Revington Arthur

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Not to be confused with Arthur Remington, New Zealand politician.
Revington Jessup Arthur
Born(1907-04-02)April 2, 1907
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedSeptember 11, 1986(1986-09-11) (aged 79)
EducationArt Students League of New York,
Grand Central School of Art,
Eastport Summer School of Art
Occupation(s)Artist, educator
Years active1920s–1978
Known foroil paintings, watercolors, graphic design

Revington Jessup Arthur (April 2, 1907 – September 11, 1986),[1] was an American artist and educator. He is known for abstract oil paintings, watercolors, and graphic design. He taught at the Chautauqua Art Summer School from 1956 until 1986.

Early life and education

Revington Arthur was born in 1907 in the Glenbrook neighborhood of Stamford, Connecticut, where he was also raised.[2][3][4] His father was an engineer.[5] He began painting from an early age.[6]

Arthur studied at the Art Students League of New York, the Eastport Summer School of Art, and the Grand Central School of Art;[4] under Kimon Nicolaïdes,[7] George Luks,[8] and George Pearse Ennis.[4] Arthur had been taught painting for three years by abstract expressionist artist Arshile Gorky at the Grand Central School of Art, from 1927 until 1929.[9][10]

Career

Originally relying on more traditional themes, Arthur's art became significantly more abstract by the early 1950s, with many pieces being influenced by space travel, technology, and the Cold War. By 1932 he was professionally displaying his work in New York City;[6] and by 1957, he had held more than 22 solo art exhibitions.[3] He primarily lived in New Canaan, Connecticut, with summers in Chautauqua, New York.[7]

The 1945 "Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting" at the Whitney Museum of American Art included Arthur's work.[11] His artwork and exhibitions were reviewed in ARTnews in 1946 and 1953;[12][13] and by Art Digest (now Arts Magazine) in 1984.[14] In the 1946 review, Arthur was working in a "semi-Cubism" painting style.[12] In the 1953 review, there was an abrupt change in Arthur's painting style, with a push towards flattened abstraction.[13]

Arthur and Miriam Broudy were the co-founders of the New England and National Print Show (now called the Art of the Northeast) at Silvermine Guild of Artists in 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut.[15][7][16] It has been one of the nation's preeminent art competitions on the East Coast, with many of the awardees reaching high levels of success in their art careers.[16][17]

From 1956 until his death in 1986, Arthur was head of the Chautauqua Art Summer School in Chautauqua, New York, where he frequently taught painting and drawing classes and gave lectures.[18][19][20] He also taught art appreciation classes,[21] and he taught at New York University. His students included psychiatrist Karl Menninger, Joan Seiler, Clifford Davis, Vadim Filimonov, Thorton W. Whipple,[22] Herb Jackson,[23] and Anthony H. Horan.[19][24][25] He had an eccentric teaching wardrobe of bermuda shorts, sandals, and bucket hat.[26] The Chautauqua Art Centre (now known as Chautauqua Art Association Gallery) was founded in 1956 by Arthur; which since 1958 hosts the Chautauqua National Annual Exhibition[7] (now known as the Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art).

Death and legacy

Arthur died on September 11, 1986, at the age of 79.[27] After his death, the "Revington Arthur Award for Excellence in Painting" was given to artists.

Arthur's work is in museum collections including the Buffalo AKG Art Museum,[28] Walker Art Center,[29] and the Brooklyn Museum.[30] The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives holds his artist files,[31] and the New-York Historical Society holds "[c]atalogs, brochures and invitations for exhibitions held at the Babcock Galleries" by Arthur among many other artists.[32] The Chautauqua Institution archives has photographs of Arthur with his students.[33]

References

  1. ^ "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947". Ancestry. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Arts Digest. Art Digest Incorporated. 1937. p. 23.
  3. ^ a b "Revington Arthur's Latest Paintings on Exhibit Next Sunday in Silvermine". The Bridgeport Post. October 20, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign campus) College of Fine and Applied Arts (1950). University of Illinois Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting. University of Illinois Press. p. 155.
  5. ^ Salpeter, Harry (March 1944). "High Register Colorist". Esquire. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Revington Arthur Introduced". The New York Times. February 24, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "Arthur Paintings Displayed". The Sault Star. October 7, 1976. p. 19. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  8. ^ The Immortal Eight and Its Influence: January 9–29, 1983. Art Students League of New York. 1983. p. 108.
  9. ^ Herrera, Hayden (January 3, 2005). Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9781466817081.
  10. ^ The Many Worlds of Arshile Gorky. Gilgamesh Press. 1980. pp. 77, 92. ISBN 9780936684024.
  11. ^ Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting [1945] (catalogue). Frances Mulhall Achilles Library Whitney Museum of American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art. 1945.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ a b "Revington Arthur". Art News. Artnews Associates. March 1946. pp. 8, 44, 66.
  13. ^ a b "Reviews and Previews: Revington Arthur's oils". ARTnews. ARTnews Associates. 1953. p. 41.
  14. ^ Arts Digest. Art Digest Incorporated. 1984. p. 104.
  15. ^ "Resident's Work Accepted Into Silvermine's 'Art Of The Northeast'". Newtown Bee. June 15, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Norwalker among winners in Art of the Northeast". StamfordAdvocate. April 19, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Silvermine announces prize winners at reception". The Hour. May 3, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "Revington Arthur". AskArt.com. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Chautauqua Institution: 1874-1974. Arcadia. March 14, 2001. ISBN 9781439610657.
  20. ^ "Revington Arthur Heads Art Center at Chautauqua". The Buffalo News. April 29, 1970. p. 5. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  21. ^ Chautauqua Impressions: Architecture and Ambience. West Summit Press. 1984. ISBN 9780960135639.
  22. ^ "Artist teaches people how to paint". Star-Gazette. April 28, 1989. p. 32. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "Walter Herbert Jackson, Jr". The Charlotte Observer. March 6, 1983. p. 85. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  24. ^ The American Heritage Society's Americana. The Society. 1974.
  25. ^ "Review: Art; AAO and Artists Gallery Shows Display Social Concern and Art Echos. Take Your Pick". The Buffalo News. July 11, 1980. p. 54. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  26. ^ Swan, Lawrence (August 7, 2019). "Revington". Amp magazine (No. 4). Hofstra University.
  27. ^ "Connecticut Death Index, 1949-2012". Ancestry. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  28. ^ "Revington Arthur". Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
  29. ^ "Revington Arthur". Walker Art Center. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  30. ^ The Brooklyn Museum, American Paintings: A Complete Illustrated Listing of Works in the Museum's Collection. Brooklyn Museum. 1979. ISBN 9780872730748.
  31. ^ "Artist files". The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  32. ^ "Archives related to: Babcock Galleries". The Frick Collection: Archives Directory for the History of Collecting in America. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  33. ^ "Arthur, Revington". Chautauqua Institution Archives.
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