Nitro area and Putnam County art collector and attorney Harvey Peyton recently donated two drawings and a painting by West Virginia-born and nationally renowned artist William Robinson Leigh (1866-1955) to West Virginia University’s art collection. He also pledged $50,000 to create a scholarship fund in the WVU College of Law.
Bob Bridges, curator of arts and visual resources in the College of Creative Arts, said Peyton has one of the premier art collections in the state, calling it a”high quality collection by an educated collector who works with some of the best dealers and galleries.”
He said the recent works given to WVU are”very valuable,”but the educational value outweighs the monetary value.
“Mr. Peyton and collectors like him realize the importance these wonderful artworks can have in our museum-quality collection,”Bridges said.”They will be preserved and studied by not only our University students but the citizens of this state for many years.”
Peyton earned two degrees from WVU a bachelor of arts from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in 1971 and a JD from the College of Law in 1974. The scholarship fund, which honors his parents, is restricted to West Virginia residents. Recipients of the awards will be known as the Tom and Anne Peyton Merit Scholars.
“The generosity of Mr. Peyton in establishing this fund assures that future generations of law students will receive scholarship aid rewarding their academic success,”said law school Dean John Fisher II.”The addition of law scholarships is essential in attracting outstanding students and in making a legal education more affordable. The College is most grateful for Mr. Peytons loyalty and support.”
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p. William Robinson Leigh
p. Leigh, a native of Falling Waters in Berkeley County, was educated at the Maryland Institute in Baltimore and spent 12 years studying at the Royal Academy in Munich, Germany. He is primarily known as a painter of the West and ranks along with Charles Russell and Frederick Remington as the best this genre of art produced. Leigh was also a prominent illustrator for many national magazines at the turn of the century.
“William Robinson Leigh made his living as an illustrator in New York to support his interest in fine art painting,”Bridges said.”In 1906, he convinced Santa Fe Railroad officials to trade a ticket west in exchange for a painting of the Grand Canyon he would paint on the trip.”
This is what earned him greater recognition and gave him his first big break, Bridges noted.
When Leigh painted, he would first produce a very detailed charcoal sketch to work from, according to Bridges.
“He was an excellent draftsman, and I tell my students that they can learn a great deal by studying the detail in his work,”he said.
Pointing to one of Leigh’s sketches of a business executive in a high-powered office looking quite pensive, Bridges said this is”an excellent example of how Leigh used an eraser to smudge out details, from the lights and darks in the carpet to the couch cushions.”
The other Leigh drawing gifted by Peyton to WVU is also a standing figure drawing from the same magazine series. The painting is oil on canvas of two individuals turkey hunting.
Bridges said Leigh’s works can be found at major art institutions such as the Old North Church in Boston, where his famous painting,”The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”is housed; and the Museum of Natural History in New York City where Leigh’s panoramic view of Africa is still a major attraction.
The Peyton gifts were made in conjunction with the Building Greatness Campaign, a $250 million fundraising effort being conducted by the WVU Foundation on behalf of the University The five-year campaign has received more than $216 million toward its goal and concludes Dec. 31, 2003.
The WVU Foundation is a private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for West Virginia University.