Julius Rolshoven (1858-1930)

But for his accidental absence from a famous historic photograph of the Taos Society of Artists (TSA), of which he was a very early member (Associate Member, 1917; Full Member 1918), Julius Rolshoven would be considerably better known today.

Rolshoven's artistic ability was acknowledged to be equal to or better than the other members of the Taos Society and he was, in fact, invited to join the TSA before such luminaries as Ernest Hennings, Walter Ufer, Victor Higgins and Kenneth Adams.

Rolshoven lived in Taos and painted in New Mexico for a short time only, from 1916 to 1920. During these years he was the senior and most experienced member of the TSA, followed by J. H. Sharp who was one year younger. In late 1920, Rolshoven left Taos to return to his former home in Italy, where he spent the rest of his life.

His work is known for its bold, fluid brushwork, graphic composition and saturated, light-filled color palette. Rolshoven was considered particularly accomplished in the medium of pastels, and his striking Taos and Santa Fe pastel pieces are some of his freshest and most beautiful works.

Compared with the other members of the Taos Society, almost all of whom painted in New Mexico for decades, Rolshoven's works are quite scarce, difficult to find and rarely available for sale.

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