Mayo Sorgman

(1912 -  )

For over half a century, Mayo Sorgman has been painting, in particular the activities and atmospheres of the Gloucester Fishing Community. In the 1950's he spent his summers in Rockport and Gloucester, recording fishermen among their nets, boats coming and going in the harbors and waves sweeping over the granite shores.

Mayo Sorgman grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, greatly influenced by the children's book illustrator, N. C. Wyeth. His love of art inspired his prominent career in art education. He graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and took a job teaching with the Stamford Connecticut School Systems. He became head of its 70 member Art Department. He wrote numerous articles, lectured widely around the country, and later continued studies at the Parsons School of Design, the Kansas Art Museum, and obtained his Masters Degree at New York University. He then published a book, Brush and Palette, which went into five printings and became a popular high school textbook.

 Sorgman's palette is strongly reminiscent of the landscape paintings of turn-of-the-century Boston Impressionist George Noyes. He was influenced by John Marin, and Marsden Hartley, who both summered in Gloucester. Marin also resided in Taos, New Mexico where both he and Mr. Sorgman lived. While Marin was drawn to paint in Spain, Sorgman was attracted to Mexico.

The abstract works of the painter Mayo Sorgman have been described as moody, lovely, singular and poetic. His contemporary style assured him a place with a fledgling North Shore art group, Modern Artists of Rockport some 50 years ago. His modernistic paintings are unique reflections and emotional reactions to the Gloucester Harbor vistas.

He is listed in Who Was Who in American Art and Who's Who in American Literature. Mr. Sorgman has had numerous one-man shows, the most recent being a show of his works at the Cape Ann Historical Association. The painting below were exhibited at that show. Mr. Sorgman's work is widely collected publicly and privately.