JOHN FERY

Fery, John (1859-1934). Having studied in Europe early on, Hungarian painter John Fery moved to this country in 1886. A wanderer, he lived in Minnesota, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, California, and Washington before his death and, like Maynard Dixon (q.v.) after him, found the natural grandeur of Utah most appealing. He did large turn-of-the-century canvases that concentrated on the natural wonders of the region before going on to finally establish his last home in Everett, Washington. Fery provided a prototypic body of work for later Zion Canyon views by the much more talented Dixon. Though many of his works survive, the smaller ones seem more abundant than Fery's larger canvases. His work was largely decorative, and his Utah painting is centered on Zion and the other national parks in the south. His images seem more pleasing and accessible when absent of moose, elk, and other herbivores. Often sponsored in his travels by the Burlington & Northern Railway, Fery made Salt Lake City his home base for a number of years where, in the 1920s, the McConahay Jewelry Company also gave him patronage and support. (b. February 25; d. November 10)

Olpin, Robert S., William C. Seifrit, and Vern G. Swanson. ARTISTS OF UTAH. Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith Publisher, 1999: 99.