Henry George Keller

April 3, 1869-August 3, 1949 Henry George Keller was an Cleveland painter, lithographer, and educator best known for his watercolor paintings.

Contents: Early Life and Education | Teaching | Featured Works | The Cleveland School | References

Early Life and Education

Henry George Keller was born at sea off Nova Scotia to German-born parents on their way to Cleveland, where he spent his life. He spent three years studying at the Cleveland School of Art, followed by two years’ study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhem, Germany under Hermann Baisch. In Germany, Keller studied under the animal painter, Zugel, and won a Silver Medal from the Royal Academy of Bavaria. Keller also attended the Cincinnati Fine Arts Academy and the Art Students League in New York City, working as a lithographer to finance his education.

Teaching

After returning to the United States, Keller worked for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh before returning to Cleveland to teach at the Cleveland School of Art (later the Cleveland Institute of Art) until 1945, influencing a generation of watercolor painters. In the summer he offered art colony-style workshops in Berlin Heights, Ohio, teaching young painters such as Charles Burchfield, James Kulhanek, Paul Travis, August Biehle, and Frank Wilcox.

Featured Works

While the Virtual Discovery Digital Gallery does not currently contain any of Keller’s watercolors, one line etching print is included, as well as a number of his gesture drawings, a quick form of sketching used to rapidly capture the movement and pose of the subject.

These quick sketches have an endearing, almost cartoonish quality. Each figure, rendered in just a few strokes and some shading, feels wholly unique, inviting the viewer to imagine their personality, quirks, and backstory.

The Cleveland School

During his time teaching at the Cleveland School of Art and the Berlin Heights workshops, Keller had a significant impact on the students and local artists. Some of these artists associated with the Cleveland School and featured in the Virtual Discovery Digital Library include Paul Travis, Frank Wilcox, and William Sommer.

References

• Burchfield Penney Art Center. (n.d.). Henry George Keller. Burchfield Penney Art Center. https://burchfieldpenney.org/art-and-artists/people/profile:henry-george-keller/#henry-george-keller
• Case Western Reserve University. (2018, May 11). Keller, Henry George [Encyclopedia]. Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. https://case.edu/ech/articles/k/keller-henry-george
• Cleveland Institute of Art. (2025). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cleveland_Institute_of_Art&oldid=1277015375
• Dixie Art Colony Foundation. (n.d.). Henry George Keller. 1869-1949 Archives. Dixie Art Colony Foundation. http://dixieartcolony.org/artwork-artists/henry-george-keller-1869-1949/
• Henry Keller. (2024). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Keller&oldid=1197271880