Alexander John Drysdale (1870-1934)
Born in Marrieta, Georgia, Alexander Drysdale took classes at the Southern Art Union when his family moved to New Orleans in 1883. From 1901 to 1903, he lived in New York City, and studied with Robert Henri, George Inness, and William Merritt Chase. He returned to New Orleans and painted primarily landscapes. In 1916 he developed a watercolor method of diluting oil paint in kerosene which he then applied with cotton balls and brushes. By 1920 he was one of New Orleans’s most sought after artists and a very prolific painter, having produced about 10,000 works. He died in 1934.
Dr. Howard Buechner wrote: “Thus it might be said that the Drysdale mystique consists of a mixture of many factors. Economic necessity mothered his invention of painting methods and materials. A love affair with the haunting and mysterious beauty of Louisiana lowlands compelled his choice of subject matter. A life-long desire to paint and an inherent talent dictated the course of his career. An intense sense of independence led to his rejection of any style which would not be his and his alone. He turned away from his instructors and their conventional methods and he devised a unique form of self-envisioned and self-taught Impressionism which would bring him to sacrifice “everything to atmosphere and color.”
Information courtesy of Neal Auction Company