Granville Redmond

Granville Richard Seymour Redmond (1871-1935) Granville Redmond was born in Philadelphia, PA on March 9, 1871. Redmond was stricken with scarlet fever and deaf at age three. After moving with his family to San Jose, CA about 1874, he attended the Berkeley School for the Deaf from 1879-90. At that school he was greatly influenced by Theophilus D'Estrella who taught him painting, drawing, pantomime, and encouraged him in his art studies. Upon graduation, he entered the San Francisco School of Design where he studied with Matthews and Joullin. There he was awarded a gold medal and a scholarship for further study in Paris at Academie Julian under Constant and Laurens. While in Paris, he shared apartments with Gottardo Piazzoni and deaf artist Douglas Tilden. Some of his early paintings done in France are signed "S. Redmond." Returning to California in 1898, Redmond took up residence in Los Angeles. During this period his work was decidedly Tonalist but soon brightened into Impressionism. The years 1910-17 were spent in northern California where he was a resident at different periods of San Mateo, Monterey County, and Belvedere. In 1917 his ability in sign language was put to good use when he became a bit player in the silent movies in Hollywood. Redmond became good friends with Charlie Chaplin and was instrumental in perfecting Chaplin's pantomime technique. He had a studio on the Chaplin movie lot and appeared in several of his movies, the most memorable role being the sculptor in "City Lights." He also had a featured role in the 1926 film "You'd Be Surprised." Granville Redmond died in Los Angeles on May 24, 1935. An Impressionist, he is internationally known for his landscapes of California's rolling hills with poppies and lupines as well as coastals, moonlit scenes, and seascapes. Source: Edan Hughes, "Artists in California 1786-1940"
Granville Redmond Paintings Art 

Granville Redmond was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 9, 1871. Stricken with scarlet fever, Redmond was deaf at the age of three. After moving with his family to San Jose, California in 1874, he attended the Berkeley School for the Deaf from 1879 through 1890 where Theophilus D'Estrella taught him painting, drawing and pantomime. Upon graduation he entered the San Francisco School of Design where he was awarded a scholarship for further study in Paris at Academie Julian under Constant and Laurens. Returning to California in 1898, he took up residence in Los Angeles. 1910 to 1917 were spent in Northern California. In 1917 he returned to Los Angeles and his ability in sign language was put to use when he became a bit player in the silent movies in Hollywood. He became close friends with Charlie Chaplin and was instrumental in perfecting Chaplin's pantomime technique. He had a studio on the lot and appeared in several of Chaplin's movies including "City Lights" and "You'd Be Surprised". One of the foremost exponents of Impressionism in California, he is internationally known for his landscapes of rolling hills, poppy & lupine fields, coastals, seascapes and moonlit scenes. Redmond died in Los Angeles on May 24, 1935.

Biography courtesy of DeRu's Fine Arts, www.antiquesandfineart.com/derus