Artist John Joseph Enneking

Dr. Jules Enneking of Nijmegen, The Netherlands wrote (Issue  Oct 1993): Recently I bought from an advertisement in the newspaper a nice painting painted by an Enneking. I met the painter who lives in Arnhem in the east of Holland, he is from the second marriage of (my great-grandfather) H. J. C. Enneking and there seems to be a whole bunch of professional painters in this line of descendants. As far as I know there is no great painting talent in our line, but there is of course the famous American painter John J. Enneking, who lived about 100 years ago. His paintings of landscapes are highly esteemed (and Paid) now a day in the USA.  I have a book about him and I visited the art boutique in Boston especially interested in him, some years ago. I never found out by the way where his place is in the Enneking family tree. In Damme I could not get much information about this and also Tim Enneking could not place him as I remember.

(ED: Anyone having information on John J. Enneking, articles, histories, and copies of old letters. Please write, and I’ll put it in the newsletter.)

Fr. David Hoying, CPPS of Dayton, Ohio sent the following information (Issue Feb 1994): 

Artist John Joseph Enneking

John Joseph Enneking born August 6, 1838 on his parent’s farm west of Minster, Ohio. Orphaned at age twelve, then apprenticing with a cousin in Cincinnati, he became a tinsmith. His artistic talents were soon recognized and promoted by Cincinnati’s St. Mary’s College of the Athenaeum.

In May 1862 after enlisting in the Union Army at Minster, Ohio, and rising to the rank of corporal, John Joseph was severely wounded and taken prisoner near Princeton, Virginia. Later exchanged and released on parole, he went to Cincinnati to recuperate.

In 1864 John Joseph went to Boston and became a student of Lithography. Because of weakness in his eyes he gave up his artistic career and started a tin ware business. During this period he married Mary Eliot from Corinna, Maine and had two daughters, Florence and Emily, after initial great success his business experienced difficulty in the 1871 Gold Crash.

Returning to art, he studied pastels and oils, saying his greatest teacher was nature. From the sales of his artwork he saved close to $ 13,000 for a trip to Europe. Studying in Munich for six months and then traveling to Venice he painted sunny Adriatic land and seascapes. Later in Paris he did three years of figure painting under Leon Joseph Bonnat. He painted in France with Renoir, Manet, Monet and Pissarro. In fact John Joseph’s family often visited with Charles Monet and his wife and son, Camille and Jean. Here it can be said his real artistic genius was uncovered.

Returning in 1876 the Enneking family settled in Hyde Park, Massachusetts where he built a large studio, Here his third daughter, Grace, was born. As a painter of such colorful landscapes, John Joseph’s appearance was not the same. Sporting a red beard, the artist dressed plainly in black. Again in 1878, he returned to Paris this time to study with Daubigny, who died shortly after his arrival. He then spent six months studying in Holland.

In 1880 he bought a summer home in Maine where he painted White Mountain scenes. During this period his only son John Eliot Enneking was born. His art was entered in various exhibitions where he won many gold medals. Although known primarily as a landscape artist, a portrait of his daughter Florence won a medal of honor.

John Joseph’s love for nature led him to be elected Park Commissioner of Hyde Park. He secured for Boston the Fenway and the Boston Park System. He also procured for a park his favorite painting place, Stoney Brook. In 1967 the Parkway through Stoney Brook was renamed Enneking Byway. His writings make him sound like an early Ecologist. “Get out and preserve nature by taking care of her, or die in a pigpen.” Also he was a promoter of art training in the public schools. He wanted children to be exposed to and trained in the various art media and handicrafts.

After 1890 he entered his period of prominence, lecturing and becoming a member of art juries and advisory committees including those for the Chicago and St. Louis World Fairs. He illustrated for Harpers and other magazines, and he received a commission from the Christian Science Church for a grand mural entitled “Dawn.” In 1915 a testimonial with 500 in attendance was held at Boston’s Copley Plaza Hotel, John Joseph was crowned with a laurel wreath, and he and his wife were given gold rings. In 1916 he painted his last landscape entitled “The Artist’s Last Palette.” He was buried from the Hyde Park Unitarian Church.

(ED: Quotes from the booklet “John Joseph Enneking, American Impressionist Painter” by Pierce, et al, published by Pierce Galleries, Inc., Hingham, Mass., 1972, describing one of his works “The November Twilight.” It is a “New England November of soft skies and brilliant lights, fading off into deep mysterious shadows” with “subtle tones of harmonious color imbued with a sensitive impression of the scene.” From this sales pitch, one sees his works are actively promoted.)