Minerva Teichert
| Minerva Teichert | |
|---|---|
Teichert in 1908
|
|
| Born |
August 28, 1888 Ogden, Utah Territory |
| Died | May 3, 1976 (aged 87) Provo, Utah |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Art Institute of Chicago, Art Students League of New York |
| Known for | Western Art, Mormon Art |
| Notable work | Christ in a Red Robe, Queen Esther, and Return of Captive Israel |
Minerva Bernetta Kohlhepp Teichert (August 28, 1888 – May 3, 1976) was an American painter notable for her art depicting Western and Mormon subjects, including a collection of murals depicting scenes from the Book of Mormon.
Teichert was born in Ogden, Utah Territory, to Frederick John Kohlhepp and Mary Ella Hickman. She grew up on a ranch in Idaho as the second of ten children. Her mother gave her her first set of watercolors when she was just four years old. As a child, she did not receive a formal education. For entertainment, she acted out plays and helped her father work on the farm. She enjoyed riding her horse, exploring and sketching scenes from nature.
She left Idaho at age 14 to be a nursemaid in San Francisco. It was in San Francisco that she saw an art museum for the first time. She also took some classes at Mark Hopkins Art School. She returned home, and after graduating from Pocatello High School, she taught in Idaho to earn money to travel out east.
Minerva studied at the Art Institute of Chicago under John Vanderpoel. While in Chicago, she became known as "Miss Idaho." She finished her courses in 1912 and returned to Indian Warm Springs, Idaho to earn more money. During this time, she was courted by two young men. She also met her future husband, Herman Teichert. She left Herman and Idaho to pursue art. She then studied at the Art Students League of New York in 1914, where she studied under Robert Henri, George Bridgman, and Dimitri Romanoffski. Henri gave Minerva a scholarship and ranked her among his best three students. Minerva earned money for school by sketching cadavers for medical schools. She also illustrated children's books and performed rope tricks and Indian dances. She was known for a headband that she wore throughout her life, which may have come from these performances.
In 1917, she returned to Idaho. On September 15, 1917, she married Herman Adolph Teichert. After their marriage, he left to fight in World War I. The couple had five children. Minerva spent most of her life on a ranch in Cokeville, Wyoming while painting the things she knew and loved best: scenes from western Americana, and religious artwork expressing her deeply held convictions. During her early years of marriage, she sketched on scraps of wood and paper because there wasn't enough money to buy art supplies.
...
Wikipedia