William Wendt
1865-1946
BORN IN
Bentzen, Germany
KNOWN FOR
Plein-air landscape and coastal view painting
One of California’s best-known landscape painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, William Wendt was called the “Dean of Southern California” artists. His landscapes were especially known for rich greens and browns. In 1911, he became co- founder of the California Art Club, which he served as the second and fourth President from 1911 to 1919 and 1917 to 1918 respectively. This organization reflected his commitment to plein-air painting of the California landscape.
His style was impressionism, obviously influenced by the Decorative Style of Arthur Mathews, and his landscapes seldom had figures in them.
