Career
Due to his pioneering career, Thompson was referred to as the "Dean of Colorado Painters." While he never enjoyed much national renown, his work is still among the most desirable to collectors of Colorado art Born in Buffalo, New York, Thompson had begun his formal art studies with noted illustrator Lucius Hitchcock. After studying for two years at the Art Students League of New York, he enrolled in Paris" Académie Julian in 1902.
Influenced by the tutelage of such renowned figures as Jean-Paul Laurens, he established a European reputation while still in his twenties.
Spending a year in Laren, a famous painting village in the Netherlands, Thompson also met Jozef Israëls and Albert Neuhys. Returning to Paris, he found himself invited to the salon of Gertrude Stein and soon was living in the home of George Sand.
In a picturesque French village, Gargilesse-Dampierre, Thompson was inspired by the natural light and scenery to paint landscapes in the style of Paul Cézanne. Driven back to the United States by World War I, Thompson found himself drawn to depictions of the American West.
A railroad agent recommended Pine, Colorado for its fine quality of mountain light, which was enough to send Thompson packing.
Though some soon departed to form the Santa Fe community known as "Los Cinco Pintores," Thompson"s leadership introduced modernist European styles to a region long-resistant to nontraditional art forms. Frederick Law Olmsted Junior, Jacques Benedict, Burnham Hoyt, and other Denver notables interested in the American Beaux-Arts tradition joined him. Their monthly meetings would often feature nude models, enabling members to practice sketching in a supportive environment while enjoying the pleasures of homemade juniper-berry wine.
Thompson"s genius led to exhibitions in some of the most prestigious art galleries in the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, New York World"s Fair, Philadelphia Sesqui-Centennial Exhibition, San Francisco"s Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington District of Columbia