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George Henry Melcher
(1881-1957)
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"Topanga Canyon"
c. 1925
Oil on canvas
24 x 30 inches
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George Henry Melcher was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 16, 1881, the son of a sculptor. Meicher began drawing at an early age and at age 12, began studying painting under a private teacher. At age 15, he was selling cartoons to the New York Journal and New York World. After his graduation from Germantown High School, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Chase, Anshutz, and Breckenridge, and at the Rose Valley School near Philadelphia. Due to ill health, he sought a milder climate, and in 1905, he moved to Los Angeles where he established a studio in the cupola of the Methodist Church.
In 1907 he homesteaded 120 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains where he painted many canvases of the Topanga Canyon area. During the 1930s he was employed by the Federal Art Project. Melcher died in Santa Monica, CA on Dec. 24, 1957. A master of color, composition and technique, he captured on canvas the beauty of southern California and the timelessness of nature. Although somewhat rare, his paintings are highly esteemed by veteran collectors of early California art.
Exhibited: Philadelphia Memorial Hall, 1897 (gold medal); Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1898 (prize); Minnesota State Fair; Lewis & Clark Expo (Portland), 1905 (medal); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1915; Calif.-Pacific Intl Expo (San Diego), 1915; Kanst Gallery (LA), 1915.
Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
LA Examiner, 9-3-1905; Graphic, 4-10-1915; Southern California Artists (Nancy Moure).
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