“George Gardener Symons changed his birth name, Simon, because he was worried about anti-Semitism. Symons traveled through Paris Munich and London before settling in Brooklyn. He was a plein-air painter who combines elements of Realism with Impressionism. Symons was best known for his winter landscapes of the Berkshire Hills and Gloucester, MA. He also painted annually in Cornwall England. Later Symons established a studio in California” (1).
“George Gardner Symons was one of the earliest American artists to visit California, coming here in 1894 accompanied by his friend, artist William Wendt. The two met when both were living and working in Chicago, Symons as a commercial artist. A Chicago native, Symons had studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and in London, Paris, and Munich” (2).
“He worked in Chicago as a commercial artist, and about 1903 returned to California with Wendt and built a studio in Laguna Beach and became active in western art societies including the California Art Club. He returned often, but maintained his primary studio in Brooklyn, New York, and also did a lot of painting in Colerain, Massachusetts” (3).
“In 1909, he won the Carnegie Prize at the National Academy of Design. He also received a commission from the Santa Fe Railroad in 1914 to paint scenes of the Grand Canyon to be used in their advertising” (2).
“He painted entirely out-of-doors, frequently working in Arizona, doing desert landscape and the Grand Canyon views, which "were well received", (Dawdy 424), but he is best known for his New England snow scenes, especially of the Berkshire Mountains. He died in Hillside, New Jersey in 1930” (3).
Reference:
1.
The Caldwell Gallery Staff. George Gardner Symons [internet]. 2015 [cited 2015 August 7]. Available from: http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/artists/bio.cfm?id=176138
2.
Laguna Art Museum Staff. George Gardner Symons: 1862-1948 [internet]. 2015 [cited 2015 August 7]. Available from: http://lagunaartmuseum.org/george-gardner-symons/
3.
Askart Staff. George Gardner (Simon) Symons [internet]. [cited 2015 August 7]. Available from: http://www.askart.com/artist_bio/George_Gardner_Simon_Symons/4831/George_Gardner_Simon_Symons.aspx#