With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Lester David Boronda
Architecture/Design, Painting/Drawing
1885 – 1952
Boronda made the wrought iron chandeliers that grace the Charles H. Davis Gallery at the Mystic Museum of Art.
- Biography/Description of Work
Lester David Boronda (1885-1952) - Descended from an old California family, Lester Boronda was born in Reno, Nevada, and grew up in Salinas, California, on a family cattle ranch that today is a state historic landmark. Boronda began his art studies at the Mark Hopkins Institute in San Francisco, and then moved to New York to continue at the Art Students League with Frank Vincent DuMond (1865-1961). After time in Munich and Paris he moved to New York in 1913. There he established a studio, Beed, devoted to craftsmanship and specializing in wrought iron and framing. He began to spend his summers in Mystic, and joined the Mystic Art Association. Boronda made the wrought iron chandeliers that grace the Charles H. Davis Gallery at the Mystic Museum of Art as well as many of railings, tables, and benches in the galleries. In the strength of his compositions and the structure of his trees, Boronda’s paintings often hint at his sculpture practice. He uses a palette here reminiscent of his California paintings. (from King, Noelle Warden, “Mystic as Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration, Exhibit catalog” (Mystic: Mystic Art Association, 2013, p. 50.)
- Sources view
- Curbstones Clapboards & Cupolas: Four Self-guided Walking Tours. 1995. Mystic: Mystic River Historical Society. King, Noelle Warden. 2013. Mystic as Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration, Exhibit catalog. Mystic: Mystic Art Association, p. 50.
- Associated Resource(s)
- n/a