E. E. Cummings

Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), typically abbreviated E. E. Cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, and playwright. Though a representation not endorsed by him, his publishers often mirrored his atypical syntax by writing his name in lower case, e. e. cummings.

Cummings as a painter

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Image:EECummings pd4.jpg|Self-portrait sketch by Cummings, circa 1920

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Image:TheDialJan1920-Cummingssketch.jpg|Sketch by Cummings, from the January 1920 Dial

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Cummings always considered himself just as much a painter as he was a poet or writer. Especially in his later years, spent at his home in New Hampshire, Cummings would paint during the day and then write at night.

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Beginning with his years at Harvard and continuing on into the 1920s, Cummings identified with the artistic movements of Cubism, Dada, and Surrealism. He particularly admired the work of Pablo Picasso.

Related Topics:
Cubism - Dada - Surrealism - Pablo Picasso

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Cummings first received critical acclaim for his drawings and caricatures published in the literary magazine the Dial during the 1920s. Cummings later gained recognition as a painter, participating in a number of art shows. He also published CIOPW, a collection of works in the mediums charcoal, ink, oil, pastel, and watercolor, in 1931.

Related Topics:
Caricature - Dial - CIOPW - 1931

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List of shows

Cummings' paintings were placed in a number of shows during his lifetime, including:

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• Two paintings in a show of the New York Society of Independent Artists (1919, 1920)
• Show of paintings at the Painters and Sculptors Gallery in New York, New York (1931)
• Show at the Kokoon Arts Club in Cleveland, Ohio (1931)
• Show of oils and watercolors at the American British Art Gallery in New York, New York (1944)
• Show of oils, watercolors, and sketches in Rochester, New York (1945)
• Show of watercolors and oils at the American British Art Gallery in New York, New York (1948)