JOHN BLOOM: CLOSE TO HOME

FIGGE ART MUSEUM

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JOHN BLOOM: CLOSE TO HOMEAugust 25, 2018–January 13, 2019

Cover image: Summer Evening, 1936, oil on Masonite, Private collection

Title page: John Bloom, circa 1940, Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

© 2018 Figge Art MuseumFigge Art Museum

225 West Second Street | Davenport, IA 52801563.326.7804

www.figgeartmuseum.org

Published in conjunction with the exhibition John Bloom: Close to Home at the Figge Art Museum, August 25, 2018-January 13, 2019

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Published with funds from the William D. and Shirley J. Homrighausen Endowment for Publications

FIGGE ART MUSEUM | DAVENPORT, IOWA

JOHN BLOOM: CLOSE TO HOMEAugust 25, 2018–January 13, 2019

EXHIBITION SPONSORS

Sue Quail The Reeg Group at R W Baird

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County Fair, 1934

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In 1950, John Vincent Bloom (1906-2002)

completed County Fair (page 2). Inspired by the fair

held in DeWitt, Iowa, the painting includes a crowd

watching a horse race with farm fields and a train in

the background. An onlooker blocks a young boy’s

view, while in the distance a mother struggles to drag

her child to the outhouse. The local subject matter,

stylized figures, vibrant color palette, and humorous

vignettes all distinguish the painting as a work by John

Bloom. Understandably, his artwork has become a

source of pride and nostalgia for area residents. Many

distinctive qualities of Bloom’s artwork can be traced

back to his boyhood, while his training at the School of

the Art Institute of Chicago, his time with Grant Wood

and work as an industrial designer offer insight into his

motivations and his progression as an artist.

In many ways, DeWitt is the archetypal small

Midwestern community. Located a little more than 20

miles north of Davenport, the town is surrounded by

rich Iowa farmland. When Bloom was born in 1906

DeWitt had about 1500 residents.1 He was part of a

prominent family; his father, John Vincent Bloom Sr.,

was a banker and later the president of DeWitt Savings

Bank.2 Bloom spent his days swimming at Crystal Lake,

hiking and fishing with his father and brothers and,

much to his dismay, attending St. Joseph’s Catholic

School.3 His experiences as a boy inspired many of

his works, including After Church (page 4) in which

a young John Bloom, dressed in green, attempts

to escape a brood of gossips blocking the arched

doorway of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.4

JOHN BLOOM: CLOSE TO HOME

Study for County Fair, 1930s

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After Church,1934

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Bloom’s boyhood drawings convey his sense of

humor and reflect his burgeoning artistic talent.

Repurposed memo pads and bank ledgers are filled

with characters from the Sunday funnies, cartoons

making fun of schoolmasters and numerous animal

drawings.5 Drawn when Bloom was just 14, Rabbit

in Cornfield exhibits a decorative quality in its corn

stalks and in the line work of the rabbit (above). He

entered similar drawings in the county fair where

they won numerous awards.6 Animals were a favorite

subject. As a teenager, he cut animals out of wood

with his scroll saw and he later produced stylized

woodcarvings of cats, cows and other animals.7

Beginning as a young man, Bloom kept a diary of his

daily activities. As an adult he continued to record

his days and would constantly sketch things he saw

around town.8 He was fascinated with observing as

well as recording, and he used these sketches years,

and sometimes decades, later as inspiration for his

best-known compositions.

Rabbit in Cornfield, 1920

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In 1924, Bloom moved to Davenport to attend

St. Ambrose College (now University). While

at St. Ambrose, he also took art classes at

the Tri-City Art League and at the Davenport

Municipal Art Gallery (the predecessor to

the Figge Art Museum). From 1926 to 1930,

Bloom attended the School of the Art Institute

of Chicago, where he trained in drawing,

composition, anatomy and color theory. While

in Chicago, he had the opportunity to see

work by Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse at

art galleries like Chester Johnson on Michigan

Avenue and at the Art Institute.9 Painted

in 1937, Bloom’s Picking Weeds (page 14)

demonstrates the impact of such artists on

his style. The reduction of forms, segments

of color and visible brush strokes, attest to

Cézanne’s influence on Bloom. The painting’s

focus on a farmer at work affirms the later

influence of Regionalism.10

Bloom refined his observational drawing

skills at the Art Institute.11 Examples of his line

drawings from this period have an elegant and

lyrical sensibility. In a nude from 1928, Bloom

captured the essentials of a woman’s form in a

mere five minutes (page 7).

Toiling, 1935

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These drawings represent his interest in the human

figure and his skill at rapid sketching. As Bloom

wrote, “Quick sketches are the ideal way to get the

essential gesture for [sic] haven’t time to get involved

in details.”12 Around this time he also created several

small figural woodcarvings. The figures are rough and

blocky, but they reflect Bloom’s desire to represent

the human form in sculpture as well as in drawing and

painting. Toiling (page 6) is a more finished and stylized

carving which references relief sculpture and the labor

themes prevalent in New Deal art. After concluding his

studies at the Art Institute, Bloom returned to DeWitt

where from 1930 to 1932 he listed his activities as

paintings and drawing “freelance.” He spent the summer

of 1932 at Stone City.13

Untitled (seated nude), 1928

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Stone City Art Colony was founded in 1932 by Grant

Wood (1891-1942), Edward Rowan (1898-1946)

and Adrian Dornbush (1900-1970) as a place where

artists could work cooperatively and advance the values

of Regionalism. As an art movement, Regionalism

was focused on local, rural and often agrarian subject

matter represented in a realistic way, in opposition to

the urban and Modernist styles of artists in New York

and elsewhere. During its brief period of existence, the

Colony was an active and exciting place. The students

sketched, painted, sculpted, critiqued each other’s

work, attended classes, socialized in Stone City, Iowa,

and swam in the Wapsipinicon River.14 Wood invited

Bloom, who he had met at an art competition, to attend

the Colony. But with no money and having exhausted

loans from his father to attend the Art Institute, Bloom

couldn’t afford it. As a compromise, he worked as a

groundskeeper in exchange for free tuition.15 Bloom met

his future wife and fellow artist, Isabel Scherer (later

Isabel Bloom) at the Colony.16 This period marked a

moment of resolve in Bloom’s work, wherein he began

to concentrate on local and rural subject matter.

The Stone City Art Colony and School, 1932 John Bloom: back row, second from right; Isabel Scherer: middle row, second from right

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Near Stone City, 1932

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Cattle Loading, 1988

While the Stone City Art Colony only lasted two

summers, for many it offered a respite from the

realities of the Great Depression. As Florence

Sprague (1888-1971), a sculpture instructor at

the Colony wrote, “So art in Iowa went on in spite

of the Depression. The Colony forgot that there

was such a thing.”17 Yet, the struggle to find work

was a real and constant concern during this period

of high unemployment. New Deal programs were

established to provide jobs and to stabilize the

economy. The P.W.A.P. (Public Works of Art Project,

1933-1934) and later the F.A.P. (Federal Art Project,

1935-1943) provided paid work for artists, resulting

in the creation of many public works of art. Bloom

worked on the Iowa State University Library Murals

under Grant Wood and was independently awarded

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commissions for murals at the Tipton and DeWitt

post offices. Stylistic and technical elements present

in many of his paintings are attributable to this period.

Bloom’s easel paintings and murals have a flat surface

quality without the glossy finish usually associated with

oil paint. In Bloom’s notes referencing his time working

with Wood, there is a recipe for a flattening preparation

and a description of Zorn’s Palette.18 Named after the

Swedish artist Anders Zorn (1860-1920), the palette

uses a limited amount of base colors mixed in varying

amounts to create cohesive tones and hues. The colors

are earthier versions of straight primaries and include

extra pale cadmium red, ivory black, zinc white, mellow

ochre and sometimes viridian green, and cerulean blue.

These colors, along with the flat finish, can be seen in

many of Bloom’s paintings.

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After settling in Davenport, Bloom was able to patch

together work through mural commissions and

freelance jobs, but soon after marrying he had to find

a steady source of income. As he stated, “I didn’t give

art up, but I got married…it’s a whole new ball game.

You have to get oriented more toward the financial.”19

Bloom worked as an industrial and commercial designer

with H. Wood Miller in Davenport, and later as an

illustrator of munition repair manuals at the Rock

Island Arsenal.20 Though he considered this a job rather

than a serious artistic pursuit, he produced elegant

designs which reveal his skill as a draftsman.21 In his

design for kitchen cabinetry (above), the effect of the

popular Art Deco style is clear in the rounded forms

and repetitive design. His rendering communicates the

mass and contour of the object cleanly and effectively.

For decades Bloom continued to make his own art in

his free-time, until his retirement allowed him more

freedom.22 A sketchbook from the 1940s in which

mechanical drawings intermingle with sketches of

people around Davenport demonstrates the two sides

of Bloom’s artistic life.23 During this period he recorded

many scenes along the Davenport riverfront.

After years of relative obscurity, Bloom’s work

was championed in the 1980s by David Losasso

(1948-2015), a local art enthusiast and owner

of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery located in the

Village of East Davenport. Their association resulted

in a proliferation of prints, numerous exhibitions and

several corporate mural commissions.

Bloom’s artwork shows the influence of his time. His

boyhood in DeWitt laid the foundation for his appreciation

of his surroundings, the development of his sense of

humor and his interest in observation. His vignettes of

life in DeWitt and Davenport represent a way of life

that resonates for area residents and can still be seen

in LeClaire Park or at church on Sunday. Throughout

his career, Bloom’s work is defined by an affectionate

study of the everyday. He appreciated life in the towns

and countryside close to his home and celebrated the

common occurrences that others often miss.

Design for Kitchen Drawer, 1946

—Vanessa Sage, Figge Art Museum Assistant Curator

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1 Patrick B. Wolfe, Wolfe’s History of Clinton County, Iowa, Volume 1 (Indianapolis, Indiana: B.F. Bowen and Company, 1911), 313.

2 John Vincent Bloom Sr. Obituary, 1942, John Bloom Papers, Iowa State University Special Collections, Ames, Iowa (Afterwards cited as Bloom Papers).

3 As expressed by Bloom, “I hate school; school is nuts.” Day Book, 1918, Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery.

4 Shirley Jackson, “Grant Wood liked local artist’s style,” Quad-City Times, Nov. 19, 1984.

5 Sketchbooks, 1918-1920, Bloom Papers. Day Book, 1918, Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery.

6 Bison/Lion/Eagle with award designations, Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery.

7 “With my scroll saw I cut out a turkey a ram’s head…” Diary, Jan. 2, 1920, Bloom Papers.

8 Diaries, 1918-1992, Bloom Papers. “I’m a people watcher… I’m always looking for good–i.e. expressive poses.” Notes, 7/7/1985, Bloom Papers.

9 “After school went down to Johnson Galleries.” Diary, May 7, 1929, Bloom Papers. Exhibition History Art Institute of Chicago, http://www.artic.edu/research/exhibition-history.

10 “…the artist feels he was more influenced by … Paul Cézanne,” Mary Rueter, “Murals’ history related,” DeWitt Observer, April 28, 1982.

11 Correspondence from The School of the Art Institute regarding several line drawings, August 11, 1928; June 28, 1928, Bloom Papers.

12 Notes, 7/7/1985, Bloom Papers.

13 Guggenheim Fellowship Application Drafts, 1944-1946, Bloom Papers.

14 Stone City Brochure, 1932, Bloom Papers Diary, 1932, Bloom Papers.

15 Shirley Davis, “Prolific Painter,” Quad-City Times, Feb. 22, 1987.

16 Isabel later founded a successful cement sculpture company located in Davenport, Iowa (now Isabel Bloom Ltd.)

17 Florence Sprague, “More About the Stone City Art Colony,” The Palette, Iowa State College (now University of Iowa), 1932, Scrapbook 3, Grant Wood Archives.

18 Misc. Papers Titled “Grant Wood’s Oil Painting Panel,” n.d., Bloom Papers. Zorn’s Palette was used by Grant Wood on the Iowa State University Library Murals, referenced in Living Regionalism (Davenport Museum of Art, 1988), 2.

19 Mike Romkey, “Grant Wood Colleague has Show in Davenport,” The Sunday Dispatch, Nov. 18, 1984.

20 Notes 7/7/1985, Bloom Papers.

21 Romkey.

22 Romkey.

23 Sketchbook, 1940s, Bloom Papers.

ENDNOTES

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Picking Weeds, 1937

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Paintings

After Church, 1934Oil on Masonite, 29 3 8 x 24 in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of James and Deba Leach in honor of Lois Hill Leach, 2001.6

Auction at Johnson’s, 1950Oil on Masonite, 18 ½ x 24 ½ in.City of Davenport Art Collection Museum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 1986.13

County Fair, 1934Oil on Masonite, 24 ½ x 35 ¾ in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of Mrs. Philip D. Adler, 1988.14

Feeding Hogs, 1929Oil on canvas, 17 ½ x 23 ½ in.Private collection

Four Seasons, 1941 Oil on panel, 15 ½ x 36 in.Reverse: Florida Beach Scene, 1947Oil on panel, 20 x 40 in.Private collection

Monkey Island, 1987Oil on Masonite, 26 ½ x 35 ½ in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip D. Adler, 1988.15

Peeling Potatoes (portrait of the artist’s grandmother), 1939Oil on Masonite, 35 ½ x 23 ½ in.Private collection

Picking Weeds, 1937Oil on canvas, 20 x 23 78 in.Museum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 2016.4.1

Scrubwoman, 1986Oil on Masonite, 25 x 18 ¼ in.Gift in Honor of Dr. and Mrs. Charles M. Diez by the Diez/White Families, 2017.23

Side Show, 1950Oil on canvas, 19 3 8 x 15 3 8 in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of the Beaux Arts Fund Committee, Inc., 1989.16

Summer Evening, 1936Oil on Masonite, 22 ½ x 35 ½ in. Private collection

Murals

Cattle Loading, 1988Oil on Masonite, 48 x 144 in.City of Davenport Art CollectionGift of Norwest Bank, 1998.2

Shocking Oats, 1987Oil on Masonite, 48 x 144 in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of Thomas Kahl Figge, 1993.6

Drawings/Studies

Lofting Hay, 1939Pencil on paper, 11 x 11 in.Private collection

Near Stone City, 1932Pencil on paper, 9 78 x 13 1 8 in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift from Anonymous Donor, 1988.19

Self Portrait (reading in bed), 1927-1930Black crayon on paper, 10 x 7 in.Museum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 2016.4.3

Study for Monkey Island, 1987Color pencil on paper, 3 ¼ x 4 1 8 in. City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Philip D. Adler, 1988.16

Study for Auction at Johnson’s (figure studies), 1930sPencil on paper, 3 ½ x 6 ½ in. Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.56

Study for Auction at Johnson’s (people on bench), 1930sPencil on paper, 3 ½ x 6 ½ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.57

Study for County Fair (harness racing), 1930s Pencil on paper, 8 ¼ x 10 ¾ in. Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.49

Study for County Fair (views of racetrack), 1930s Pencil on paper, 10 ¾ x 8 ¼ in. Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.53

Study for DeWitt Post Office Mural Shucking Corn (reverse: Field Goal), 1935 Oil on Masonite, 8 ½ x 20 ½ in. Private Collection

Study for DeWitt Post Office Mural Shucking Corn (Horse team and barn), 1937 Pencil and color pencil on paper, 11 ½ x 17 in. Private collection

Study for Shocking Oats, mid-late twentieth century Oil on Masonite, 9 x 26 ¾ in. Private collection

EXHIBITION CHECKLIST

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Study for Shocking Oats, 1940Watercolor and pencil on paper, 4 x 12 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.23

Study for Shocking Oats (men carrying bales), 1940Pencil on paper, 8 ½ x 11 13 16 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.32

Study for Shocking Oats (compositional layouts), 1940Pencil on paper, 8 ½ x 11 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.42

Study for Tipton Post Office Mural Cattle, 1937Oil on Masonite, 7 ¾ x 18 ¾ in. Private collection

Study for Tipton Post Office Mural Cattle, circa 1937Pencil on brown paper, 10 x 12 ½ in.Private collection

Study for Pigeon Fancier, circa 1940Charcoal on paper, 6 1 8 x 7 5 8 in.Museum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 2016.4.5

Untitled (portraits of the artist’s mother), 1928Pencil on paper, 11 x 8 ½ in.; 12 x 9 in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Untitled (nude on side), 1928Pencil on paper, 6 ¾ x 12 in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Untitled (seated nude), 1928Pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Untitled (woman pulling on skirt), 1939Pencil on paper, 18 x 9 ¼ in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Untitled (woman with garment), 1939Pencil on paper, 18 x 10 ½ in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Boyhood Drawings

Bison, 1919Pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Eagle, 1918Pencil on paper, 9 x 12 in.Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Rabbit in Cornfield, 1920Ink and pencil on paper, 6 11 16 x 8 5 8 in.Museum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 2016.4.4

Lithographs

Checkers, 1984Lithograph on paper, 7 x 10 in.City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of the artist, 1986.7

County Fair, 1984Lithograph on paper, 10 x 13 ¾ in.Gift of the artistCity of Davenport Art Collection, 1986.6

Ferry at the Dock, 1946Lithograph on paper, 9 ¾ x 13 ½ in. City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of the Davenport Branch of American Association of University Women, OP 12

Mother and Child (Isabel and baby), 1947Lithograph on paper, 16 x 10 in. Courtesy of the Mississippi Fine Arts Gallery

Natatorium, 1994Lithograph on paper, 14 ¼ x 10 ½ in.Gift of Dean Christensen, 2015.7.3

Pigeon Fancier, 1946Lithograph on paper, 7 3 16 x 9 13 16 in. City of Davenport Art Collection Gift of James and Deba Leach in honor of Lois Hill Leach, 2001.8

Watching the Ferry, 1947Lithograph on paper, 8 13 16 x 5 78 in.City of Davenport Art CollectionGift of James and Deba Leach in honor of Lois Leach Hill, 2001.10

Industrial Design

Design for Furnace, circa 1940Pencil on tracing paper, 13 ¾ x 12 ¼ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.19

Design for Furnace, circa 1940 Pencil and color pencil on brown paper, 13 ¾ x 15 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.20

Design for Furnace, circa 1940Pencil and color pencil on green paper, 13 ½ x 14 ½ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.21

Design for Joyce Jack, 1940H. Wood Miller CompanyInk on cardboard, 14 78 x 9 ¼ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.17

Design for Kitchen Drawer (Home-O-Nize, now HON Company), 1946Ink and gouache on ivory paper, 11 x 11 ¼ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.12

Design for Pull-Out Kitchen Cabinet (Home-O-Nize, now HON Company), 1946Ink and gouache on ivory paper, 13 5 8 x 11 1 8 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.13

Design for Microflex Measuring Device (Eagle Signal Corporation), mid-twentieth centuryPencil and color pencil on black paper, 14 11 16 x 10 78 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.9

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Design for Microflex Measuring Device (Eagle Signal Corporation), mid-twentieth centuryPencil on paper, 10 ½ x 9 5 8 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.10

Woodcarvings

Cat with Ball, 1941Wood, 12 x 14 ¾ x 3 in.Private collection

Snake Charmer, 1940Carved and painted wood, 14 ¼ x 6 3 8 x 5 3 8 in.Private collection

Toiling, 1935Wood, 16 ½ x 7 ½ x 2 5 8 in.City of Davenport Art CollectionMuseum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 1988.13

Untitled (angular figure), 1930Wood, 4 3 8 x 2 5 8 x 2 3 8 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.4

Untitled (reclining man and woman), 1929Wood, 4 3 8 x 6 ½ x 2 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.6

Untitled (seated man), 1928Wood, 5 x 2 ¾ x 2 ¼ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.5

Untitled (seated woman, head down), 1929Wood, 4 ½ x 2 5 8 x 2 3 8 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.3

Untitled (seated woman, facing left), 1929Wood, 5 ½ x 3 ½ x 3 in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.2

Untitled (seated woman, facing right), 1929Wood, 4 5 8 x 3 x 2 ½ in.Gift of Tom Bloom, 2005.1

Woman Washing Hair, 1973Carved and painted wood, 27 ½ x 11 ½ x 10 in.Museum purchase: Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 2016.4.2

Wrestlers, circa 1938Wood, 7 ¼ x 22 x 11 ½ in.Private collection

Ephemera

John W. Barry, Jr. American, 1905-1988The Stone City Art Colony and School, 1932PhotographGrant Wood Archives

Day Book, 1918Facsimile

John Bloom (1906-2002) was a native of DeWitt, Iowa, and a

beloved local artist. He attended the School of the Art Institute

of Chicago and later worked with Grant Wood. Bloom is known

for his murals, easel paintings, lithographs, and woodcarvings.

Self Portrait (reading in bed), 1927-1930

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JOHN BLOOM: CLOSE TO HOME

225 West Second StreetDavenport, Iowa 52801563.326.7804www.figgeartmuseum.org

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