A formal analysis on: Ivan Albright American, 1897-1983
Ivan Albright was a prolific American artists and a painter born on February 20 1987 in North Harvey, Illinois and died on November 18 1983 at Woodstock, Vermont (Rossen 3). Ivan is recognized as one of the artists that was detailed and one who exaggerated realistic depiction of decay and corruption in his paintings.
He received his education at Northern University, Illinois and then proceeded to the University of Illinois Urbana before the World War 1. When the war ended, he attended training at school of art institute of Chicago then went to Pennsylvania academy of the fine art before joining national academy of design in New York.
He settled in Warrenville, Illinois near Chicago in 1927 and devoted his entire time in painting. He painted various pictures such as “that which I should have done I did not do (the door)” in 1931. One of his famous painting was the “picture of Dorian Gray” that he painted in 1943. His commissioning to paint the picture was because of his realistic and exaggerated depictions of corruption and decay. The portrait was adapted from the Oscar Wilde’s 1891 winning movie novel (Art institute Chicago para. 2). The painting was an illustration of transformation of Dorian Gay. Dorian leads an evil and dissolute life, which makes his painted representation to rot and decay revealing his immorality. Therefore, the painting captured this transformation of his life. He changes the painting in the film. The original and his modified paintings are all found at the Art Institute of Chicago. Albright, as one of the prolific painter that was devoted to his work in his entire life, his paints were made from charcoal and used his self-made frames.
Because of his meticulousness, Ivan Albright day was declared by the city and was honored by the society in festivities. Albright, because of skills in painting, the American academy of arts and sciences elected him in 1979 to become a fellow of the academy (Rossen 3). Albright also spent his time travelling across the world inspiring other artists and painters. He also made over twenty of his self-portraits even at his deathbed. He was a hardworking and a dedicated painter that would not give up on what he loved most.
One of his own paintings is self-portrait in Georgia, 1967 oil on panel (50.80 x 40.64 cm) 20 x 16” that was signed at the lower right. The painting depicts a person that is painfully resigned to death but at the same time satisfied of his accomplishments in life. He does this, by using variation of colors to bring out these variations and emotions. Therefore, it is one of his works that heightened his career as a painter.
Therefore, Albright style of painting can be categorized as simple stylistic. However, his meticulous combination of garish color and intense realism contrasts has made many of the artists and art historians to categorize Albright through his art works as a magic realism.
Albright has remained one of the famous painters. He has volumes of archival materials at the Art institute of Chicago. These materials include scrapbooks, photographs, notebooks, films and other works that document his life and career. Therefore, history will remember Albright as one of the painters that impacted on the art through his style of painting. He can be categorized as magic realism artists because of how he painted.
Work Cited
Art institute Chicago. Ivan Albright American, 1897-1983” web. April. 4, 2013. http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artwork/93798
Rossen, Susan. Ivan Albright. [Chicago]: Art Institute of Chicago ; New York: Distributed by Hudson Hills Press, (1997).
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|