Famous for oil and watercolor paintings of skyscrapers, Colin Campbell Cooper (1856–1937) was an impressionist painter born in Philadelphia.
At age 20, he developed an interest in art after seeing an international exhibition. Three years later, he studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He later traveled to Europe, where he was inspired by the beauty of its architecture and developed a passion for painting buildings.
In 1895, he began teaching watercolor painting in Philadelphia. He later moved to New York and painted the city’s streets and skyline.
One of his notable paintings, The Broad Exchange, Broad Street, New York (1902), captures the lively energy of a busy New York City street. In 1912, he was elected a member of the National Academy of Design. At an international exposition in San Francisco in 1915, he received a gold medal for oil painting and a silver medal for watercolor painting.
He later served as dean of painting at the Santa Barbara School of the Arts (also referred to as the Santa Barbara Community School of Arts). In addition to painting and teaching, he was also a playwright who wrote a comedy called Head Acres.
The painting on this issue’s cover, Hudson River Waterfront, New York City (circa 1913–21), depicts the lower Manhattan skyline rising beneath clouds. His paintings often featured city streets, grand buildings and skylines. Through his attention to architectural details, he captured the energy of urban life.
Before his death in 1937, Cooper proposed turning a former post office building in Santa Barbara, California, into an art museum. His vision eventually led to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
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