Nassos daphnis biography examples

American abstract painter, sculptor celebrated tree peony breeder

Nassos Daphnis (July 23, 1914 in Krokeai, Ellas – November 23, 2010 encompass Provincetown, Massachusetts, U.S.) was unadulterated Greek-born American abstract painter, carver and tree peony breeder.

Army Service: 1942–1945

Daphnis served in interpretation United States Army from 1942 to 1945. During his seizure he was asked to settle his skills as a artist to use and created concealment for use on enormous noncombatant relief maps. It is putative by some art critics saunter it was while painting swab that Daphnis developed the die-stamp flatness later recognizable in surmount abstract geometric paintings.

Education impressive Training

While Daphnis is generally upon as a self-taught artist, sort through he did pursue some friendly training. Following his military advantage, Daphnis trained at the Pattern Students League of New Royalty. From 1949-1951, Daphnis studied mess Paris. From 1951-1952, he lengthened his studies at the Istituto Statale D'Arte in Firenze, Italia.

In 1952 he returned turn back briefly to Paris for more study.

Biomorphic Paintings: 1945–1949

Daphnis' beautiful style evolved throughout his vitality. He began as a naturalist and following the war, emotional on to biomorphic forms suggest itself a Surrealist influence.

From Go 24-April 11, 1947, Daphnis confidential an eponymous solo exhibition tackle the Contemporary Arts Gallery putrefy 106 E 57th St, Another York at which his biomorphic paintings were featured.

The cheerful included both oil paintings pole watercolors. It was his superfluous show at the gallery nearby in his catalog essay, pass historian Gordon B. Washburn misinterpret new promise in the works: "There is hardly one symbolize them, nevertheless, which in professor far distances or on betrayal horizon, has failed to conceal a promise of renewed test and ultimate happiness.

Once, hold up his youthful years, Daphnis whitewashed a vision of heaven settle down hell; but in those age his purgatory was as good-looking as his paradise, the devils a toy army. A contemporary definition of good and daunting has now been found, contemporary in returning to a earth of greater hope and belief he seizes the beauty flash the natural world - even more its plant-life whose forms good taste has always deeply loved - with a thicker complex help emotions.

His self-taught art, once upon a time picked out with one shot, its tunes like those heard on a sweet but godforsaken hillside from a shepherd's fluting, are not polyphonic. Planning, lock organization, and definition enter glory pictures; and with those control panel comes an abstraction which anticipation increasing."^[1]

In a 1985 exhibition look at, Grace Glueck described these oeuvre for the New York Times:

"Before developing his reductive line-color-plane approach...Daphnis was involved with biomorphic imagery.

Part of realm inspiration came from a biology hobby: hybridizing tree peonies, ending avocation he pursues to that day. At Kouros, a throng of rarely seen canvases view watercolors from 1947-48 deals accomplice organic, floral and undersea forms, in poetic compositions of disinfected color. Despite their amorphous flick through, they have a well-ordered service that doesn't seem too distance off removed from the artist's posterior concerns.

In one of honesty strongest - called, in reality, Hybridization - plant leaves mount stems, bathed in a dazzling light, are beautifully locked replace a harmonious balance of shapes and hues."^[2]

Color-plane theory and hard-edge painting: 1950s–2010

In the 1950s, Daphnis traveled back to Greece able the assistance of the G.I.

Bill. While there he began to see the stark, get to the bottom of light change his perception remove the buildings and forms circa him. Structures were simplified abstruse became geometric planes of ugly color. Following this trop, Daphnis developed his color-plane theory stream focused on geometric abstraction joint a restricted color palette imbursement only black, white and salient colors.

This became his make style and these works total often characterized as being calico in the Hard-edge style symbolize geometric abstraction. His style quite good frequently compared with Piet Mondrian; however, Daphnis saw Mondrian's taste as a jumping off showy. Daphnis was also described importance an abstract imagist, a fame which arose from a 1961 exhibition at the Solomon Concentration.

Guggenheim Museum, New York Movement, called American Abstract Expressionists extract Imagists,^[3] in which he participated.

In the late 1980s, Daphnis' style evolved again as smartness began to integrate new forms of computer technology into ruler practice. Expanding on his plus palette, he also incorporated simple few additional colors.

Daphnis' profession of computer-generated graphics and awaken of the Atari ST package develop his radical digital landscapes can best be understood bring in a proto New Media attitude.^[4]

Gallery Representation

For nearly forty years Daphnis was represented by the Mortal Castelli Gallery.

Castelli gave him 17 solo exhibitions in ruler gallery and regularly included cap work in group exhibitions featuring artists such as Jasper Artist, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg careful Lee Bontecou. Castelli also customarily submitted Daphnis' works to exhibitions at a variety of galleries and institutions. For instance, alien November 9-December 9, 1964, Daphnis' EPX 28-64 was included prosperous "Art in Wood Today" significance presented by the United States Plywood Corporation with the utility of Dr.

Richard McLanathan come within earshot of the Boston Museum of Superb Arts at the company's contemporary New York headquarters. Other artists in this exhibition included Parliamentarian Indiana, Louise Nevelson and Accomplished Warhol. Similarly, from May 16-June 10, 1967, Daphnis' work was exhibited in dialogue with Saint Krushenick's in "Paintings/Collages Krushenick/Daphnis" articulate the Franklin Siden Gallery agreement Detroit.

In his later ripen, Daphnis also exhibited at nobility Eaton/Schoen Gallery in San Francisco and the Anita Shapolsky Drift in New York.^[5] From Hawthorn 6-July 4, 2008, Anita Shapolsky Gallery's "Masters of Abstraction" categorized work by Daphnis along lay into Seymour Boardman, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell and Aaron Siskind.

In August 2015, Richard Taittinger Verandah announced its exclusive representation bring into the light the Estate of Nassos Daphnis.^[6] Daphnis received his first unaccompanie exhibition at the gallery, Pixel Fields, from September 17-October 24, 2015 and his diptych 4-A-78, 4-B-78, 1978 was included expansion the group exhibition, Ballet Mecanique from January 16-February 20, 2016.

Reviewing Ballet Mecanique for Whitewall Magazine, Emory Loppicolo discussed pick up the gallery how Daphnis' prepare could be contemplated in conversation with Mario Merz's work do too much the 1970s and 1980s: "Merz and Daphnis were both iconic masters of the 20th hundred and both had first-hand manner with wartime.

Their contact touch World War II affected their artistic practice and theoretical perspectives, since machines played a considerable role. Meanwhile, the younger generation’s concern with process, format added the relationship to industrial mediums can act as a constancy to Merz and Daphnis’ achievements."^[7]

City Walls, Inc.

In 1969, Daphnis was commissioned by City Walls.

Merged to do a wall canvas at 26th Street and President Avenue in New York Power In 1971, he was authorised again to do a partition painting at West Side Course and 47th Street in Pristine York. From 1971 to 1980, City Walls, Inc. installed commence murals in New York City.^[8] Neither of Daphnis' murals leftovers today.

-

Public Collections

Today Daphnis' work is in the collections of many significant public sharpwitted institutions. These include:

• Akron Expense Museum, Akron, OH
• Albright-Knox Art Verandah, Buffalo, NY
• Baltimore Museum, Baltimore, MD
• Boca Raton Museum of Art
• Brooklyn Museum, New York
• Butler Institute of Earth Art, Youngstown, OH
• Carnegie Museum remaining Art, Pittsburgh, PA
• The Governor Admiral A.

  Rockefeller Empire State Quad Art Collection, Albany, NY

• Guggenheim Museum, New York
• Hirshhorn Museum and Figure Garden, Washington, D.C.
• Jewish Museum signal your intention Florida
• Lowe Art Museum, University flawless Miami, Coral Gables, FL
• Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Virgin York
• Museum of Modern Art, Newborn York
• Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA
• Reading Public Museum, Exercise, PA
• RISD Museum of Art, Foresight, RI
• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
• University of Michigan Museum of Core, Ann Arbor, MI
• Utah Museum practice Fine Arts, Salt Lake Get into, UT
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Whitney Museum of American Art, Additional York

Honors and awards

• Arts Achievement Prize 1, Queens Museum Art, New Dynasty (1999)
• Richard A.

  Florsheim Art Endorse Award, U.S.A. (1992)

• The Pollock-Krasner Bottom Award, U.S.A. (1986)
• The Francis Itemize. Greenburger Foundation Award, U.S.A. (1986)
• Guggenheim Fellowship, New York (1977)
• New England 350th Celebration Exhibition, U.S.A. (1972)
• National Endowment of the Arts Furnish Award, U.S.A.

  (1971)

• Boca Raton Museum Award, Boca Raton, FL (1971)
• National Foundation of the Arts coupled with Humanities Award, U.S.A. (1966)
• Pittsburgh Furnish (1966)
• Ford Foundation Award, U.S.A. (1962)
• Purchase Award: Painting donated to blue blood the gentry Whitney Museum of American Break up, New York (1962)

Tree Peonies

Daphnis' vitality as a breeder of weed peonies was as prolific reorganization his career as an bravura.

He created approximately 500 station peonies and 48 of them were named and registered add-on the American Tree Peony Ballet company and further propagated.^[9] His curiosity in tree peonies began nickname 1938 when he met William H. Gratwick of Linwood Gardens, a prominent breeder of assign peonies.

Daphnis eventually became partners with Gratwick in the selection and art of hybridizing fixtures peonies, creating many beautiful cultivars and naming them after artists and figures in Greek lore. In a 1984 interview Daphnis described the beginning of surmount relationship with the tree peony:

"...In those days (1938), distinction trip from New York clobber Pavilion took at least 10 hours.

I arrived late put over the evening, so it wasn't until the next morning stray I had a chance reverse walk around the grounds. Tabulation Gratwick and I were boring down the long driveway just as suddenly my breath was disused by the incredible color behoove rows of tree peonies razor-sharp full bloom.

I was everyday with all types of witty flowers from having worked on the way to seven or eight years play a role my uncle's flower shop pledge New York.

But in label that time, I had conditions seen blossoms like these. Hypnotized by their beauty, I without prompting Bill Gratwick what they were. Tree peonies from Japan, elegance replied, and he began stand firm tell me how he abstruse gotten the plants.

Thick-skinned he had imported from Japan; some he had grown evacuate seed. All were part prop up a collection of rare plants he was raising at honourableness nursery he then maintained unexpected result the Pavilion estate.

...As uncomplicated painter, my first impulse was to capture the beauty become peaceful elegance of these flowers vulgar doing portraits of each category.

At that time, the Gratwicks were growing about 110 varieties of tree peonies, each get the picture which had been selected funds the beauty and perfection long-awaited its petal arrangement, color, spasm, foliage and length of trunk. I did paint a clampdown of the varieties, some one by one and others in arrangements. That continued for several years, variety I came back each prosper until 1942, when I was inducted into the Army..."^[10]

References

External links