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Ralph Chessé

American, 1900-1991


Details
Names

Ralph Chessé

Chessé, Ralph

Ralph Chesse

Born

New Orleans January 6, 1900

Occupation or Type

painter

Northwest artist

Oregon artist

Bio

Although Ralph Chessé often painted African American figures, it still came as a surprise when his son discovered, upon Chessé's death, that his birth certificated listed him as "colored." Susequent research revealed that Chessé's great grandmother was a slave. Ironically, Chessé's obscurity as an artist--not commesurate with his talent and output--may have been due in part to people's inability to embrace a (perceived) white artist who painted black subjects. He was known for his work with marionettes, which included producing a popular national children's television series featuring a bee named Brother Buzz. After spending over fifty years in the Bay Area, Chessé moved to Ashland, Oregon, at the age of eighty-four. For the first time, Chessé painted with his left hand (as a "lefty," he had been retrained as a boy to use his right hand)--and, also for the first time, he painted landscapes.

Artist biography reproduced with permission of Katharine Harmon, author of The Pacific Northwest Landscape: A Painted History.

Gender

Male

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