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Clarence S.McWilliams lived at 637 Sample Avenue in Avalon, a community in Pittsburgh. He was a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and participated in their annual exhibitions in the 1930s and early 1940s. His first public notice appears to have come in 1926. In that year he was selected to participate in the Carnegie Institute's annual summer show, An Exhibition of Paintings by Pittsburgh Artists. The show featured the work of Pittsburgh painters who were usually selected from the Associated Artists exhibit held at the Carnegie Institute in the early part of the year.
John O'Connor Jr., in his review of the third exhibition in 1936, wrote: "Probably the youngest painter in the exhibition is Clarence McWilliams. His two pictures, Valley Road and Summer Landscape, mark a return to a type of romantic paintings, but they are refreshing and highly individual. It will be interesting to watch his development." McWilliams would later be invited to participate in the summer shows of 1939, 1940, and 1941. He was also mentioned in a review of the Associated Artists' 29th exhibition of 1939.
Elmer A Stephen, Director of Art Education for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, remarked: "One of the most promising young painters in this show is Clarence McWilliams. His canvases are all good, but particularly the old abandoned house silhouetted against a flaming sky in Deserted. This young man sees beautifully, is fearless in his dashing. We would warn him not to carry his effects too far, however, lest he become a scene painter rather than an easel painter. His Oil Well seems to possess more subtle and lasting quality."
In 1943, John O'Connor Jr. noted the absence of several Pittsburgh artists, including McWilliams and fellow Steidle Collection artists Alan Thompson and Frances Wright, from the exhibitions at the Carnegie. All were now in the service, and had gone overseas to fight in the Second World War.
McWilliam's painting, Gas Wells, captures the rustic charm of three old gas wells operating in an autumn landscape. The rolling hills and compressed depth of the scene are reminiscent of the Regionalism of Thomas Hart Benton. Rendered in hues of red, yellow, orange, and violet, the scene has a golden glow that makes it seem as if these old wooden derricks with their dilapidated sheds have reached the end of their productivity as well.
Sources:
O'Connor, John Jr., "The Artist and the Community: An Exhibition of Paintings by Pittsburgh Artists," Carnegie Magazine, vol. 10, June 1936, pp. 72-77.
Stephan, Elmer A., "An Evaluation: The Twenty-ninth Annual Exhibition of the Pittsburgh Associated Artists," Carnegie Magazine, vol. 12, February 1939, pp. 259-266.
O'Connor, John Jr., "Paintings by Pittsburgh Artists," Carnegie Magazine, vol. 13, June 1939, pp. 79-80.
"Optimism a Keynote of 30th Annual by Pittsburgh Artists," Art Digest, vol. 14, February 15, 1940, p. 12.
O'Connor, John Jr., "Paintings by Pittsburgh Artists," Carnegie Magazine, vol. 14, June 1940, pp. 73-74.
_______, "Thirty Pittsburgh Artists," Carnegie Magazine, vol. 15, June 1941, pp. 76-77.
_______, "The Summer Show," Carnegie Magazine, vol. 17, June 1943, pp. 69-7.
This document copyright © 1996, Eric John Schruers