Early Life, Family and Training
William Gedney Bunce was born in 1840 in Hartford , Connecticut. He was the son of James M. Bunce and Elizabeth Chester. His early years in Hartford provided the foundation for a life spent observing the light and form of the landscape. In 1856, he began receiving formal art instruction under Julius Theodore Busch, a painter from Dresden who had settled in Hartford .
The training Bunce received was steady and focused. Before the Civil War, he sought out the guidance of the landscape painter William Hart . These early lessons helped shape his eye for the natural world. Later, his studies took him to New York City, where he attended classes at the Cooper Union school to further his technical understanding of the medium.
Military Service and Early Career
The years of the Civil War took Bunce away from the studio and into the service of the Union. He spent two years with the 1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment, seeing action in the Shenandoah Valley. A leg wound eventually forced his discharge from the military in 1863. This injury left him with a permanent limp, a physical mark of his time in the service.
Following his discharge, he moved to New York City to focus on his training. He took classes at the Cooper Union school to refine his technique. During the summer of 1864, he accompanied the landscape painter William Hart on a study trip to Maine. These early years were spent absorbing the light and forms of the American landscape before he looked toward the continent of Europe.
By 1867, he had left American shores to study abroad. This move marked the beginning of a long period of observation in various cities, seeking a deeper understanding of his craft through direct study and travel.
European Travels and Studio Life
After 1867, Bunce spent more than ten years moving through the cities of Europe. His time was divided between London, Rome, and Paris. In Paris, he shared a studio with Augustus Saint-Gaudens , a friendship that would last for the rest of his life. This period of study was not confined to a single style or location, as he sought out specific instruction in several different countries.
His training took him to the studios of various masters. In Düsseldorf, he took private lessons from Andreas Achenbach . He also traveled to Antwerp to study under Paul Jean Clays . These years abroad allowed him to observe the light and forms of the continent before he eventually returned to the United States.
Return to America and Venetian Period
In 1879, after twelve years spent in Europe, Bunce returned to the United States. He settled in New York City and set up a studio in the Benedick Building at 80 East Washington Square. This period marked a shift in his focus as he began to find his footing in the American art scene. By 1880, his paintings of the Venetian canals had begun to draw attention for their specific sense of color and design.
The light of the Venetian lagoon became a constant presence in his work. He spent much of his time traveling between Venice and the United States, a pattern of movement he maintained until the start of World War I. His canvases from this era often captured the quietude of the water and the specific atmosphere of the Italian city. He became so associated with the location that he was viewed as a fixture of the local scene.
Venice the Coming NightBoats on a Venetian Lagoon
Venetian scene with sailboats
Patrons and Professional Recognition
The quiet recognition of his work grew steadily as he moved through the art circles of New York and Europe. In 1889, while staying in Biarritz, he was introduced to Queen Victoria , who purchased one of his landscape paintings. This encounter brought a significant shift in his reputation. His name also appeared in the circles of Daniel Cottier and Stanford White , men who moved through the same spaces as his peers.
His standing within the American art community was marked by several formal admissions. He was admitted to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1898. Later, in 1907, he was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design , having previously been chosen as an associate in 1902. These memberships reflected a career that had found its footing between the canals of Venice and the studios of New York .
Later Years and Death
In 1908, Bunce left the bustle of New York and returned to his birthplace, Hartford . He settled in the house of his sister and brother-in-law, where he built a new studio to continue his work. The space allowed him to keep painting in the city where his life had begun.
His life ended abruptly in 1916. While crossing a street, he was struck and killed by an automobile, one of the first such fatalities in Hartford . Seven years after he passed, a retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Milch Gallery in New York .
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