"Man with Dog", 1923 self-portrait by Otis Oldfield
Otis William Oldfield (July 3, 1890 – May 18, 1969)[1][2] was a San Francisco painter, printmaker and art educator.
Early life and education
Otis William Oldfield was born on July 3, 1890, in Sacramento, California.[1][3] He attended Sutter High School but at age 16 he dropped out of school in order to work.[4]
In 1908, he attended Best’s Art School in San Francisco,[5][4][6] operated by Alice Leveque Best and Arthur William Best. In 1911, he moved to Paris to attend Académie Julian.[5] He remained in France until 1924, then moved back to San Francisco.[5][6]
Career
Bay Area Map (1934), one of Oldfield's frescos at Coit Tower
In 1925, Oldfield had a successful solo show at San Francisco’s Galerie Beaux Arts, an exhibit of work made while he was living in France.[5] In 1929, Oldfield had two exhibitions of San Francisco water scenes at Montross Gallery in New York City.[5][7]
The following year in 1930, Oldfield worked with architect Timothy Pflueger to create painted windows for the bar at the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange.[5] In 1934, he was one of 26 artists selected to paint murals in the newly erected Coit Tower.[8] One of his frescos there is titled Shipping Activities Inside the Golden Gate.[2]
Teaching
Starting in 1925, he taught at California School of Fine Art (now San Francisco Art Institute) painting and drawing courses.[5] From 1946 until 1952 he taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now called California College of the Arts, or CCA).[9]
Oldfield's students included Yun Gee,[10]Richard Diebenkorn,[5] and Nathan Oliveira.[5] In addition to teaching Yun Gee, Otis Oldfield and Yun Gee were also good friends.[11][12]
Death and legacy
Oldfield died on May 18, 1969, in San Francisco, California.[2] He was survived by his wife Helen Clark Oldfield [Wikidata], who continued to paint until her death in 1981.
^ a b"Oral history interview with Otis Oldfield, 1965 May 21". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
^ a b cHughes, Edan. "Otis Oldfield". CalArt California and American Art. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
^Wolpert, Martin; Winter, Jeffrey (2006). Figurative Paintings: Paris and the Modern Spirit. Schiffer Pub. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-0-7643-2462-8.
^ a b"White Dress (White Nightie), 1936". Crocker Art Museum. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
^ a b c d e f g h i j"Otis Oldfield". FAMSF Search the Collections. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
^ a bBurg, William (2014-09-02). Midtown Sacramento: Creative Soul of the City. Arcadia Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-62585-208-3.
^The Arts, Volume 16. Hamilton Easter Field, Forbes Watson. Arts Publishing Corporation. 1929. p. 269.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^Smith, Harvey L. (2014-10-13). Berkeley and the New Deal. Arcadia Publishing. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4396-4767-7.
^"Otis Oldfield (1890-1969)". George Stern Fine Arts. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
^Kim, Elaine H.; Machida, Margo; Mizota, Sharon (2003). Fresh Talk/Daring Gazes: Conversations on Asian American Art. Univ of California Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-520-23535-9.
^"Yun Gee: Modern Artist, Inventor, Poet, Villager - Village Preservation". www.villagepreservation.org. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
^"Yun Gee-Yun Gee: Midjourney". July 29, 2023.
^"Otis William Oldfield". LACMA Collections. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
^"American Art before 1945". Crocker Art Museum. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
^"Otis William Oldfield, American, 1890 - 1969". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
^"Otis Oldfield". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
^"Bay Bridge Series, Aloft, 1935–43". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2021-09-13.