a friendship with sculptor Mahonri Young, the son-in-law of American Impressionist J. Alden Weir. Andrews frequented Young's property to paint the surroundings. The surrounding landscape became one of the primary subjects of his work, generating a body of paintings centered on the historic grounds.

Weir House, Ridgefield, Connecticut (c. 1980), oil on canvas

To prevent commercial real estate development on the property, the couple worked with local preservation and environmental groups to protect the site. In 1990, the United States Congress designated the property as the Weir Farm National Historic Site (later designated a National Historical Park). Andrews lived and maintained his studio on the property until his death in 2005.

Affiliations and memberships Andrews was elected an Associate National Academician (ANA) by the National Academy of Design in 1990, and a full National Academician (NA) in 1994. He was elected a member of the Century Association in New York City in 1993.

Collections His work is held in the permanent collections of the following institutions: National Academy of Design (New York, NY) American Academy of Arts and Letters (New York, NY) – acquired via the Childe Hassam Fund purchase, 1952 The Century Association (New York, NY) Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford, CT) New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain, CT) Columbus Museum of Art (Columbus, OH) Miami University Art Museum (Oxford, OH) Flinn Gallery (Greenwich, CT) Weir Farm National Historical Park Museum Collection (Wilton/Ridgefield, CT)

Awards 1950 – First Julius Hallgarten Prize, National Academy of Design (for Ballet Dancer) 1951 – Major Award, Annual All New England Exhibition, Silvermine Guild of Artists 1981 – Tri-State Exhibition, Katonah Gallery, Katonah, New York

Posthumous exhibitions 2013 – Remembering Times Past, Jessie Edwards Gallery, Block Island, Rhode Island 2013 – C. Sperry Andrews III: Paintings, Wilton Library, Wilton, Connecticut