Reynolds Beal

Reynolds Beal, the older brother of Gifford Beal, was born in 1867. He is known as one of the early American Impressionists. Beal studied at Cornell in 1885-89 with a focus in naval architecture. His more formal art training came from studying under William Merritt Chase in 1896. Circus themes were Beal's first endeavor from 1910-20. Although his naval training provided him with accurate and detailed knowledge of ships he took more interest in exploring the wind-controlled relationship between air and water. Yachting was also a hobby of Beal's, resulting in paintings of maritime scenes from Rockport to the Hudson and also the Caribbean. Beal worked in Bermuda in 1922 and 1939-40. Beal had his first solo exhibition at the Clauson Gallery, NYC, in 1905. He went on to become a founding member of the Society of Independent Artists in 1917. His palette was bright and lively and he traveled with other American Impressionist such as Ernest Lawson and Childe Hassam. He was truly able to capture seasonal qualities and air movement throughout his artistic career.