Leon Gaspard
| Leon M. Gaspard | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Leon Schulman March 2, 1882 Vitebsk |
| Died | February 21, 1964 (aged 81) Taos, New Mexico |
| Resting place | Sierra Vista Cemetery (Taos, New Mexico) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Academie Julian |
| Known for | Painting |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Adell Dora Kaminsky |
Leon Schulman Gaspard (2 March 1882 - 21 February 1964) was a Russian-born painter, known for his paintings of indigenous cultures and folk traditions. He tended to paint scenes with throngs of people, and his favorite locations were in small towns in Russia, Asia, and the Taos Valley. He spent his youth in Russia and later studied in Paris, where he became a well-respected painter. He moved with his wife, American ballerina Evelyn Adell, to the United States. They eventually settled in Taos, New Mexico, though he continued to devote much of his time to traveling to paint in remote locations.
As a child, Gaspard traveled frequently with his father, who traded furs and fine rugs, throughout the Siberian Steppes. During these journeys, Gaspard began to sketch the wild, primitive world of the natives they met. His mother, Zyra, was an accomplished pianist, and Gaspard's parents hoped he would take up music. Nonetheless, they encouraged his artistic interests.
Gaspard pursued art studies in his hometown, Vitebsk, Belarus. He worked with Yehuda Pen, a well-known Jewish-Belarusian artist. Gaspard and Marc Chagall became friendly rivals over a girl named Bella Rosenfeld, who later became Chagall's wife. Gaspard pursued further studies in Odessa, and then his family sent him to Paris. He enrolled at the Académie Julian, where he studied for almost eight years. He also worked independently with William-Adolphe Bouguereau. While he was in Paris, his parents died, which cut off his allowance, and abruptly ended his studies. However, Gaspard was able to sell a number of sketches to a dealer, and his career as an artist began.
In 1908, Gaspard met Evelyn Adell, a wealthy American ballerina, who was living in Paris. She married him despite her parents' objections, and the couple embarked on an unusual honeymoon: a two-year horseback trip through Siberia.
Gaspard enlisted in the French Aviation Corps in 1914, and was seriously injured the following year. In a 1981 magazine article, in Artists of the Rockies and the Golden West, John Jellico writes that Gaspard leapt, without a parachute, from a falling plane. He landed in a shell hole filled with water and mud, which miraculously saved his life. Gaspard loved to tell stories about his colorful travels, many of which Frank Waters included in the 1964 biography, Leon Gaspard. For this reason, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish fact from story in regards to Gaspard's life, as he often wove elaborate tales with both words and paintings.
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