# 6-- WHILE VERY DISTANT, BUT HEY! IT'S STILL A CONNECTION TO SOMEONE WITH ARTISTIC TALENT

January 26, 2023

# 6-- WHILE VERY DISTANT, BUT HEY! IT'S STILL A CONNECTION TO SOMEONE WITH ARTISTIC TALENT

JULIUS ROLSHOVEN

Julius was born and raised in Detroit. The son of a jeweller, he learned design by working in his father’s workshop; his father felt that better drawing skills would improve his engraving skills. Julius left home at age 18 to study art in New York, then Munich, London, Paris, and Venice and finally settled in Florence. In 1905, he was enchanted by a 900 year old Tuscan castle, bought the dilapidated property and converted it into a magnificent estate. The Italian government has since designated his Castello del Diavola (Devil’s Castle) a National Monument.

Hattie Blazo

Julius returned to the US at the start of World War I, married his second wife, Hattie Blazo, and on their honeymoon, they fell in love with the Santa Fe area. “Nowhere else”, he said, “have I seen nature provide everything, even the conception as it does in New Mexico.” He set up a studio in the Governor’s Palace an adobe structure that had once been the seat of government for the Spanish colony of New Mexico, (which also included present-day Texas, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado). Today the building is a history museum, showcasing works by American Indian artists.

In 1917, Julius was elected an associate member of the Taos Society of Artists, an art movement distinguished by depictions of Native American in traditional clothing, area Hispanics and local landscape. Member artists had to work in Taos for three consecutive years and show an interest and aptitude for painting Native Americans; this was to ensure that the artists were well-intentioned and capable of capturing the character and spirit of the people. The Society was formed to help members market their paintings, especially in the East; the Santa Fe Railroad was important to the success of these artists because it purchased paintings used to market railroad travel to the West.

While Julius painted with the Old Master techniques he had learned in Europe, he often painted outdoors or under a white tent to shield his work from the harsh light. He often painted portraits of war chiefs and local pueblo Indians who came to the Governor’s Plaza. His work was known for the skillful use of pastels and the bold brushwork of his oil painting that depicted his subjects in elegant pose. Although not as well known as other founding members of the Taos Society, his artistic ability was known to be equal or better than the others., "

From 1920 until his death, he moved between his three homes in Detroit, Florence and Santa Fe. He died aboard ship in the Atlantic en route home to see his mother for Christmas; in fact he died only two hours before her.I have traveled all over Europe and Northern Africa in search of atmosphere

Rolshoven’s work is now scarce, difficult to find, and rarely for sale. In 1957, his widow, Hattie, donated money and some of his art to the University of New Mexico; other works are in the Smithsonian, Detroit Institute of Art, El Paso Museum.