Blumenschein, E. L. (Ernest Leonard), 1874-1960

Painter and illustrator; Taos, N.M.

Painter, illustator; Taos, N.M.

Blumenschein was a prominent New Mexican artist and a founding member of the Taos Society of Artists in 1912.

Ernest Blumenschein (1874-1960) was a painter, illustrator, and violinist in Taos, N.M.

Besides his artistic talents, Ernest Blumenschein was a skilled violin player, and was awarded a scholarship to the Cincinnati College of Music. In 1892, Blumenschein auditioned for the New York National Conservatory, and was chosen by Anton Dvorak for the role of first violin. With the income from playing violin, Blumenschein attended classes at the Art Students League. In 1892, Ernest Blumenschein traveled to Paris to study at the Académie Julian. While in Paris, he met Joseph Henry Sharp who inspired Blumenschein with his stories and sketches of the American southwest, particularly the Taos area. He returned to American in 1896, rented a studio with another Académie Julian student Bert Phillips, and began a successful career as a commercial illustrator working for magazines such as Century, Harper's, Scribner's, and McClure's. Ernest and his wife, Mary returned ton New York, after the birth of their daughter, Helen; they taught at the Pratt Institute. In 1919, the family moved permanently to Taos. Later, Blumenschein co-founded the Taos Society of Artists and became part of the Taos art colony.

Ernest L. Blumenschein was born 1874 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Initially influenced by his father's profession as a musician and composer, Blumenschein developed early on an artistic talent. While attending the Cincinnati Art Academy, he decided to pursue a career in art and trained at the Art Students League in New York and the Académie Julian in Paris, Until Blumenschein established himself as an artist, he worked as a commercial illustrator, and for many years split his time between Europe, the East Coast (U.S.), and Taos, New Mexico. Eventually in 1918, Blumenschein and his wife Mary Greene Blumenschein, also a highly successful artist, settled permanently in Taos where he was prolific in his art work. He and his wife had one daughter, Helen. Mary Blumenschein died in 1950, and Ernest Blumenschein died ten years later in 1960.

Blumenschein, one the original founders of the Taos Society of Artists, received numerous awards and honors for his artistic work and his paintings are included in many important collections.