Leonard Bahr

Leonard Marion Bahr (May 12, 1905 – July 25, 1990) was an American portrait painter, muralist, illustrator and educator. He worked for many years as a painting professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

Leonard Bahr
Born(1905-05-12)May 12, 1905
Maryland, U.S.
DiedJuly 25, 1990(1990-07-25) (aged 85)
NationalityAmerican
EducationMaryland Institute College of Art
Known forPainting
SpouseFlorence Riefle Bahr

Personal life

Leonard Marion Bahr was born on May 12, 1905, in Maryland.[1][2][3]

He married Florence E. Riefle, who had been a student at Maryland Institute (now Maryland Institute College of Art), in 1934 and they had three children, Beth, Leonard, and Mary.[4] Leonard died July 25, 1990.[1][3]

Artist

Bahr created realistic landscape paintings, still lifes and portraits.[4]

Bahr believed that artists have an ability to see beauty in unlikely places, like "an old lady getting on a bus with a basket of fish or a rusty garbage can glistening in the rain, but there's beauty everywhere you look."

Jack Dawson, A Family of Artists[4]

Portraits and paintings with people

In 1930, Leonard started his professional painting career while still a student, beginning with two portraits of Baltimore's Mayor Preston. He made portraits of Bishop Noble C. Powell,[5] various doctors and administrators at Johns Hopkins Hospital,[6] and other prominent individuals.[7][8] The State of Maryland commissioned him to replicate the historical portrait, by John Wollaston,[9] of Daniel Carroll, which is now located on the first floor of the Maryland State House.[10]

Bahr made a painting of his brother, Maurice, at work underneath a Ford Model T automobile. Within the "rough grained" wood frame was a painting made of gray, black and dark brown oil paint. After the initial exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art, it traveled in a labor and art tour across the United States.[4]

Biblical themes

A Christian, Bahr painted Biblical themes, including Christ in War (1964)[11] and an altar painting of Christ at Gethsemane for Our Savior's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansdowne, Maryland. He made an illustrated book of his drawings depicting the 23rd Psalm of David that was published in 1933.[12]

Murals
Photograph of Behr's 1934 mural Arrival of Mary Carroll Caton at Castle Thunder, created under the Public Works of Art Project and destroyed in the 1960s

Bahr painted murals for the Public Works of Art Project (1933–34). In 1934 he made the mural of Mary Caroll (Polly) Caton, daughter of lawyer, statesman and Contintental Congress representative Charles Carroll. The mural entitled Arrival of Mary Carroll Caton at Castle Thunder was made for the Catonsville High School library. In it, she arrived at the Caton Manor Estate, which was her father's gift to her when she married Richard Caton. It is "presumedly" her husband who greeted her as she exited the carriage. The high school was renovated in the 1960s and the mural was lost in the process.[13] The same year, he made Slaves Rolling Hogsheads of Tobacco Down a Road for the school's library. In it, slaves are rolling casks of tobacco to Elkridge Landing on Rolling Road. Historically slaves rolled the tobacco hogsheads from farms to the Elkridge Landing seaport on the Patapsco River where they would be shipped.[14][15] A preliminary drawing for the library murals is held at the Smithsonian. He made two more murals for the Baltimore Municipal Aquarium at Druid Hill Park.

World War II

His service as Lt. Commander in the Navy during World War II, included illustrating Navy life for various military magazines.

Other information

In April 1933, Bahr exhibited at the first annual exhibition of the Maryland Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers at the Baltimore Museum of Art.[16]

Leonard served on art boards and juries and exhibited his work widely, winning many prizes for his artistic eye. Articles about him or his works were published in American Artist,[17][18] The Appalachian South,[19] Gardens Houses and People, The Baltimore Sun Magazine, and the Baltimore Sun.

Maryland photographer Emily Hayden took a series of photographs of Bahr painting outdoors, which are in the Maryland Historical Society archives.[20] In December 1980 and January 1981, Maryland Institute College of Art held a retrospective of his fifty years as a painter.[21] In the 1980s he was filmed for a video entitled "A Painter's Portrait."[22]

Educator

Bahr taught beginning and advanced painting classes at the Maryland Institute College of Art for more than 50 years, beginning when he was an undergraduate. He taught day and night classes on the weekdays and Saturdays for much of his career.[4] In 1980, he retired with honors for service. Two years later, he was still teaching one painting class in the fall and spring semesters. Bahr also gave private lessons.[4]

Collections

Leonard's history and artworks have been published and are in private and public collections, including the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland;[23] University of Arizona;[24] the Peabody Conservatory of Music; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Corcoran Gallery of Art; and the Elkridge Heritage Society.[25]

Works

The following is a selected list of Bahr's works. There are images and information for dozens more works with the Maryland State Archives.[26]

Portraits
  • Miss Ruth Baetjer, Union Memorial Hospital, 1974[27]
  • Daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Willem Bosma, 1977, Private collection[28]
  • Daniel Carroll (1730-1796), oil on canvas, 48 x 38", 1975, Maryland State House, First Floor, Room 107[10][29][30]
  • The Demuth Children, 1970, The H.E. Demuth Jr. Collection[31]
  • Ellen, 1974, Private collection[32]
  • May Garrettson Evans, (1866-1947), oil on canvas, 38 x 28", 1947, Peabody Art Collection.[7][29]
  • Dr. George Finney, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1973[6]
  • Florence, 1930[33]
  • Mary, 1964[34]
  • Mary in Robe, 1948, Private collection[35]
  • Nude in Wicker Chair, 1970[36]
  • The Rt. Rev. Bishop Noble C. Powell, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, 1963[5]
  • Unknown Man, 1939[37]
  • Lois Crawford Winslow, 1939[38]
  • Norbert Witt, Noxell Corporation, 1973[8]
  • The Seers: Ambrose & Olga Worrall, 1965[39]
Landscapes
  • Locust Grove, 1980[40]
  • Rain Squall and Sun, 1972[41]
  • Rushing Water, 1955[42]
  • Valley Landscape, 1970[43]
Other works
  • Ballerina Resting[44]
  • Big Chair, 1978[45]
  • Death and Transfiguration, 1965[46]
  • Girl in Straw Hat[47]
  • Good Earth, 1952[48]
  • Louisiana Belle, 1946[49]
  • Pink House, 1936[50]
  • Red Cloth, 1960[51]

References
  1. Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
  2. 1940 Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland census. Roll: T627_1524; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 4-400. United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.
  3. Painters: Leonard Marion Bahr. Archived 2014-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Maryland at a Glance. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  4. Jack Dawson, "A Family of Artists." Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine The Sun Magazine, January 10, 1982.
  5. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Noble C. Powell. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  6. Dr. George Finney, Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  7. May Garrettson Evans. Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine The Peabody Collection. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  8. Norbert Witt. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  9. Daniel Carroll. The History of Maryland Slide Collection. Maryland History. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  10. Daniel Carroll. Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  11. Christ in War. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  12. The Twenty-third Psalm of David. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  13. Photograph of Arrival of Mary Carroll Caton at Castle Thunder. Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  14. Photograph of Slaves Rolling Hogsheads of Tobacco Down a Road. Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  15. Elizabeth Janney. Elkridge Archived 2014-06-27 at the Wayback Machine. Arcadia Publishing; 8 July 2013. ISBN 978-0-7385-9927-4. p. 10–11.
  16. 1933 Maryland Painters, Sculptors and Printmakers Exhibition photograph and description. Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  17. Leon L. Winslow. "The Portraits of Leonard Bahr" American Artist. December 1964.
  18. The Leonard Bahr Collection: MSA SC 5632-3-2. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  19. Portrait of Hedy West on the front cover Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine. The Appalachian South magazine, 1965. Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  20. "Emily Spencer Hayden Photograph Collection, PP92". Finding Aid to the Emily Spencer Hayden Photograph Collection, 1861-1984, PP92. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  21. Leonard Bahr Retrospective...Fifty Years of Painting, December 11-January 18. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  22. Bahr, Mary. "Leonard Marion Bahr". Find A Grave. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  23. Winter 2011 Newsletter. Archived 2014-02-03 at the Wayback Machine Academy Art Museum. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  24. Bahr, Leonard (1957). "The Quiet Girl". uarizona.pastperfectonline.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  25. "Images from the Collection". Elkridge Heritage Society. Photographs by Mary Bahr. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  26. Search: Leonard Bahr. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  27. Miss Ruth Baetjer, Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  28. Daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Willem Bosma. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  29. Works by Leonard Marion Bahr (1905-1990). Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  30. Daniel Carroll. Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  31. The Demuth Children, Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  32. Ellen. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  33. Florence, Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  34. Mary. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  35. Mary in Robe. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  36. Nude in Wicker Chair, Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  37. Unknown Man. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  38. Lois Crawford Winslow. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  39. The Seers: Ambrose & Olga Worrall. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  40. Locust Grove. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  41. . Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  42. Rushing Water. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  43. . Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  44. Ballerina Resting. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  45. Big Chair. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  46. Death and Transfiguration. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  47. Girl in Straw Hat. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  48. Good Earth. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  49. Louisiana Belle. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  50. . Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  51. Red Cloth. Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Special Collections. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
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