Art

Mountain Cabin,
Anthony Thieme (1888 – 1954)

A native of Rotterdam, Holland, Anthony Thieme studied extensively in Europe before immigrating to the United States in 1917. He began his art education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam, followed by classwork at the Royal Academy at the Hague. From 1906-1908, he was apprenticed to George Hoecker, Germany's foremost stage designer, before moving on to complete his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Turin, Italy. Subsequently, he traveled throughout Europe, England, and South America, working as a stage designer. Settling in Boston in 1919, he was employed by the Copley Theatre and created book illustrations for Boston publishers.

By 1927, Thieme had established a studio at Cape Ann in Rockport, Massachusetts, where he painted and taught. Working in an impressionist style, he was greatly influenced by the Dutch seascape tradition, borne out in canvases devoted to the play of light on water. Thieme garnered positive reviews for his "picturesque harbor scenes," characterized by tonal discipline and an air of serenity.

In 1946, Thieme's Cape Ann studio burned, along with much of his work of the previous thirty years. He used this loss as an opportunity to explore new locations, stopping first in Charleston, South Carolina. Although his time in Charleston was brief--only two months--he worked prolifically, leaving behind a perception of place in a series of paintings based on architectural elements in the shimmering, humidity-filled port city.

Literature
Robert M. Hicklin, Jr., Two-Lane South (Charleston, South Carolina: The Charleston Renaissance Gallery, 2007) , 20, illustrated.


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