Louis Eilshemius

Louis Eilshemius was an American nude and landscape painter at the turn of the 20th century. Strangely, Eilshemius was educated in art and painting in Europe and at Cornell and the Art Students League, but maintained a seemingly uninitiated style known as “naïve art.” His unpolished works usually subject mis-proportioned, fantastical nymphs lounging or playing by bodies of water. His colors are often muted, his brushstrokes always visible. His impertinent attitude toward the art world and erratic personal demeanor led to widespread belief that he was insane, and his work was widely poorly received. He did, however, have big-name admirers during his lifetime, including Joseph Stella, Henri Matisse, and the Dadaist Marcel Duchamp.