Contemporary American painting and sculpture

(Chris Devlin) #1
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aretobeseeninRadioCityMusicHall,NewYork;radiostationWNYC;andat
IndianaUniversity.Hewasemployedonfederalartprojectsfrom 1933 to1939.In
1931 hetaughtattheArtStudentsLeagueofNewYorkandhastaughtattheNew
SchoolforSocialResearchinNewYorkCitysince1940.Duringtheautumnsemester
of 1951 hewas\'isitingCriticinArtatYaleUniversity.Davis'sworkisrepresented
inthecollectionsoftheMuseumofModernArtandWhitneyMuseumofAmerican
ArtinNewYorkandinthePhillipsMemorialGalleryinWashington,D.C.,aswell
asinothercollections.HelivesinNewYorkCity.

DEHN,AdolfA.,CaribbeanCornucopia, 39 x26. Illustration—Plate 25


"DuringaratherlongvisittoHaitiIcametolovethecountryanditspeople.
Thecolor,theluxurianceofthelandandthespiritofitspeoplewerestimulating.The
blue-blacknight,thesparkleofcolorandthegestureofthepeopleagainst the
nightwereunforgettable.Thebalanceofgreatloadsontheheadsofthewomenwas


somethingthateverytourist—andIwasatourist—marveledat.Outofallthis


camemydesiretopaintCaribbeanCornucopia.
"Mymainpreoccupationasapainteriscoloranddesign.Thinkingabstractly
ofmypicture,itshouldhavebalance,rhythm,form.Thedesignshouldbethe
structure,shouldinextricablybepartofmystatementaboutthesubject.Itshould
aidandabettheexcitement,thefeelingwhichIwishtoconvey.
"ThisallseemssoobviousinmypaintingthatIfinditunnecessarytowrite
about.Themoreremotemuchofourpaintingtodayisfromdirectstatementabout
lifeandnaturethemoreeveryonefromthelaymentotheartisthimselffeelsthe
needtoexplainthework.Fartoooftentheexplanationsaresofullofgrandiloquent
doubletalkwiththeclarityofmudthatIfeelparticularlysorryfortheeager
laymenwhotrytowadeintoit.
"SoIgobacktomyeaselandstaythere."
AdolfDehnwasborninWaterville,Minnesota,in1895.Hestudiedatthe
MinneapolisSchoolofArtandattheArtStudentsLeagueofNewYork.Several
yearshespentinEurope.In 1939 hewonaGuggenheimFellowship,andagainin
1951.OtherindicationsofdistinctionincludeprizesatthePhiladelphiaArtistsAl-
liance,1936;PrintClub,Philadelphia, 1939;ArtInstituteofChicago, 1943;and
theLibraryofCongress,1946.Besidesbeinganartistinoils,Dehnhas"longbeen
recognizedasanoutstandingwatercolorist"(heistheauthorofabookentitled
WatercolorPaintingwhichappearedin1945)andhasbeencalled"DeanofAmeri-
canlithographers"byCarlZigrosser.Manyofhisearlierworksweresatirical.He
contributedillustrationstoLije magazinein 1941 anddidpaintingsduringthe
secondWorldWarfortheNavydepictingthe"training,patrolandwarfareactivi-
tiesoftheNa\'yairarm."ForatimehetaughtattheColoradoSpringsFineArts
Center.
AdolfDehn'sworksaretobefoundinalargenumberofpubliccollections,
amongthemtheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,MuseumofModernArt,andWhitney
Museumof.AmericanArtinNew\'ork;BrooklynMuseum;Newark(NewJersey)
Museum.Association;MuseumofFineArtsinBoston;.AddisonGalleryofAmerican
Art,PhillipsAcademy,Andover,Massachusetts;MinneapolisInstituteof.Arts;Seattle
(Washington) ArtMuseum;MilwaukeeArtInstitute;SanFrancisco (California)
MuseumofArt;NationalMuseumofNorway;BritishMuseum,London;Honolulu
AcademyofArts;Cleveland(Ohio)MuseumofArt;CityArtMuseumofSt.Louis;
ArtInstituteofChicago;ColoradoSpringsFine.ArtsCenter;WadsworthAtheneum,

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