The Comptons of Texas: The Rediscovered Works of Carl Benton and Mildred Norris Compton

The Comptons of Texas Rediscovered Works by Carl Benton & Mildred Norris Compton

Cover Top: Carl Benton Compton, Earth Tales, c. 1940, oil tempera on board, 30 x 36 inches.

Cover Bottom: Mildred Norris Compton, Spring Landscape, c. 1940, oil tempera on board, 30 x 36 inches.

Above: Carl Benton Compton, Woman and Nautilus, 1942, oil tempera on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.

The Comptons of Texas Rediscovered Works by Carl Benton & Mildred Norris Compton

Acknowledgements by Herbert Holl Introduction by William Reaves and Sarah Foltz Essay by Dr. D. Jack Davis

William Reaves Fine Art, LLC Houston, Texas SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 24, 2015 University of North Texas Institute for the Advancement of the Arts Denton, Texas MARCH 4 - 26, 2016 Curated by William Reaves and Sarah Foltz

Acknowledgements Through the generosity of Williams Reaves Fine Art, UNT on the Square and the UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts are pleased to present this splendid exhibition of work by Carl Benton Compton and Mildred Norris Compton who lived, taught, and produced art in Denton, Texas from the 1940s until 1970. In fact, Carl Benton Compton was a faculty member of what is now the University of North Texas.

The kind offer by William Reaves Fine Art to share this work with the North Texas community is especially fortuitous in that it occurs during the 125th anniversary academic year, commemorating the founding of UNT. As we contemplate our past and our future as an institution, it is appropriate that we share this singular opportunity to view pieces, most of them having not been displayed anywhere for decades—a potent reminder that discovery travels both directions, temporally speaking.

As you read Jack Davis’ well-researched essay, it becomes evident that these artists through their careers exemplified the values and qualities that universities strive to instill and nurture among their students: scholarly inquisitiveness, active research, experimentation, versatility, the embracing of diverse cultures and traditions, and a continued quest for excellence.

Please enjoy this exhibition, both as a window into our past as well as a body of work that speaks with relevancy.

Herbert Holl, Director UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts UNT on the Square

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An Exhibition of Consequence We are pleased to present The Comptons of Texas: Rediscovered Works by Carl Benton and Mildred Norris Compton as a part of the gallery’s 10th Anniversary series. This is an important exhibition of Texas art, bringing works of a long-forgotten duo back to gallery walls for the first time in sixty years.

Over the course of our first ten years, we have been privileged to offer solo exhibitions which have effectively served to reintroduce significant early Texas painters as well as to bring important modernists. We have come to view these “re-discovery exhibitions” as our works of greatest consequence. Not only have these helped to re-establish the credence of some of our most important Texas painters who had been theretofore overlooked, they have also contributed meaningfully to the further edification of Texas art history by projecting important missing links into the emergent story of Texas art in the twentieth century. This current exhibition on Carl Benton and Mildred Norris Compton is a case in point. Important and influential in their time, they linger mostly in obscurity today. Yet, in their productive careers which spanned from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, the Comptons emerged as critical segues between Lone Star Regionalism and Texas Modernism. Their fascination with Mexican history and culture enabled them to play equally important roles as cultural ambassadors, integrating groundbreaking modes of Pan-American modernism into their work and into the Texas art scene at midcentury.

This show brings a cache of over fifty rediscovered paintings, tracing the stylistic journey of these Texas artists as they moved from roots in Midwestern Regionalism, to unique forms of “regional surrealism,” and then transcending eventually into color-filled, fanciful realms of Mexican folk paintings. It is a remarkable story, told through the art, and aptly interpreted in the accompanying catalogue with an essay by Dr. D. Jack Davis, Professor Emeritus and Founding Dean of the College of Design and Visual Arts at The University of North Texas. We feel fortunate to have a scholar of Dr. Davis’ stature engaged in this endeavor. Likewise, we are honored to travel this exhibition to Denton, where it will be hosted from March 4th to 26th at the University of North Texas’ downtown gallery, UNT on the Square. To this end, we gratefully acknowledge the leadership and enthusiastic support of Mr. Herbert Holl, Director of UNT on the Square.

However, our foremost accolades and expressions of appreciation must be reserved for Mr. John Stone, the Dallas collector and custodian of these fine Compton works. In truth, none of this would have been possible without Mr. Stone’s savvy intuitions and dedication to collecting the finest of Texas materials. Guided by a superb eye and passion for Texas art, Mr. Stone had the foresight to acquire the remnants of the Compton estate over twenty years ago, at a time when few collectors appreciated the history, style, and aesthetic of these artists. He has exercised a devoted stewardship over these materials, carefully maintaining the works under his care and investing generously in their preservation and professional restoration in the best manner of collecting. We are grateful to John for the opportunity to present this rare and important body of Texas work in our gallery; it has been our genuine privilege to work along with him in the organization of this exhibition.

Thus, it is with great pride that we present this exhibition on The Comptons of Texas. We commend it to you as an exhibition of consequence, reintroducing two strong artists who plied important creative paths through the Lone Star scene during their time. The quality and vibrancy of their works are readily apparent and, in retrospect, it is now possible to gage their output as critical links in the state’s stylistic evolution from Texas scene to Texas modernism. Enjoy!

Sarah Foltz, Director Bill Reaves, President William Reaves Fine Art William Reaves Fine Art 4

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Material for Creative Painting: The Work of Carl Benton & Mildred Norris Compton D. Jack Davis, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus and Founding Dean College of Visual Arts and Design University of North Texas On a previous visit to this region [of the contemporary Tarascan people] I painted some fifty watercolors which were, like many paintings done by the vacationing North American painter in Mexico, dead and meaningless impressions of tourist spots. They did not even begin to satisfy me. I had missed entirely any of the unique quality of the region. On my most recent visit, therefore, I decided to see if there was not something in the indigenous culture upon which I could seize and reinterpret in such a manner as to realize a personal expression which, at the same time, would not be out of key with the peculiar flavor of the locality.1

These words were written by Carl Benton Compton in 1943 and provide insight into what motivated much of his artwork and that of his wife, Mildred, after the early 1940s. Working in the mode of the Midwestern regionalists during the early part of their careers, their art often documented the environment where they lived or traveled.

In 1937, shortly after moving to Texas, an important event occurred which had a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the Comptons and their work, especially that of Carl—they made their first trip to Mexico during the summer of that year for study and research. They would return many times over the next twenty-five years, both living and traveling there. In 1943, Carl received a Master of Fine Arts degree at La Escuela Universiaria de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico2,3 and, in 1959, he received the honorary Doctor of Letras degree from the Universidad Interamericana of Saltillo for his activities in Inter-American relations.4,5 Carl developed a strong interest in Tarascan pottery which led to archeological digs and ultimately to his passionate interest in anthropology.6 Whether these interests led Carl to Mexico for travel and study or whether they developed after he was introduced to the country is unclear. Whichever came first, these interests in Mexico and the Tarascan culture had a tremendous impact on Carl and Mildred for the remainder of their lives. It was also during this time that they came in contact with many Mexican artists and the strong surrealistic movement that thrived in Mexico at the time with the influx of European artists and writers as well as native artists such as Frida Kahlo, Carlos Merida, Diego Rivera, Miguel Covarrubias, and others. “The intensified avant-garde interest in Mexico (was) piqued by the search for ‘primitive’ and ‘authentic’ civilizations….”7 Merida, incidentally, spent time teaching in Texas in the early 1940s and the Comptons definitely interacted with him.8 Not only did their travels in Mexico affect their academic interests, it also influenced their artwork.

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The Tarascan Indians of Mexico, called in their own language Purepeche, still reside in the heart of Mexico in what is known today as the State of Michoacan, parts of Jalisco, and Guanajuato. They were one of the three most important of the ancient peoples in Pre-Columbian Mexico, the other two being the Aztecs and the Mayans. In contrast to the savage nature of the Aztecs and Mayans, the Purepeche culture was one of gentleness, humor, and human understanding. Interested in the culture and particularly in their ceramics, Carl became a well-known expert in Tarascan pottery. The records of the Tarascan people have been lost so we can only guess as to why they created the pottery and works of sculpture that have survived and can be seen in museums and private collections.

Carl wrote “that in quality these works in stone and ceramic compare very favorably with the best works of the Toltec-Aztecs and the Maya”9 and that “many people such as Diego Rivera, who has the best collection of Purépeche sculpture and ceramic figures extant, Miguel Covarrubias, Juan O’Gorman, and your author [Compton] believe the Purépeche works to be, by and large, more esthetically attractive than the work of the two other pre-conquest nations.”10 While one could speculate that by couching his words in this way, he was a friend of the three artists and had actually seen Rivera’s collection, there is nothing to substantiate that this was the case. If the Comptons did not know them personally, they were certainly influenced by them. It is assumed that many of the sculptures and ceramic figurines were spiritual in implication and had some religious or mystical significance. The designs on the ancient work were largely geometric, rarely including figures or animals. The designs were rather severe, consisting in the main of completely abstract forms combined in abstract patterns, very much like those of the Aztecs. The ancient work rarely includes the human figure or those of animals, birds, and plants. The chief difference lies in the fact that the Purepeche used a freer brush that resulted in a somewhat irregular and free quality in the objects they produced.11,12 The Comptons found, however, that human figures, animals, birds, and plants abounded in the modern (1940s) Tarascan work. They also found that they experimented rather extensively with color. The animals depicted by the modern Tarascans are the highest expression of the Tarascan imagination and humor, for they are certainly like nothing ever seen on land or sea. That work, as well as observations of the daily life of the modern Tarascan people, is what the Comptons used as inspiration for their art. Very aware of the Mexican surrealistic movement of the time, the Comptons created their playful works, often with surrealistic qualities, reflecting what they observed in the contemporary Tarascan villages and influenced by their understanding of and involvement with surrealism.

The colorfulness of the contemporary Tarascan works particularly interested Carl who had a long-time interest in color and color theory.13,14 It was such a strong influence on his work that he often noted on the back of paintings the schemes or harmonies of the colors used, i.e., complementary, split-complementary, analogous, triadic, or the like.

The first body of work done in this new style was painted in the summer of 1942. After returning to Texas, Carl organized a group of twenty-five of his watercolors in an exhibition that would be available to travel throughout the country through The Art Exchange Service which he and Mildred organized. Mildred noted in a solicitation letter for the Service that the works are “modern” and somewhat different from the usual things done by the vacationing American painter in Mexico.15

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Carl Benton Compton Carl was born in Esterville, Iowa, in 1905 to Salious/Silas Melvin Compton and Mary Estelle Benton Compton.

By the age of four, the family had moved to Union, Boone County, Indiana. In 1920, when Carl was 14, the family was residing in Kansas City, Missouri; by 1930, they had relocated back to Indiana and were living in South Bend.

Carl received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Notre Dame University in August of 1929 and took a trip to Europe the following fall and spring, a graduation gift from his family.16,17,18,19,20,21, He traveled to Paris via Le Havre during the early fall in third class accommodations aboard the Rochambeau, a French line.22 He followed in the footsteps of many Americans who traveled to Paris in the late 19th and early 20th century for study and adventure as David McCullough details so vividly in The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.23 While traveling and studying there for the year, Carl wrote many letters to his mother recounting the details of his travel and his study. He also wrote lengthy descriptions of his travels that he sent home and were published in a local South Bend, Indiana, newspaper. His extensive European travel during the year took him to a number of places in France as well as to Barcelona, Rome, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

Between his travels, he returned to Paris, which was his home base for the year. While in Paris, Carl studied at the AcadÊmie de la Grande Chaumière, where he was a student of Antoine Bourdelle, and at the Academic Colarossi.

He departed Paris in late February of 1930, arriving in New York from Le Havre on February 28.24,25,26 Upon his return to the U.S., Carl lived in South Bend with his parents and was listed on the 1930 Census as a portrait painter.27 He went to Chicago in 1931 where he became a student at the Art Institute, studying with Boris Anisfeld. While at the Chicago Art Institute, Carl taught experimental recreational education at the Eli Bats Settlement House in 1932. He graduated from the Art Institute with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1935 and returned to South Bend where he did graduate study in education at Notre Dame while teaching at the Paulon Academy of Art and the Midland Academy of Art in South Bend. In 1943, Carl received the Master of Fine Arts degree at La Escuela Universitaria de Bellas Artes, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letras degree in 1959 by the Universidad Interamericana of Saltillo for his activities in Inter-American relations. He also held a Doctorate of Academy from the Accademia di Scienti ed Arti in Rome.28,29,30 Mildred Norris Compton Mildred was born on March 31, 1912, to Pearl and Garnett Everett Norris in Vernon, Illinois. She spent part of her childhood in Centralia, Illinois, but then moved with her parents to Decatur, Illinois, where she attended Decatur High School. Her interest in art was clearly established by the time she began high school as evidenced by her participation and achievements in arts activities. She was an active member of the Junior Art League during all four years at Decatur High, serving as vice president and secretary on two occasions. She won numerous awards for her art as well as her writing during her high school years. After graduating in 1930, 8

she attended the Art Institute of Chicago;31 she also studied at Millikin University in Decatur, although the precise dates of her study there are unknown. Between 1934 and 1936, Mildred was engaged in experimental recreational education with the Chicago Park System and also served as an assistant to Jeneu Deutsch, the ceramics technician at Lewis Institute in Chicago. No doubt, she was continuing her studies at the Art Institute while engaged in both of these activities.32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39 Without a doubt Carl and Mildred met while they were in Chicago as they were both students at the Art Institute and both involved with experimental recreational education. They married in Richmond, Indiana on June 24, 1935, and lived in South Bend for a year while Carl continued his graduate study in education at Notre Dame and his teaching at the Midland Academy of Art.40,41 The Georgetown Years Approximately one year after their marriage, Carl Benton and Mildred Norris Compton moved to Texas and adopted the state as their home. They spent the remainder of their careers and lives in Texas except for the academic year of 1943 - 1944 when Carl was teaching and doing graduate study at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. 42 The Comptons were lured to Texas by administrative and teaching positions at Southwestern University in Georgetown. Carl became the Chair of the Department of Art, and Mildred later taught classes there. Southwestern was launching an era of expansion, establishing or re-establishing a Department of Art. Carl was hired to “head that Department and meet a demand for courses in art.” In announcing his appointment, the University described him as “a painter and sculptor who will offer courses which will tend to foster the creative spirit, develop sound aesthetic judgment, and prepare teachers and supervisors of art.”43 Mildred became very involved in University activities as a faculty wife and taught courses at the University after the birth of their son, Richard, on March 15, 1937.44,45,46,47 Their years in Georgetown (1936 - 1944) proved to be very busy and exciting, providing them opportunities to prove their value as young professionals through their involvements at Southwestern as well as in statewide activities related to the arts. The Comptons became very involved in the art and cultural affairs of the University, the Georgetown community, and the State of Texas.48,49,50 At the university, new art courses were added51,52,53 and a student art club was organized.54 From the very beginning, Carl embraced broad support for all of the arts, promoting the visual arts and supporting music and theater activities on campus. He became involved in several broader arts activities like designing the stage sets for the Mask and Wig’s production of Dona Clarines55 and serving as business manager of the group’s production of You Can’t Take It With You.56 He began a new collection of material on the history of decorative styles from the very earliest times to the present.57 This ultimately led to the establishment of a very popular course in interior design which Mildred taught.58,59,60,61,62 Carl was described in the 1940 college yearbook as “energetic, original, flamboyant,” noting that many other qualities assured that the young artist would have a bright future.63 Within the State, the Comptons immediately became engaged with the leading artists in Austin, Dallas, 9

Houston, and elsewhere. In 1939, Mildred was named a columnist for “Austin Art Views” of the Austin American Statesman.64 They both became involved in the creation of a statewide organization known as the Associated Art Instructors of Texas (AAIT). Carl became the chair of the Committee on Publications for the group and editor of their newly established journal, The Texas Art Teacher. Mildred assumed the responsibilities of co-editor of the journal.65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72 It was through this involvement that they had many opportunities to work with some of the leading artists in Texas and the country at the time, particularly those who held faculty appointments at either public or private colleges in the State, e.g., William Lester, Loren Mozley, Robert Lockard, Octavio Medellin, Toni LaSelle, and Alexandre Hogue.73 Of particular note was their acquaintance with Carlos Merida, the Guatemalanborn Mexican artist who was involved in the Mexican surrealist movement and who taught at North Texas State Teachers College (NTSTC) from 1941 to 1944.74 Carl also engaged in a number of other professional pursuits which further established him as a leading young artist, arts educator, and arts administrator in Texas. He served as Contributing Editor of Today and Tomorrow, Chairman of the Exhibition Committee for the Texas Fine Arts Association (1941 - 1942), and as a member of the General Committee for the State of Texas Scholastic Art Awards (1942).75 He gave several lectures, including one in 1939 at the Open Forum Luncheon of the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs in Austin entitled “Modern Art: Whence & Why”76 and, in 1941, one to the Scholia meeting at the University of Texas at Austin77 and one entitled “The Precursors of Modern Art” to the Austin Art League.78 Carl was also invited to make a presentation at the first session of the Regional Meeting of the College Art Association held in Abilene on April 11 - 12.79 The Georgetown years also saw Carl’s foray into writing for academic publications. In 1941, he published an article, “No Flowing Ties,” in Today and Tomorrow80 and another article, “Art as a Curricular Frill,” in The Texas Art Teacher.81 In 1942, he published “Tarascan Ceramics in Old Mexico” in Design Magazine82,83 and “The Need in American Art” in Southwestern Magazine.84 These were followed in 1943 with another article on Tarascan pottery entitled “Primitive Design Material for Creative Painting” in School Arts Magazine85,86 and a piece entitled “This Too Is Service” in Louisiana Schools.87 He translated “Reflections on Mexican Painting,” an article by M. Rodriguez Lozano of the Anales del Instituto de Investigaciones Esteticas, for The Texas Art Teacher in 1942. 88 Transition to Denton The year in Baton Rouge (1943 - 1944)89 apparently was not a happy and successful one, prompting Carl to look elsewhere for a position. In the fall of 1944, he joined the art faculty of North Texas State Teachers College (NTSTC)90 in Denton, and remained there until he retired in 1969.91,92,93 His interest and involvement in Mexico was, no doubt, of great interest to Dr. Cora Elder Stafford, Director of the Art Department at NTSTC. She had done her undergraduate work in Puerto Rico and taught there for two years before returning to the United States to attend Columbia University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1921. After beginning her teaching career at the North Texas State Normal College, she returned to Columbia to earn a master’s degree in 1925 and a doctoral degree in cultural anthropology in 1941.94 Her doctoral dissertation research focused on Paracus embroideries.95 She was well-connected in Mexico and Central America and a strong promoter of cultural exchange for faculty and students. In 1939, she hired Octavio Medellin to join the NTSTC faculty96 and, in 1941, 10

she hired Carlos Merida.97,98 No doubt, having Carl join the faculty was considered by her to be an achievement.

Upon joining the faculty, he was also named Director of the Interamerican Institute of North Texas State Teachers College and the University of Guanajuato, Mexico, the focus of which was to promote cultural exchanges between the two institutions.99 This appointment ensured Carl’s continuing travel and study in Mexico. He also continued his interest in archeology and, in 1953, was involved in some important discoveries and excavations in Denton County that would redirect his academic interest for the remainder of his career.100 After coming to Denton, Mildred again became very involved in the social and cultural life of the community, participating in a variety of women’s clubs both on and off campus, while continuing to make and exhibit art.101,102,103,104,105,106 Nepotism within state institutions at the time would not allow her to teach at the college, and there is no evidence that she ever taught at the Texas State College for Women (TSCW), also in Denton. She did continue her education by taking courses at NTSC and receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in art in 1950.107 During the 1956 - 1957 academic year, she taught art at the North Texas Laboratory School, a K-12 school that served as a laboratory for teachers in training at NTSC.108 Mildred changed career directions in 1957 when she took a position as a counselor at R. L. Turner High School in Carrollton, a position that she held for nineteen years.109,110 She earned a Master of Education degree in guidance from NTSC in 1959.111 There is no evidence that she continued to make or exhibit art after that time.

Artists/Teachers In addition to their many academic and professional obligations at Southwestern, Louisiana State University, and what is now the University of North Texas, both Carl and Mildred produced art and exhibited their work widely, exemplifying the term “artist/teacher.” Both had exhibited work prior to coming to Texas, but they became very active soon after they arrived in Georgetown and continued until the mid-1950s.

In 1937, both had several exhibitions. Carl exhibited wood sculpture at Mary Hardin Baylor College in Belton along with Alexandre Hogue and Jerry Bywaters.112 He also had a one-person exhibition at Mary Hardin Baylor which included drawings, paintings, sculpture, and tempera paintings.113,114 During the summer of 1937, he and Mildred exhibited in the Third Annual Artists Street Show sponsored by the Midland Academy of Art in South Bend while they were in Indiana on vacation.115 In October of that year, Carl had an exhibition at the Elizabet Ney Museum in Austin, which included paintings chiefly of regionalist-type Midwestern and Texas scenes and wood sculpture carved from native Texas wood.116 Mildred also exhibited in the annual Southeast Texas Artists Exhibition.117 In June of 1938, the Comptons enjoyed a major success when they both had works accepted as a part of the Texas section at the Third Annual Exhibition of American Art. This exhibition was the feature event of the New York City Summer Festival of Music, Art, and Drama and was organized under the auspices of the Municipal Art Committee of New York City. The exhibition was designed to bring the art expression of the nation to the art center of the country. The State of Texas was allowed three pieces of sculpture and seventeen paintings in the exhibition. After the Texas material was returned, additional pieces were added, and it was put on tour throughout the state.118,119 11

Carl also had a woodcarving, JuJu, exhibited at the 44th Annual Exhibition at the Denver Art Museum in 1938 where the director, Donald J. Bear, singled out Compton’s work in his reviews in the Rocky Mountain News.120,121,122 That same year, his work was exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,123,124 the Annual Southeast Texas Artists Exhibition in Houston,125,126,127 and at the Villita Street Galleries in San Antonio in November where he showed three wood sculptures.128,129 Carl and Mildred both exhibited their work in the Art Gallery of the Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs in Austin in December of 1939.130,131 Mildred also exhibited a painting entitled Blue Norther in the Fourth Annual Convention of Women Painters in Topeka, Kansas, an invitational exhibition that included eighty-three women from throughout the United States.132 In 1940, Carl exhibited a print in the Second Annual Exhibition of Lithographs at the Oklahoma WPA Art Center in Oklahoma City.133 He exhibited a lithograph, Stockyards Fire, at the Northwest Printmakers Society at the Seattle (Washington) Museum of Art which was awarded a purchase prize and added to the permanent collection of the Museum.134 He was also included in an exhibition circulated by the Texas Fine Arts Association.135 Mildred exhibited Texas Storm in the 1940 Quarter-Centennial Exhibition in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was among one hundred-fifty works chosen as being representative of the development of modern art in the Southwest.136 Mildred was also included in an exhibition circulated by the Texas Fine Arts Association in 1940.137 The Second Texas-Oklahoma General Exhibition in 1941 included work by both Carl and Mildred. Carl’s entry was a casein, Tree in Pasture, and Mildred’s was a tempera painting entitled Spring Landscape. The exhibition was shown at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, February 2 - 15; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 28 March 9; the Witte Memorial Museum in San Antonio, March 16 - 30; and the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 4 - 30.138,139 Also during 1941, they had a twoperson exhibition at Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcus140 and they both exhibited in the first annual AllTexas Exhibition of the Texas Fine Arts Association which occupied three venues in Austin: Austin Public Library, Elisabet Ney Museum, and the Texas Federation of Women’s Club Gallery.141 One of Carl’s works from this show, Earth Tales, was among thirty selected for the exhibition which would tour

Carl Benton Compton, Tree in Pasture, c. 1941, casein on canvas, 16 x 18 inches.

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Texas. When the exhibition was in Dallas, the Dallas Morning News reported that, “his large canvas, Earth Tales, makes rather obvious use of the John Sloan tricks of techniques but retains a certain individuality nonetheless.”142 That same year, Carl had work shown in six additional exhibitions and Mildred was included in three additional exhibitions.

The Third Texas General Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in October of 1941 included a 30” x 36” tempera, West of Town, by Mildred. This piece was selected by the University of Texas to hang in the academic room in December.143 During 1941, she was also in a group exhibition at the Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin144 and an all-Texas Exhibition at the Witte Museum in San Antonio.145 In 1941, Carl exhibited two works—Mother and Child, a mesquite wood carving, and Young Woman, a walnut wood carving— in the first annual All-Texas Sculpture Exhibit at the Round House Gallery of Art on the North Texas Agricultural College (now The University of Texas at Arlington) campus.146,147,148 He was an invited participant in the 1941 Annual Southern Art Exhibition in Blue Ridge, North Carolina, a show composed of work by recognized American artists and part of the Southern Art Institute program for advancing the arts in the South. Work from the exhibition was used as illustrative material at the 1941 Southern Art Conference during the last week of July and first week of August.149 He had a one-person exhibition at Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) in San Marcus.150,151 In November of 1941, he participated in an exhibition on the Southwestern University campus with Roma Connor, McMurry College (Now McMurray University) in Abilene; R. Lazenby, Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos; Robert Lockard, Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) in Lubbock; and Blanche McVeigh, Fort Worth artist. Compton’s work in that exhibition included seven, minute figure studies. The art critic for the student newspaper noted that, “With a few seemingly splotches of color he has captured not only the semblance of the human figure, but, also, the character of the person trying to hide behind the camouflage of the body. It makes the spectator uncomfortable to feel that one’s figure and mannerisms serve as an index to one’s personality to eyes as shrewd as the painter apparently has.”152 Carl exhibited thirty watercolors done in Mexico during the summer at Southwestern University in September of 1941. The paintings, done chiefly in the vicinity of Patzeurer, Milchoacan, and Mexico D.F., were typical scenes from these regions.153 These were probably the last of Carl’s Mexican paintings that were done in the regionalist style. To cap off a very busy and successful year of exhibitions in 1941, Carl was invited to submit one of his 13

paintings to be reproduced in the contemporary painting section of the American Library of Color Slides. This collection included some seven hundred and fifty of the top-ranking painters in the U.S.154,155 In 1942, Carl exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia156 and he and Mildred had work in the Texas Fine Arts Association’s annual exhibition.157 Mildred’s painting, Buda’s Crossing, was one of twenty-three works chosen for the traveling exhibition circulated by the Texas Fine Arts Association that year.

When the show was at the Abilene Museum of Fine Arts, the Abilene Reporter–News stated that it was one of three paintings with “modernist tendencies.”158,159 Mildred also had an oil painting, Fishin, in the Fourth Texas General Exhibition which was exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Witte Memorial Museum in San Antonio between October and December of 1942.160,161 While the Comptons were in Louisiana during the 1943 - 1944 academic year, Carl had two one-person exhibitions of his prints in 1943—one at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts162,163,164 and one at Hollins College in Virginia.165 Carl also exhibited a Texas ebony woodcarving, JuJu, in the First Annual Exhibition by the Texas Sculptors Group at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts.166 During the year, Carl donated a watercolor painting to the permanent collection of the Art Institute at Texas Technological College, and the Institute purchased a second watercolor painting for their permanent collection.167 Texas Panorama: An Exhibition Assembled by the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts was circulated on national tour by the American Federation of Arts in 1944 - 1945 and included only twenty-seven artists from the State. However, an additional group, which included Mildred, was mentioned in the catalog as among other contemporary Texas painters to have exhibited regularly and with distinction.168 Upon their return to Texas, Carl settled into his new position as Associate Professor of Art at North Texas State College in Denton169 and the two of them picked up their involvement in the Texas art scene. Carl was represented in the Sixth Texas General Exhibition with a ceramic sculpture entitled Mother and Child. The Sixth Texas General was shown at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, October 1 - 23; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 5 - 27; Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio, December 10, 1944 - January 8, 1945; and University of Texas at Austin, January 28 - February 20, 1945.170 He also exhibited a lithograph, Mine Eyes Have Seen, in the Fourth Annual Texas Print Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, November 24, 1944 - January 1, 1945. He received a $5 Anonymous Award for the print.171 Carl had two one-person exhibitions during 1944, one in May at the University of Wyoming172 and one at the Delgado Museum in New Orleans that opened November 5.173 The latter was a collection of thirty-one watercolor paintings174 which were, no doubt, based upon his efforts to capture the contemporary Tarascan culture.

Both Carl and Mildred were busy in 1945 with numerous exhibitions. Both were included in the Seventh Texas General Exhibition which was shown at the Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio, October 7 - 28; Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, November 11 - December 5; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 16, 1945 - January 6, 1946; and the University of Texas at Austin, January 20 - February 10, 1946. Carl exhibited two gouaches, And 14

Long Remember and Invitation to Memory, and Mildred exhibited a gouache entitled Guanajuato, no doubt a work that she did on one of their many trips to Mexico.175 Carl exhibited in the 1st Southwestern Print Exhibition, sponsored by Dallas Print Society, at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, from February 1‒25.176 He also had a oneperson exhibition at Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin, 177 and was represented in the Fifth Annual Texas Print Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, November 25, 1945 - January 6, 1946, with a lithograph entitled San Francisco.178 Ward Lockwood from the University of Texas at Austin was the juror. Mildred had a oneperson exhibition at the Little Gallery in the college library at NTSTC, which was composed of twenty paintings divided almost equally between the factual and the imaginative. The subject for the factual pieces was, for the most part, a quaint and colorful old Mexican silver mining center that was once the third largest city in the Western Hemisphere; it is now an important provincial city of Mexico. For many of the paintings, the ghost city of Marfil, situated on the outskirts of Guanjuanto, Mexico, provided the subject matter; the picturesque ruins of the town were used as material for various paintings.179 The Ninth Texas General Exhibition in 1947 included work by both Carl and Mildred: a gouache by Carl entitled Blue Cow and a watercolor by Mildred entitled Youth. The venues for the exhibition were the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 26 - November 16; Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, November 30, 1947 - January 4, 1948; and the Witte Memorial Museum in San Antonio, January 18 - February 8, 1948.180 That same year, Carl exhibited a sculpture entitled Mother and Child in the Texas Sculptors Group Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts.181,182 He also had a solo exhibition of twelve gouache and watercolor paintings, ten lithographs, and two oils at Scott Hall Galleries in Dallas in May of 1947.183,184 There are no documented exhibitions of Mildred’s work in 1948 and 1949 but Carl exhibited a gouache, The White Haired Beast, in the Tenth Annual Texas General Exhibition with venues at the Witte Museum in San Antonio, October 20 - November 7; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 21 - December 12; and Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, December 26 - January 23, 1949.185,186 He also exhibited a lithograph entitled Evening Star in the First Southwestern Prints Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, February 1 - 29, 1948. The piece received the Dallas Art Education Club Prize and a cash award of $5.00.187 In 1950, Carl exhibited a lithograph, Parangaricutirimicuaro, in the Third Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings at the Dallas Museum

15

of Fine Arts, January 22 - February 12.188 He exhibited at the Creative Arts Club in Abilene in a show that included TSCW and NTSC faculty members in May.189 A work in tempera, The Egg and Eye, was exhibited in the Twelfth Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition with venues at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, October 7 - 29, 1950; Witte Museum in San Antonio, November 12 - December 3, 1950; and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, December 17, 1950 - January 7, 1951.190 A second work in tempera, Animal Forms, was exhibited in the Texas General Exhibition at the State Fair of Texas in October of 1950. The piece was done in a thick tempera which resembled oil and depicted two fantastic birds in shades of blue, green, and a dull red. The compositional structure of the work was somewhat that of a triangle.191 After 1950, the Comptons virtually faded from the Texas art scene, even though Carl taught for almost twenty more years.192 Mildred changed careers in the mid-1950s and spent the last nineteen years of her life as a high school counselor.193,194 Carl became engrossed in his passion for archeology and, in 1956, became the Director of the Instituto Interamericano, an association of professional and amateur archeologists in Mexico.195 He received a Fellowship in the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain in 1957196 and was named leader of the archeological tour and lecture series organized by the Universidad Interamericana of Saltillo, Mexico, in 1958.197 He published in the area of archeology,198,199 lectured regularly in the U.S. and Mexico on various topics in art200,201 and archeology,202 lent work from his collection for exhibitions,203 and organized exhibitions of student work.

Carl and Mildred did show work at the Renaissance Gallery, 625 Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas, in January of 1956. The theme of the exhibition was the emergence of the human figure.204 Another painting by Mildred of the desert area of Northwest Durango, Mexico, West from Torreón, was acquired in 1956 by Southwestern University for their permanent collection.205 There is no evidence of further artistic work by either until 1966 when Carl exhibited work, along with fourteen colleagues from NTSU, at the Woman’s Forum in Wichita Falls.206,207 The exhibition was sponsored by the Wichita Falls Art Association. Also in 1966, he exhibited a carved wood sculpture of mother and children in the annual Faculty Art Exhibition at NTSU.208 Carl retired from the University in 1969.209 Mildred died in 1976 while still working as a counselor210 and Carl died on December 10, 1981.211,212 Posthumously, examples of Carl’s work have been exhibited twice in Denton—at the Greater Denton Arts Council in a 1999 exhibition entitled Hock Shop Collection: Rediscovering Texas Artists of the Past213 and at the University of North Texas (UNT) in a 2011 - 2012 exhibition entitled Laying the Foundation: UNT Art Faculty from 1890 1970.214 A work by Mildred, Fixing a Flat, was exhibited in an early Texas art exhibition at the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine, October 9 - November 29, 1998.215 Summary In rediscovering the adopted Texans, Carl and Mildred Compton, there is strong evidence that they were prominent figures in the Texas art scene from their arrival in 1936 until the early 1950s. While working in the regionalist style when they arrived in Texas, their painting soon took a turn that built on that foundation but reflected their experiences in Mexico, the influence of the Mexican surrealistic movement of the 1940s, and their avid interest in the Tarascan culture in Mexico. The recently discovered body of work by the Comptons expands our understanding 16

of Texas modernism and the influence of Mexican surrealism on midcentury Texas art. None of the midcentury Texas modernist painters were producing work that reflected Mexican culture and Mexican surrealism to the extent that theirs did. Not only did they produce and exhibit work, but also they were involved with professional organizations, wrote for professional journals, and lectured to a variety of groups. Their involvement with Mexico, particularly with the Tarascan people, contributed significantly to the development of cultural understanding between the United States, Texas, and Mexico through a variety of ways, but most importantly through their creative painting.

17

CARL BENTON COMPTON (1905 - 1981)

CARL BENTON No.

Title of Work

Date

Medium

Size (inches)

1933

oil on board

20 x 16

OIL & TEMPERA PAINTINGS 1.

Church with Carriage, South Bend, Indiana

2.

Food Gatherers c. 1934 oil on canvas 24 x 30

3.

Sunday Morning 1935 oil on canvas 30 x 36

4.

Woman with Bible c. 1935 oil on canvas 29 x 23

5.

Still Life with Flowers and Apples

c. 1935

oil on canvas

29 x 22

6.

Still Life with Flowers and Orange

c. 1935

oil on canvas

29 x 23

7.

Still Life with Flowers and Citrus Fruits

c. 1935

oil on canvas

23.25 x 17.5

8.

White Mule

9.

Farm Scene (Three Figures, Two Horses, Rock Pile)

10.

Builders 1940 oil tempera on canvas 30 x 36

11.

Earth Tales

12.

Tree in Pasture c. 1941 casein on canvas 16 x 18

13.

Woman and Nautilus

14.

Nude with Chair - State 1 c. 1945 oil on board 9 x 6

15.

Nude with Chair - State 2 c. 1945 oil on board 9 x 6

16.

Nude with Column - State 1

c. 1945

oil on board

9x6

17.

Nude with Column - State 2

c. 1945

oil on board

9x6

18.

Nude with Skeleton c. 1945 oil on board 12 x 9

19.

Nude with Tower c. 1945 oil on board 9 x 6

1935 oil on canvas 23 x 29 1940 c. 1940 1942

oil tempera on canvas oil tempera on board oil tempera on board

30 x 36 30 x 36 20 x 24

TEMPERA ON PAPER 20.

Flood 1936 tempera on paper 17 x 21.5

21.

Loading Wagon - Moving 1936 tempera on paper 15.75 x 21.75

22.

Family Gathering c. 1938 tempera on paper 29.5 x 35.5

23.

Washing Activities 1939 tempera on paper 24.5 x 30

GOUACHE ON PAPER

19

24.

Blue Cow 1941 gouache on paper 17.5 x 20

25.

By the River

26.

Nude and Child next to Water with Yellow Tiger

1942

gouache on paper

14.75 x 18.75

27.

Couple with Yellow Kangaroo, Nocturne with Church

1943

gouache on paper

14.75 x 18.75

and Skeletons

28.

Lady with Pink Horse 1943 gouache on paper 16 x 20.25

29.

Man and Woman with Water 1943 gouache on paper 16 x 20.25

30.

Two Nudes with Bearded Serpent and Rodent Creature

31.

Virgin de Guadalupe 1943 gouache on paper 16 x 20

32.

Ladies with Snake 1944 gouache on paper 18.5 x 22

1942 gouache on paper 14.75 x 18.75

F E AT U R E D A R T W O R K

1943

gouache on paper

15.5 x 20.5

F E AT U R E D A R T W O R K No.

Title of Work

Date

33.

Tiger 1944 gouache on paper 16 x 20

34.

Wartime Visions 1944 gouache on paper 14.75 x 18.75

35.

Lady Asleep with Creatures c. 1944 gouache on paper 15 x 20

36.

Rider on Horse with Woman and Child

37.

Blue Monsters with Snake 1946 gouache on paper 17.5 x 20.75

38.

Ladies with Snake and White Flowers before Church

39.

Dos Caballos 1951 gouache on paper 15.75 x 20.75

40.

Rooster 1951 gouache on paper 16 x 20.75

41.

White Lady with Dog 1951 gouache on paper 15.75 x 20.75

c. 1944 1946

Medium

gouache on paper gouache on paper

Size (inches)

15.75 x 20.75 18 x 19.75

DRAWINGS 42.

And the Baker went Rolling Along

c. 1945

mixed media on paper

11 x 9.5

43.

I Never Knew

c. 1945

mixed media on paper

11 x 9

44.

Over Hill - Over Dale

c. 1945

mixed media on paper

11.5 x 9

45.

The Distant Drums Sound Louder

c. 1945

mixed media on paper

11 x 8

SCULPTURES AND CERAMICS 46.

Hereford c. 1945 ceramic 15 x 7 x 7

47.

Javelina c. 1945 ceramic 10 x 8 x 5

48.

Leopard with Cub c. 1945 ceramic 7 x 13 x 7

49.

Mother and Child c. 1945 wood carving 10 x 20 x 10

50.

Nude Woman c. 1945 wood carving 26 x 10 x 5

51.

Jalisquezo Platter 1947 painted ceramic 15 D

52.

Standing Nude c. 1945 wood carving 14 x 2 x 2

53.

Three Graces c. 1945 wood carving 27 x 20 x 1.5

COMPTON

20

CARL BENTON 1. Church with Carriage, South Bend, Indiana, 1933, oil on board, 20 x 16 inches.

2. Food Gatherers, c. 1934, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches.

21

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

3. Sunday Morning, 1935, oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.

Exhibition History 1935: Thirty-Ninth Annual Exhibition by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, Art Institute of Chicago.

COMPTON

22

CARL BENTON 4. Woman with Bible, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 29 x 23 inches.

5. Still Life with Flowers and Apples, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 29 x 22 inches.

23

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

6. Still Life with Flowers and Orange, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 29 x 23 inches.

7. Still Life with Flowers and Citrus Fruits, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 23.25 x 17.5 inches.

COMPTON

24

CARL BENTON

8. White Mule, 1935, oil on canvas, 23 x 29 inches.

25

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

9. Farm Scene (Three Figures, Two Horses, Rock Pile), 1940, oil tempera on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.

Exhibition History Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio.

COMPTON

26

CARL BENTON

10. Builders, 1940, oil tempera on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.

27

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

11. Earth Tales, c. 1940, oil tempera on board, 30 x 36 inches.

Exhibition History 1941: First Annual All-Texas Exhibition, Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin; selected for exhibition tour and, when shown in Dallas, was cited in Dallas Morning News.

COMPTON

28

CARL BENTON

12. Tree in Pasture, c. 1941, casein on canvas, 16 x 18 inches.

29

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

13. Woman and Nautilus, 1942, oil tempera on board, 20 x 24 inches.

Exhibition History 2005: Celebrating Early Texas Art: Treasures from Dallas - Fort Worth Private Collections 1900-1960, Fort Worth Community Art Center; image, p. 33.

COMPTON

30

CARL BENTON 14. Nude with Chair - State 1, c. 1945, oil on board, 9 x 6 inches.

15. Nude with Chair - State 2, c. 1945, oil on board, 9 x 6 inches.

31

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

16. Nude with Column - State 1, c. 1945, oil on board, 9 x 6 inches.

17. Nude with Column - State 2, c. 1945, oil on board, 9 x 6 inches.

COMPTON

32

CARL BENTON 18. Nude with Skeleton, c. 1945, oil on board, 12 x 9 inches.

19. Nude with Tower, c. 1945, oil on board, 9 x 6 inches.

33

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

T E M P E R A O N PA P E R

20. Flood, 1936, tempera on paper, 17 x 21.5 inches.

Exhibition History 1937: Annual Spring Exhibition, Midland Academy of Art, South Bend, IN. 1938: Second Annual Exhibition by Artists of Southeast Texas, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

COMPTON

34

CARL BENTON

21. Loading Wagon - Moving, 1936, tempera on paper, 15.75 x 21.75 inches.

35

T E M P E R A O N PA P E R

T E M P E R A O N PA P E R

22. Family Gathering, c. 1938, tempera on paper, 29.5 x 35.5 inches.

Exhibition History 1938 - 39: Amarillo Tri-State Exhibition

COMPTON

36

CARL BENTON

23. Washing Activities, 1939, tempera on paper, 24.5 x 30 inches.

37

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

24. Blue Cow, 1941, gouache on paper, 17.5 x 20 inches.

Exhibition History 1947: Ninth Texas General Exhibition, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio.

COMPTON

38

CARL BENTON 25. By the River, 1942, gouache on paper, 14.75 x 18.75 inches.

Literature: Illustrated in his article “Primitive Design Material for Creative Painting,� School Arts, June 1943.

26. Nude and Child next to Water with Yellow Tiger, 1942, gouache on paper, 14.75 x 18.75 inches.

39

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

27. Couple with Yellow Kangaroo, Nocturne with Church and Skeletons, 1943, gouache on paper, 14.75 x 18.75 inches.

28. Lady with Pink Horse, 1943, gouache on paper, 16 x 20.25 inches.

COMPTON

40

CARL BENTON 29. Man and Woman with Water, 1943, gouache on paper, 16 x 20.25 inches.

30. Two Nudes with Bearded Serpent and Rodent Creature, 1943, gouache on paper, 15.5 x 20.5 inches.

41

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

31. Virgin de Guadalupe, 1943, gouache on paper, 16 x 20 inches.

32. Ladies with Snake, 1944, gouache on paper, 18.5 x 22 inches.

COMPTON

42

CARL BENTON

33. Tiger, 1944, gouache on paper, 16 x 20 inches.

43

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

34. Wartime Visions, 1944, gouache on paper, 14.75 x 18.75 inches.

COMPTON

44

CARL BENTON

35. Lady Asleep with Creatures, c. 1944, gouache on paper, 15 x 20 inches.

45

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

36. Rider on Horse with Woman and Child, c. 1944, gouache on paper, 15.75 x 20.75 inches.

COMPTON

46

CARL BENTON

37. Blue Monsters with Snake, 1946, gouache on paper, 17.5 x 20.75 inches.

47

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

38. Ladies with Snake and White Flowers before Church, 1946, gouache on paper, 18 x 19.75 inches.

COMPTON

48

CARL BENTON

39. Dos Caballos, 1951, gouache on paper, 15.75 x 20.75 inches.

49

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

40. Rooster, 1951, gouache on paper, 16 x 20.75 inches.

COMPTON

50

CARL BENTON

41. White Lady with Dog, 1951, gouache on paper, 15.75 x 20.75 inches.

51

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

D R AW I N G S

42. And the Baker went Rolling Along, c. 1945, mixed media on paper, 11 x 9.5 inches.

43. I Never Knew, c. 1945, mixed media on paper, 11 x 9 inches.

COMPTON

52

CARL BENTON 44. Over Hill - Over Dale, c. 1945, mixed media on paper, 11.5 x 9 inches.

45. The Distant Drums Sound Louder, c. 1945, mixed media on paper, 11 x 8 inches.

53

D R AW I N G S

SCULPTURES & CERAMICS

46. Hereford, c. 1945, ceramic, 15 x 7 x 7 inches.

47. Javelina, c. 1945, ceramic, 10 x 8 x 5 inches.

COMPTON

54

CARL BENTON

48. Leopard with Cub, c. 1945, ceramic, 7 x 13 x 7 inches.

49. Mother and Child, c. 1945, wood carving, 10 x 20 x 10 inches.

55

SCULPTURES & CERAMICS

SCULPTURES & CERAMICS

50. Nude Woman, c. 1945, wood carving, 26 x 10 x 5 inches.

51. Jalisquezo Platter, 1947, painted ceramic, 15 inches (diameter).

COMPTON

56

CARL BENTON 52. Standing Nude, c. 1945, wood carving, 14 x 2 x 2 inches.

53. Three Graces, c. 1945, wood carving, 27 x 20 x 1.5 inches.

57

SCULPTURES & CERAMICS

MILDRED NORRIS COMPTON (1912 - 1976)

MILDRED NORRIS No.

Title of Work

Date

Medium

Size (inches)

OIL & TEMPERA PAINTINGS 54.

Self-Portrait 1932 oil on canvas 24 x 18

55.

Parsley c. 1935 oil on canvas 24 x 20

56.

Snow Scene with Mother and Children

57.

Snow Scene with Sled c. 1935 oil on canvas 20 x 24

58.

Snowy Day

c. 1935

oil on canvas

16 x 20

59.

Spring Landscape

c. 1940

oil tempera on board

30 x 36

60.

West of Town

c. 1940

oil tempera on canvas

30.25 x 36.25

61.

Guanajuato

1946

oil tempera on canvas

20 x 24

c. 1935

oil on canvas

24 x 30

TEMPERA ON PAPER 62.

Untitled (Possibly Youth) c. 1938 tempera on paper 18 x 22

63.

Texas Storm

c. 1940

tempera on paper

21.75 x 28

GOUACHE ON PAPER

59

64.

Mexican Landscape with Trees and Earth Forms

1941

gouache on paper

12.5 x 16.5

65.

Campesinas Washing Clothing

c. 1945

gouache on paper

13 x 16

66.

Fanciful Scene with Family and Animals

c. 1945

gouache on paper

22 x17.5

67.

Fanciful Waterfall Scene with People

c. 1945

gouache on paper

22 x 17.25

and Animals

68.

Landscape with Rockwalls, Cactus and House

c. 1945

gouache on paper

12.5 x 16.5

69.

Mexican Countryside with Rockwall and Cottage

c. 1945

gouache on paper

18 x 22

70.

Mexican Street Scene c. 1945 gouache on paper 13 x 16

71.

Women at the Well c. 1945 gouache on paper 13 x 16

72.

Landscape with Ruins of Marfil, Mexico

73.

Ruins of Marfil, Mexico

74.

Carnival Celebration 1948 gouache on paper 16.5 x 22

1946

gouache on paper

13 x 16.5

1946 gouache on paper 12 x 16

F E AT U R E D A R T W O R K

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

54. Self-Portrait, 1932, oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches.

55. Parsley, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches.

COMPTON

60

MILDRED NORRIS

56. Snow Scene with Mother and Children, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches.

61

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

57. Snow Scene with Sled, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.

58. Snowy Day, c. 1935, oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches.

COMPTON

62

MILDRED NORRIS

59. Spring Landscape, c. 1940, oil tempera on board, 30 x 36 inches.

Exhibition History 1941: Second Texas-Oklahoma General Exhibition, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio; and Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa.

63

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

60. West of Town, c. 1940, oil tempera on canvas, 30.25 x 36.25 inches.

Exhibition History 1941: Third Texas General Exhibition, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio; selected for display at University of Texas, Austin.

COMPTON

64

MILDRED NORRIS 61. Guanajuato, 1946, oil tempera on canvas, 20 x 24 inches.

62. Untitled (Possibly Youth), c. 1938, tempera on paper, 18 x 22 inches.

65

O I L & T E M P E R A PA I N T I N G S

T E M P E R A O N PA P E R

63. Texas Storm, c. 1940, tempera on paper, 21.75 x 28 inches.

Exhibition History 1940: Quarter-Centennial Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM.

COMPTON

66

MILDRED NORRIS 64. Mexican Landscape with Trees and Earth Forms, 1941, gouache on paper, 12.5 x 16.5 inches.

65. Campesinas Washing Clothing, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 13 x 16 inches.

67

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

66. Fanciful Scene with Family and Animals, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 22 x 17.5 inches.

67. Fanciful Waterfall Scene with People and Animals, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 22 x 17.25 inches.

COMPTON

68

MILDRED NORRIS

68. Landscape with Rockwalls, Cactus and House, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 12.5 x 16.5 inches.

69. Mexican Countryside with Rockwall and Cottage, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 18 x 22 inches.

69

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

70. Mexican Street Scene, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 13 x 16 inches.

71. Women at the Well, c. 1945, gouache on paper, 13 x 16 inches.

COMPTON

70

MILDRED NORRIS

72. Landscape with Ruins of Marfil, Mexico, 1946, gouache on paper, 13 x 16.5 inches.

73. Ruins of Marfil, Mexico, 1946, gouache on paper, 12 x 16 inches.

71

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

G O U A C H E O N PA P E R

74. Carnival Celebration, 1948, gouache on paper, 16.5 x 22 inches.

COMPTON

72

Material for Creative Painting: The Work of Carl Benton & Mildred Norris Compton D. Jack Davis, PhD Reference Notes

1. Compton, Carl Benton (1943). “Primitive Design Material for Creative Painting,” School Arts Magazine, Vol. 42, June 1943, pp. 334‒335.

2. Powers, John and Deborah (2000). Texas Painters, Sculptors & Graphic Artists: A Biographical Dictionary of Artists in Texas Before 1942, Austin, TX: Woodmont Books, p. 102.

3. Resume through September 1, 1944, Personal Archives; Archives, Reference Library, Dallas Museum of Art; Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern Methodist University.

4. Powers, p. 102.

5. Denton Record Chronicle, August 20, 1961, p. 8.

6. Shell, Frances. The Megaphone (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 37, No. 13, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 9, 1943. Georgetown, Texas. The Portal to Texas History. http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth620844/ Accessed August 14, 2015.

7. Nichelson, Melanie (2013) Surrealism in Latin American Literature: Searching for Breton’s Ghost. London: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 123.

8. Dallas Morning News, February 2, 1941.

9. Compton, Carl Benton (1943). “Tarascan Ceramics in Old Mexico,” Design, Vol. 44, No. 7, March 1943, p. 4.

10. Compton, Carl Benton (1943). “Tarascan Ceramics in Old Mexico,” Design, Vol. 44, No. 7, March 1943, p. 4.

11. Compton, Carl Benton (1943). “Primitive Design Material for Creative Painting,” School Arts Magazine, Vol. 42, June 1943, pp. 334‒335.

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15. Letter about The Art Exchange Service prepared by Mildred Compton from the personal archives of Carl Benton Compton.

16. Year: 1910; Census Place: Union, Boone, Indiana; Roll: T624_341; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0022; FHL microfilm: 1374354.

17. Year: 1920; Census Place: Kansas City Ward 12, Jackson, Missouri; Roll: T625_924; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 192; Image: 377.

18. Year: 1930; Census Place: South Bend, St Joseph, Indiana; Roll: 627; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0051; Image: 565.0; FHL microfilm: 2340362.

19. http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4576260/person/24114146169, Retrieved March 21, 2015.

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22. Personal archives, including a brochure for the Rochambeau and personal correspondence between Carl Benton Compton and his mother, Mrs. S. M. Compton.

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24. Personal archives including numerous letters to his mother, Mrs. S. M. Compton and extensive descriptions written about his travels.

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28. Resume through September 1, 1944, Personal Archives; Archives, Reference Library, Dallas Museum of Art; Bywaters Special Collections, Hamon Arts Library, Southern Methodist University.

29. Powers, p. 102.

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34. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=allgs&gss=sfs28_ms_f-2_s&new=1&rank=1&msT=1&gsfn=Mildred&gsfn_ x=1&gsln=Norris&gsln_x=1&mswpn__ftp=Vernon%2C%20Marion%2C%20Illinois%2C%20USA&mswpn=38090&mswpn_PInfo=8-%7C0 %7C1652393%7C0%7C2%7C3247%7C16%7C0%7C1892%7C38090%7C0%7C&MSAV=1&msbdy=1912&msbpn__ftp=Vernon%2C%20 Marion%2C%20Illinois%2C%20USA&msbpn=38090&msbpn_PInfo=8-%7C0%7C1652393%7C0%7C2%7C3247%7C16%7C0%7C1892%7C3 8090%7C0%7C&msddy=1976&msdpn__ftp=Denton%2C%20Denton%2C%20Texas%2C%20USA&msdpn=76830&msdpn_PInfo=8-%7C0% 7C1652393%7C0%7C2%7C3249%7C46%7C0%7C867%7C76830%7C0%7C&cp=0&catbucket=rstp&uidh=6i3, Retrieved August 2, 2015.

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41. “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark/61903/1.1.VW5Z-LZB, accessed 5 July 2015), Carl Benton Compton and Mildred Norris, 24 Jun 1935; citing Fulton, Indiana, county clerk offices. Indiana, FHL microfilm 1,871,215.

42. Powers, p. 102.

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173. Personal Correspondence, Armin Scheler, October 6, 1944.

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177. Personal Correspondence, December 8, 1943, Wallace S. Baldinger, Lawrence College.

178. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Fifth Annual Texas Print Exhibition, Pamphlet, 1945; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/ metapth183322/ : accessed August 26, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.

179. Stanley, Bob, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, December 14, 1945, Newspaper, December 14, 1945; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313427/ : accessed August 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

180. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The Ninth Texas General Exhibition, 1947-1948, Pamphlet, 1947; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/ metapth183331/ : accessed July 09, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.

181. Dallas Morning News, May 11, 1947.

182. Denton Record Chronicle, May 11, 1947, p. 10.

183. Dallas Morning News, June 5, 1947.

184. Denton Record Chronicle, May 11, 1947, p. 10.

185. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The Tenth Texas General Exhibition, Pamphlet, 1948; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/ metapth183337/ : accessed March 18, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.

186. Denton, Record Chronicle, November 10, 1948, p. 8.

187. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. First Southwestern Print Exhibition, Pamphlet, 1948; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth183338/ : accessed August 26, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.

188. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. 3rd Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Pamphlet, 1950; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/ metapth183347/ : accessed March 18, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.

189. Denton Record Chronicle, May 16, 1950.

190. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The Twelfth Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1950-1951, Pamphlet, 1950; (http:// texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth183352/ : accessed March 18, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.

191. Denton Record Chronicle, October 13, 1950, p. 2.

192. North Texas State College and North Texas State University catalogs.

193. Denton Record Chronicle, January 23, 1976, p. 2.

194. Powers, pp. 102‒103.

195. Gambrell, Adell, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 65, Ed. 1 Friday, August 3, 1956, Newspaper, August 3, 1956; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth306826/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

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196. North Texas State College. The Yucca, Yearbook of North Texas State College, 1958, Don Patterson, editor, Yearbook, 1958; (http:// texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61029/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections, Denton, Texas.

197. Galveston Daily News, July 10, 1958, p. 10.

198. “Radiocarbon Dating: Myth and Folklore,” Ohio Archaeologist, October 1957 (Denton Record Chronicle, October 31, 1957, p. 5).

199. “The Long-Nosed God Motif,” monograph, Tennessee Archaeological Society, October 1957 (Denton Record Chronicle, October 31, 1957, p. 5).

200. “The Art of the Tarascan Indians of Mexico” (Denton Record Chronicle, February 16, 1968, p. 6).

201. “International Color Prints” (Sloan, Bill, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 42, Ed. 1 Friday, March 29, 1957, Newspaper, March 29, 1957; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth306945/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas).

202. Gambrell, Adell, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 65, Ed. 1 Friday, August 3, 1956, Newspaper, August 3, 1956; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth306826/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

203. Perkins, Bill, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, December 4, 1964, Newspaper, December 4, 1964; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313723/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

204. Austin Daily Texan, January 17, 1956, p. 11; Dallas Morning News, January 1, 1956, p. 3.

205. Jacobs, Willie, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 46, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 11, 1956, Newspaper, April 11, 1956; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth306797/ : accessed July 02, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

206. Hines, Cragg, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 18, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 16, 1966, Newspaper, November 16, 1966; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth307316/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

207. Wichita Falls Times, November 6, 1966, p. 58.

208. Penna, Angela, editor. The Campus Chat (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 49, No. 37, Ed. 1 Wednesday, March 2, 1966, Newspaper, March 2, 1966; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth307269/ : accessed July 01, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.

209. North Texas State University Catalog.

210. Denton Record Chronicle, January 23, 1976, p. 2.

211. Powers, p. 102.

212. http://search.ancestry.com//cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=txdeathcerts&h=1350734&new=1 Retrieved August 30, 2015.

213. The Hock Shop Collection: Rediscovering Texas Artists From the Past, (Exhibition) September 25–October 29, 1999, Greater Denton Arts Council, Meadows Gallery, Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, Texas.

214. Laying the Foundation: UNT Art Faculty, 1890-1970, (Exhibition) December 2, 2011–February 8, 2012, UNT on the Square, Denton, Texas.

215. The Big Bend Sentinel, October 8, 1998, p. 7.

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UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts

The University of North Texas Institute for the Advancement of the Arts (IAA) was launched, along with UNT on the Square, on October 21, 2009. On the occasion of its opening, it was noted that the Institute’s goal is to “further the university’s reputation for nurturing artistic and creative expression” by recognizing artistic contributions and sharing them with the public and enhancing the learning environment for UNT students.

These aspirations are encompassed in the Institute’s mission which is to showcase, support, and advance excellence in the visual, performing and creative literary arts at the University of North Texas, among its faculty members and in conjunction with their renowned colleagues and collaborators.

The three central components of the Institute are UNT on the Square, the IAA Faculty Fellows program and the IAA Artist-in-Residence program.

UNT on the Square

Located on Denton’s historic downtown square at 109 N. Elm, UNT on the Square (UNTSQ) is an arts and outreach venue serving both the university community and the public. Now in its seventh year, UNTSQ is part of the eclectic blend of arts, educational and entertainment opportunities that affords downtown Denton its special character and growing national prominence as a city where town and gown collaborate and engage freely. UNTSQ serves as a conduit for UNT to share the talents and production of our creative faculty, students and alumni with a broader audience and to inform the community, as well as visitors and prospective students about the opportunities and achievements that reside on our campus. UNT on the Square is also a public portal to UNT. Annually, thousands of visitors from Denton and the region view exhibitions, hear concerts, enjoy receptions, or attend lectures, seminars and panel discussions on topics covering the arts, literature, sustainability, social and political issues, and more.

Join us on Facebook or add your name to our mailing list at untonthesquare.unt.edu

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HOUSTON'S TEXAS-CENTERED GALLERY William Reaves Fine Art, established in 2006 in Houston, Texas, is dedicated to the promotion of premier Texas artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing particularly on historically significant artists active in the state during the period of 1900‒1975.

The gallery showcases many of the state’s most accomplished and recognized talents, all of whom have significant connections to Texas and have evidenced the highest standards of quality in their work, training, and professionalism. In addition to its general focus on Early Texas Art, the gallery places special emphasis on the rediscovery and presentation of midcentury works

by Houston and South Texas artists. William Reaves Fine Art is the foremost provider of Texas Modern Art, which includes midcentury masters and pioneering expressionists working in the state. The gallery also represents a dynamic group of contemporary artists, known as the Contemporary Texas Regionalists, actively showing their works in annual gallery exhibitions as well as traveling exhibitions throughout the state.

William Reaves Fine Art is a comprehensive gallery offering fine art appraisals, consultation, collections management, brokerage, and sales services. The gallery exhibits artists working in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography. In order to promote interest and broaden knowledge of earlier Texas art, William Reaves Fine Art supports related gallery talks, community events, scholarly research, and publications.

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Above: Mildred Norris Compton, Texas Storm, c. 1940, tempera on paper, 21.75 x 28 inches.

Back Cover: Carl Benton Compton, Farm Scene (Three Figures, Two Horses, Rock Pile), 1940, oil tempera on canvas, 30 x 36 inches.

William Reaves Fine Art

2143 Westheimer Rd. | Houston, TX 77098 www.reavesart.com

UNT on the Square

109 N. Elm St. | Denton, TX 76201 www.untonthesquare.unt.edu