Willard Ayer Nash brought a distinctly modern, often avant-garde sensibility to the early Santa Fe art scene, serving as a crucial member of the influential group Los Cinco Pintores. Born in Philadelphia in 1898, Nash had a varied and perhaps surprising early life before dedicating himself to painting. As a youth, he studied art briefly with John P. Wicker at the Detroit School of Fine Arts. However, he also found success early on as a commercial artist in Detroit by age 16, was reportedly the highest-paid boy soprano in the US at one point, acted on the stage, and even pursued amateur boxing.
This diverse background perhaps hints at the restless creative energy that would characterize his artistic career. Around 1920 or 1921, at the age of 22, Nash made the pivotal move to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was drawn, like many young artists of the era, by the region's unique cultural landscape, dramatic scenery, and burgeoning reputation as an artistic haven. Some accounts suggest his initial visit might have been prompted by an invitation from Mabel Dodge Luhan to visit her influential Taos compound, though Santa Fe became his base.
Soon after arriving, Nash connected with four other young painters – Jozef Bakos, Fremont Ellis, Walter Mruk, and Will Shuster. In 1921, they formally established Los Cinco Pintores (The Five Painters). This group sought to forge a new artistic path in Santa Fe, distinct from the more established Taos Society of Artists. They embraced modernist principles and aimed to capture the essence of their Southwestern surroundings with fresh perspectives. Nash quickly emerged as arguably the most stylistically progressive and experimental member of the group.
While his fellow Pintores explored Impressionism and Expressionism, Nash delved more deeply into structural composition and abstraction. He traveled to Taos specifically to work with the prominent modernist painter Andrew Dasburg, who had himself absorbed the lessons of European modernism, particularly the work of Paul Cézanne. Dasburg, who had reportedly watched Cézanne paint, passed along the French master's preoccupation with form, structure, and the use of color to define planes. This influence is clearly visible in Nash's work, which often features block-like constructions, faceted shapes, and a focus on underlying geometric forms, even when depicting recognizable subjects like landscapes or figures.
Nash didn't adhere rigidly to any single modernist dogma like Cubism or Fauvism, but experimented freely, incorporating elements from various movements into his personal style. His work often retained a connection to the New Mexico landscape – the adobes, the mountains, the intense light – but interpreted these elements through a distinctly modernist, sometimes near-abstract lens. He painted landscapes, still lifes, and figures, always prioritizing form, color, and composition over literal representation.
Like the other Pintores, Nash participated actively in the group's endeavors. He exhibited with them in their foundational show at the Museum of Fine Arts in December 1921, which famously greeted visitors with a "great shout of color," and in subsequent traveling exhibitions. He also took part in the adventurous, hands-on project of building his own adobe home alongside his friends on Camino del Monte Sol, contributing to the physical and social fabric of the developing art colony.
Nash gained recognition beyond Santa Fe during the 1920s and 30s. His work was included in important exhibitions, including two Whitney Biennials in New York (1932 and 1935, the latter focused on abstract art), and garnered favorable reviews. By the mid-1930s, however, Nash's path diverged from Santa Fe. In 1933 or 1935 (accounts vary slightly), he moved to California, taking up teaching positions first briefly in San Francisco and then more permanently at the prestigious Art Center School in Los Angeles. Though he reportedly intended to eventually return to Santa Fe, his artistic output seemed to dwindle during his time in California. Sadly, his life was cut short when he contracted tuberculosis and died relatively young in Albuquerque in 1942 (some sources say 1943).
Why His Art Is Significant
Willard Nash's art holds a significant place in the history of Santa Fe and American modernism, primarily because he was a key conduit for bringing more avant-garde European ideas into the Southwestern context during the formative years of the Santa Fe art colony. As arguably the most stylistically progressive member of Los Cinco Pintores, his work pushed boundaries and demonstrated the potential for radical artistic exploration within the region.
His importance lies in his commitment to modernist principles, particularly the structural lessons of Cézanne and the fragmented perspectives of Cubism. While other Santa Fe artists were interpreting the landscape through Impressionist or Expressionist eyes, Nash was actively experimenting with form, deconstructing scenes into geometric planes, and prioritizing composition and color relationships over realistic detail. This makes his work a crucial counterpoint within the spectrum of early Santa Fe art, showcasing the diversity of approaches flourishing there.
Studying Nash's work reveals a fascinating dialogue between international modernist trends and the unique visual stimuli of Northern New Mexico. His paintings often feature Southwestern subjects – adobe villages, local figures, stark landscapes – but rendered with a formal experimentation uncommon among many of his regional contemporaries at the time. He wasn't just painting New Mexico; he was using New Mexico as a subject for modernist investigation.
His willingness to experiment across different styles – dabbling in Cubism, Fauvism, and Expressionism without being dogmatic – embodies the spirit of artistic freedom that Los Cinco Pintores championed. He represented the more intellectually rigorous and formally adventurous side of the group, influenced by his studies with Andrew Dasburg and his engagement with contemporary art theory.
Furthermore, Nash's inclusion in major national exhibitions, like the Whitney Biennials, brought attention not only to his own work but also to the burgeoning modernist scene in Santa Fe. His recognition by figures like Diego Rivera (who reportedly considered him one of the top six painters in the US at one point) underscores his talent and the impact he made during his most active years. Though his career was relatively short, Willard Nash left an indelible mark as a pioneer who injected a vital dose of avant-garde thinking into the artistic landscape of Santa Fe.
5 Things Most People Don't Know
- Multi-Talented Youth: Before focusing on painting, Nash had a remarkably diverse adolescence. He was reportedly the highest-paid boy soprano in the United States, acted on the Detroit stage, worked successfully as a commercial artist by age 16, and even had a brief career as an amateur boxer.
- Had a Patron: Unlike some of his fellow Pintores who constantly struggled financially, Nash reportedly had a patron supporting his work during his Santa Fe years. This financial freedom likely afforded him greater liberty to experiment stylistically without being solely dependent on sales, potentially contributing to his more avant-garde approach.
- Mentored by Dasburg: Nash specifically sought out and worked with the prominent modernist Andrew Dasburg in Taos after arriving in New Mexico. Dasburg had directly absorbed European modernist ideas (even watching Cézanne paint) and transmitted this focus on structure and color theory to Nash, significantly shaping his development.
- Taught at Prestigious LA School: After leaving Santa Fe in the mid-1930s, Nash secured a teaching position at the highly regarded Art Center School in Los Angeles (now ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena), indicating his reputation extended beyond New Mexico and that he was respected as an educator in modernist principles.
- "American Cézanne" Nickname: While perhaps hyperbolic, Nash was sometimes referred to as the "American Cézanne" due to his clear stylistic debt to the French master, particularly his emphasis on geometric structure, faceted brushwork, and the use of color to build form – traits passed down through his work with Dasburg.
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