GEORGE POST (1906-1997)

AN ANALYSIS OF THE ARTIST'S WORK

“I think that the first split-second reaction, that first wonderful visual image, is the thing one must try to project on paper, not the very literal and painstaking eyeful.” – George Post

As an artist and a teacher, Post had the ability to make fresh, simple statements with confidence and effortlessness. He taught his students that, “painting should be quickly and easily tied together and accented with the individual shorthand symbols of the artist’s own particular calligraphy.” Post’s work reflected his advice. The artist’s works have a simplicity to them that requires a high level of mastery and apparent ease with painting in watercolor.

Post did not receive any formal training in watercolor painting while he was a student at the California School of Fine Arts. He was completely self-taught and credits actual time spent painting as having greater influence over his skills than any class. This especially applies to his inclination for painting outdoors. The majority of his paintings were done on-site with Post kneeling over the paper, applying carefully planned and executed strokes. By watching his surroundings and going to museums and exhibitions, Post developed a style versatile enough to be accepted by the Modern art community, yet conservative enough to be included in more traditional circles.

Post’s earliest works were mainly farm or landscape scenes produced using a wet into wet technique. In order to achieve soft edges that capture skies, clouds and water, Post would soak paper in water then, while it was still damp, he would apply paint. Throughout the years of World War II, his style evolved. By using a wide flat brush, Post formed thick, bold, transparent lines. These angular strokes formed a very personal and individual style of geometric abstraction. He also integrated the use of white paper, refusing to use white paint. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the artist began to use an off-brand paper that many artists shunned. This inexpensive paper was too thin to allow for alterations once the initial paint had been applied. Paint must be applied with direct, firm and well planned strokes. Use of this difficult paper further acknowledges and reinforces Post’s skill as a watercolorist.

George Post did not find it necessary to paint dazzling subject matter. His work generally portrays dockyards, streets, small towns and San Francisco hills. The artist resisted trends of painting only things of perfection, but focused on the mood and feeling of his subjects. His paintings are fresh, individual and realistic. They capture scenes of the West Coast with admiration and present them to the public with a deep love. Through his lifetime devotion of capturing it onto paper, Post has helped us to realize the unique beauty of the West Coast.

AWARDS & AFFILIATIONS

1936 First Prize, Oakland Art Gallery Annual Exhibition
1936 Purchase Prize, San Francisco Museum of Art
1947 First Prize, Oakland Art Gallery
1947 First Prize, California Water Color Society Annual Show
1966 Purchase Award, Springfield Art Museum, MO

American Watercolor Society
West Coast Watercolor Society

COLLECTIONS

California Historical Society
California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mills College in Oakland
Oakland Museum
San Diego Museum
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Sonora High School (mural)

CHRONOLOGY

1906 Born on September 29 in Oakland, CA
1919 Attended Polytechnic High School in San Francisco
1924-1926 Attended the California School of Fine Arts
1930 Marries Lou Rusk MacLean
1932 Daughter Shelley was born
1933 Post and his wife divorce, he takes a job on an oil tanker, travels to New York via Panama Canal
1936 Taught watercolor classes at the Art Students League of San Francisco
1937-1938 Travels and paints in Mexico, Europe and Canada
1940 Taught summer-school watercolor class at Stanford
1942-1945 Worked in shipyard as storage planner
1947-1972 Taught watercolor classes at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA
1949-1955 Taught watercolor classes at the Brandt-Dike Summer School of Painting in Corona del Mar, CA
1951-1952 Taught watercolor classes at San Jose State College, CA
1955-1977 Taught watercolor classes at the Rex Brandt Summer School of Painting in Corona del Mar, CA
1957-1959 Traveled to Oregon, Utah, Arizona and Nevada on painting excursions
1962 Taught students from the Oakland Art Association while traveling across Europe
1963 Elected member of the West Coast Watercolor Society
1963-1965 Taught watercolor classes in CA, NV, WA
1968-1969 Sailed around the world on a painting excursion
1971-1987 Taught T.H. Hewitt watercolor painting classes
1988 Retired from teaching
1997 Died in San Francisco

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Ferbrache, Lewis and George Post, “Interview,” Smithsonian Archives of American Art, April 9, 1964.
2. Hughes, Edan Milton. Artists in California, 1786-1940, San Francisco: Hughes Publications, 1989, p.892.
3. McClelland, Gordon T. George Post. Beverley Hills: Hillcrest Press, Inc., 1991.
4. McClelland, Gordon T. & Jay T. Last, California Watercolors 1850-1970, Beverly Hills: Hillcrest Press, Inc., 2003.
5. Paintings of George Post. Sept. 10, 1999 to Nov. 30, 1999. Mendocino, Calif.: Mendocino Art Center, 1999.