Will bradley artist biography
Will H. Bradley : His Biography
Born in Boston to Aaron Bradley and Sarah Rowland, William Henry Bradley was mostly self-taught as an artist. He began working in a printer’s shop at the age of twelve in Ishpeming, Michigan, where his mother had moved in 1874 after the death of his father. This work experience would be significant in introducing the young man to the many issues of typesetting, advertisements, and layout that would occupy him in the years to come.
Bradley executed several designs to promote The Chap-Book, a short-lived but important publication based in Chicago. His 1894 design for The Chap-Book, entitled “The Twins,” has been called the first American Art Nouveau poster; this and other posters for the magazine brought him widespread recognition and popularity. In 1895 Bradley founded the Wayside Press in Springfield, Massachusetts, and published a monthly arts periodical, Bradley: His Book.
Bradley was well acquainted with the stylistic innovations of his European counterparts. Like many French artists, he borrowed stylistic elements from Japanese prints, working in flat, broad color planes and cropped forms. He appropriated the whiplash curves of the Art Nouveau movement so dominant in Europe at the turn of the Nineteenth Century, and was influenced by the work of the English illustrator Aubrey Beardsley.
As an art director for William Randolph Hearst’s publications, he got to know and commissioned works from many illustrators such as Edward Penfield and Maxfield Parrish. So much so, Bradley’s illustrative style soon mimicked Parrish’s. Hearst introducing Bradley to yet another art medium — film. Bradley first art-directed serials for William Randolph Hearst’s production company. He eventually formed Dramafilms production company to write, produce, and direct his original material.
He remained an active and vital member of the graphic arts world for the rest of his long life.
Citation: Lindsay, Martin S. Will H. Bradley : Hi 10 July Death of his father, Aaron. In Spring, moved to Ishpeming, Michigan. Began working as a printer’s devil for the Iron Agitator. Accepted an unpaid position with J. Manz & Co., 107 Madison Street, Chicago, an engraving firm. Took a six-week unpaid internship in wood engraving at Rand McNally, Chicago. Then returned home. Returned to Chicago to work for Rand McNally. Worked in stationery stores as a compositor. Joined printing firm of Knight and Leonard. 29 August Left Knight & Leonard and became a freelance designer. Moved to 179 South Carolina Avenue, Chicago. 17 Jul 1889 Maintained a studio in the Caxton Building (Holabird & Roche, 1890), at 500 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, through 1892. June Studio in the newly built Monadnock Building (Burham & Root, 1891), at 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago. When built, it was the tallest free-standing brick building in the world, and the first to use structural alumninum. Exhibited work in the ‘Fourth Annual Black and White Exhibition’ in Chicago. Exhibited work in World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago. Exhibited work in the ‘Fifth Annual Black and White Exhibition’ in Chicago. Began designing for Vogue magazine. 15 May December 15 March April August October William Bradley, born in York, England, creates work that interrogates the creation and depiction of the codes contained in painted art. Graduating with an MA in Fine Art Painting from Wimbledon College of Art, where he sold out his end-of-year show, and a BA in Art and Design from York St John University, Bradley increasingly looks to remove himself from the immediacy of the original authorial mark in his art, achieving this by using digital modifications in his creative process. The result is work that alludes to, distorts and deconstructs the gestural marks and codes from the history of modern abstraction, examining what it means to use paint not intuitively, but rather as a device that enables the combination of source material and reference. Solo exhibitions include The Black Paintings at Berloni Gallery, London (2015) and Tall Tales at Galerie Richard, New York (2013), while group exhibitions include S/2 at Sotheby's, San Francisco (2015), Person, Place or Thing at 68Projects, Berlin (2014), and Summer Mixer at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York (2013). In 2015, he was an artist-in-residence at Hooper Projects, Los Angeles, culminating in an exhibition of his works, and has been selected for the Catlin Prize twice (2011 and 2009), once as a finalist. Bradley lives and works in London and Los Angeles.1868
William Henry Bradley born in Boston, Massachusetts. Son of Aaron Bradley and Sarah Rowland.1880
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1885
1886
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1888
Married Alice Titania Gray (11 Feb 1867 — 3 Dec 1951).1889
Daughter Fern Alice Bradley is born.1890
1891
First Inland Printer designs.1892
1893
Son William Rowland Bradley born.
Moved to Geneva, Illinois, 40 miles west of Chicago in Kane County.1894
When Hearts are Trumps published.
Inland Printer cover designs began. Ad for William Blade’s The Pentateuch of Printing.
‘The Twins,’ poster for The Chap-Book, Stone & Kimball.
In Russet and Silver published by Will (William) H. Bradley Biography
A.K.A. William Henry Bradley. Will Bradley was a cartoonist, illustrator, decorator, and architect. One of the leading American poster artists of the turn of the century, his facility in the graphic arts earned him the nickname "The American B," in reference to the great English graphic artist, Aubrey Beardsley. Born in Boston, Bradley received his first formal artistic education from his father, who worked as a cartoonist for the Daily Item, a local Massachusetts newspaper. In 1880 Bradley began a long career as a journalist, working for the Iron Agitator. He continued his journalistic pursuits until 1887 when he decided to move to Chicago to work for the prestigious painters, Knight and Leonard. By the 1890s he had become an independent designer, working for Harper's and other magazines. He established his own studio and produced theater posters as well as commercial advertisements. By 1895 he was back in Boston where he published "Bradley, His Book: A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Art, Literature, and Printing".
In 1915 he began working for the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, acting as art supervisor to a film series produced by Hearst. By 1920 he was head art supervisor of the Hearst magazines and newspapers. In 1954, Bradley was awarded a gold medal by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Will Bradley's posters compare favorably with the best of the French and English poster designers of his generation. While Aubrey Beardsley set a formidable example, Bradley developed his own style of bold and elegant poster design relying, like Beardsley, on sharp contrasts of black and white for strong visual impact. In addition to his graphic work Bradley designed three houses for his family, revealing an interest in architecture influenced by the school of Glas gow and the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. He died at the age of ninety-four in Short Hills, New Jersey. The Saturday Evenin