Uncover The Mystery Of Your Walter Anderson Painting

Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) was an American artist from Mississippi. He is known for his paintings of birds and wildlife found on the Mississippi gulf coast, often using watercolour and graphite on paper. Anderson's work also includes linocuts, oil paintings, carvings, murals, ceramics, and decorative arts. Anderson's family occasionally sells his original artwork, and his work can also be viewed at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, which has a collection of over one thousand of his pieces. To find out more about a Walter Anderson painting in your possession, you can refer to auction records, art value guides, or contact the museum and the Anderson family directly.

Walter Anderson's artistic style

Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) was an American painter and writer from New Orleans. He is known for his distinctive artistic style, which is characterised by his unique approach to space, form, colour, and shape.

Anderson was heavily influenced by nature, and his work often reflects his deep connection to the natural world. He spent a significant amount of time in the barrier island wilderness of Horn Island, Mississippi, where he lived in primitive conditions and portrayed the life around him, including birds and other sea creatures. Anderson's work is also characterised by his use of "the seven motifs", basic shapes he learned about from Mexican art theorist Adolfo Best-Maugard's 1930s book, *A Method for Creative Design*. These shapes are present in all ancient art forms and can be used as building blocks to create complex compositions. Anderson relied heavily on these motifs in the 1940s, after he left a mental hospital, using them to reteach himself how to draw.

Anderson was skilled in a variety of mediums, including watercolours, block prints, wood carvings, ceramics, sketches, oils, drawings, and decorated pottery. He often worked on 8 1/2 x 11-inch typing paper for his watercolours, bending and shaping his forms to fit his canvas. He was also a master of positive and negative space, using this technique to draw viewers' attention to certain aspects of his subjects. This technique was central to his process of linoleum block printing, where the artist carves out the negative space to reveal the positive. Anderson's block prints were widely propagated and intended to be accessible to people who could not afford expensive art but still appreciated beauty.

In addition to his two-dimensional works, Anderson created large-scale murals, carvings, puppets, textiles, and furniture that physically occupied three-dimensional space. He integrated these works into daily and civic life, reinforcing the idea that art was not just for visual stimulation but also as a tool for living. Anderson did not separate "fine" art from "folk" art, instead embracing a more inclusive and cosmic conception of human creativity. He saw his art as a process for grasping the bounty of creation and the significance of nature's forms, rather than a mere product for acclaim or fortune.

The subject matter of the painting

Walter Anderson's paintings cover a range of subjects, from landscapes to flora and fauna, and even ceramics and textiles. Anderson's work often explored the relationship between space, form, colour, and shape, and he sought to create a sense of a fully articulated three-dimensional world, even in his two-dimensional works. He was particularly interested in the science of colour theory, often enhancing naturally occurring colours to create a mood or elevate the drama of a scene. Anderson's time in nature influenced his use of colour, and he was known to bend and shape his forms to fit his canvas, as seen in his watercolour "Contented Coon".

Anderson also mastered the use of positive and negative space, employing this technique to draw viewers' attention to certain aspects of his subjects. This was also central to his process of linoleum block printing, where the negative space is carved out to reveal the positive image. Anderson's work was not just limited to two-dimensional paintings but also included large-scale murals, carvings, puppets, textiles, and furniture that occupied three-dimensional space.

Anderson's subject matter was diverse, reflecting his interest in the world around him. He often depicted animals, such as the rooster on the "Rooster Plate", a ceramic piece decorated by Anderson, or the blue jay on the "Blue Jay Table", a polychromed wood piece. Anderson also created works inspired by his surroundings, such as "Horn Island at Sunset", an oil painting, or "Little Room, South Wall", created with house paint.

Anderson's work was influenced by Mexican art theorist Adolfo Best-Maugard’s 1930s book, "A Method for Creative Design". Anderson employed the "seven motifs", basic shapes that can be found in all ancient art forms and used as building blocks for complex compositions. These shapes can be seen throughout his work, reflecting his interest in the fundamentals of art and design.

The painting's history

Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) was a master of many artistic mediums, including drawings, watercolours, oil paintings, carvings, murals, ceramics, and decorative arts. Anderson's work is often characterised by his use of "the seven motifs", a set of basic shapes he discovered in Mexican art theorist Adolfo Best-Maugard's 1930s book, *A Method for Creative Design*. These shapes are said to be present in all ancient art forms and can be used as building blocks to render complex compositions. Anderson relied heavily on these motifs in the 1940s, after he left the mental hospital, using them to re-learn how to draw.

Anderson's work also demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of space and form. He is known to have explored the physical space of his materials, such as the 8 1/2 x 11-inch typing paper that he regularly used for watercolours. He would bend and shape his forms to fit his canvas, as seen in his watercolour *Contented Coon*. Anderson also mastered the use of positive and negative space, drawing viewers' attention to certain aspects of his subjects. This technique was central to the process of linoleum block printing, where the artist carves out the negative space to reveal the positive. Anderson's block prints were widely propagated and intended to be accessible to the general public.

Anderson's exploration of colour was also notable, influenced by his time spent in nature. He would often enhance naturally occurring colours to create a mood or to elevate the drama of a scene. He deployed the science of colour theory to great effect, juxtaposing and mixing primary and secondary colours.

Anderson's work can be found in the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, which has a collection of more than one thousand objects, with another thousand on long-term loan from the Anderson family. The museum also offers a digitised portion of its collection, hosted in partnership with the University of Southern Mississippi. Additionally, the family of Walter Anderson runs a small shop called Realizations, dedicated to making his artwork more accessible to the public.

Authentication and valuation

Walter Anderson's artwork is available for sale through the website 'Walter Anderson Art', which is run by the artist's family. The website offers silk-screened prints, clothing, and textiles featuring Anderson's unique block print designs. Original artwork is also sometimes available for sale.

Auction websites such as Invaluable and Christie's also provide details on the sale of Walter Anderson's artwork, including the date of sale, dimensions of the artwork, and the auction company. For example, Invaluable lists the sale of "Pitcher Plant", "Ducks Flying Up", "Tall Pine Trees", and "Wind, Wave and Bird", four linocuts on wallpaper by Walter Inglis Anderson, through the Neal Auction Company in November 2020. The website also provides details on the artwork's provenance.

Some auction websites, such as Invaluable, provide a certificate of authenticity from the Estate of Walter Anderson for certain artworks. This certificate is attached to the backing board of the artwork.

Additionally, Walter Anderson's family has also contributed to the survival and availability of his artwork. Due to his poor housekeeping, Anderson's family retrieved many works that he would have otherwise thrown away.

It is important to note that not all of Walter Anderson's artworks are signed. Unsigned works can still be authenticated and sold through auction houses and galleries.

Similar paintings by Walter Anderson

Walter Inglis Anderson (1903-1965) was an American artist from Mississippi, born in New Orleans. He is known for his watercolours, woodblock prints, and other artworks inspired by nature and created during his months-long stays in a cottage on his family's land.

Some similar paintings by Walter Anderson include:

• "Alphabet Series: W", a hand-coloured silkscreen print.
• "Flock of Red-Headed Ducks", a watercolour and graphite on paper.
• "Coots", a watercolour and graphite on paper from around 1955-1965.
• "Ghost Crab and Driftwood", a watercolour and graphite on paper.
• "Contented Coon", a watercolour on 8.5" x 11" paper, where Anderson used the confines of the page to shape the form of the animal.
• "Road to Oldfields", a watercolour on paper where Anderson used blue and yellow in the tree limbs to give an impression of green leaves.

In addition to his paintings, Anderson also created wood carvings, ceramics, sketches, and murals. He was influenced by his travels, such as his trip to Costa Rica to paint wildlife, and his walks and sails along the Gulf Coast to observe birds.

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