Anne Tabachnick
Encyclopedia
Anne Tabachnick was an American expressionist painter whose unique, colorful style drew inspiration from the New York school of Abstract Expressionism
, the Old Masters, and East Asian calligraphy painting.
School in New York City and in Provincetown from February 1946 to August 1950. Tabachnick also studied with William Baziotes
in 1961.
, her work was often surprisingly figurative. A master of pintemento, Tabachnick explored a narrative of revision favoring thin applied areas of acrylic in insistent hues, through which strokes of charcoal defined the subject matter –still life, landscape, and figures.
Tabachnick embraced her sources, citing a commitment to "art about art." In addition to adapting the Abstract Expressionist ethos to suit her needs, Tabachnick was adept at learning the lessons of what she called “The Grand Tradition” of European Masters; especially El Greco
, Pierre Bonnard
, Paul Cézanne
and Henri Matisse
. There is evidence in her work of even older sources, like Mai-Mai Sze’s seventeenth century Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, which is clearly present in her adaptation of calligraphic line-making and vertical space.
A self-described lyrical expressionist Tabachnick maintained life-long friendships with Leland Bell
, Louisa Matthiasdottir
, Jane Freilicher, Larry Rivers
, Bob Thompson
and, especially, Robert De Niro, Sr.
Along with some two dozen solo shows, Anne Tabachnick's many honors and awards include the Longview Foundation Award (1960), grants from Radcliffe’s Bunting Institute (1967 and 1969), grants from the Creative Artists Program (1975 and 1978), the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Fellowship (1982) and the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
(1983). In 1985, Tabachnick was appointed artist in residence at Altos de Chavón
in the Dominican Republic and received numerous invitations to the MacDowell
and Yaddo
art colonies. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art
, the National Academy of Design
, the Hyde Collection (in a one-person show) and the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe.
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
, the Old Masters, and East Asian calligraphy painting.
Biography
Born in Derby, Connecticut, Anne Tabachnick spent most of her life living and working in New York City. She attended Hunter College, earning a B.A. in anthropology and art, and pursued graduate studies in art at the University of California, Berkeley (1951). After studying briefly with painter, Nell Blaine, Tabachnick was awarded a scholarship from the Hans HofmannHans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
School in New York City and in Provincetown from February 1946 to August 1950. Tabachnick also studied with William Baziotes
William Baziotes
William Baziotes was an American painter influenced by Surrealism and was a contributor to Abstract Expressionism.-Life and career:...
in 1961.
Work
Belonging to the New York SchoolNew York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
, her work was often surprisingly figurative. A master of pintemento, Tabachnick explored a narrative of revision favoring thin applied areas of acrylic in insistent hues, through which strokes of charcoal defined the subject matter –still life, landscape, and figures.
Tabachnick embraced her sources, citing a commitment to "art about art." In addition to adapting the Abstract Expressionist ethos to suit her needs, Tabachnick was adept at learning the lessons of what she called “The Grand Tradition” of European Masters; especially El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
, Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard
Pierre Bonnard was a French painter and printmaker, as well as a founding member of Les Nabis.-Biography:...
, Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
and Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
. There is evidence in her work of even older sources, like Mai-Mai Sze’s seventeenth century Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, which is clearly present in her adaptation of calligraphic line-making and vertical space.
A self-described lyrical expressionist Tabachnick maintained life-long friendships with Leland Bell
Leland Bell
Leland Bell was an American painter.Leland Bell was a self-taught painter whose passion for the discipline of painting has inspired and influenced many. He was also a fierce advocate for artists that he admired like Karl Knaths, Jean Arp, Piet Mondrian, Balthus, Alberto Giacometti, André Derain,...
, Louisa Matthiasdottir
Louisa Matthíasdóttir
Louisa Matthíasdóttir was an Icelandic-American painter.Matthíasdóttir was born in Reykjavík. She showed artistic ability at an early age, and studied first in Denmark and then under Marcel Gromaire in Paris...
, Jane Freilicher, Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers was an American artist, musician, filmmaker and occasional actor. Rivers resided and maintained studios in New York City, Southampton, New York and Zihuatanejo, Mexico.-Biography:...
, Bob Thompson
Bob Thompson (painter)
Bob Thompson was an African-American figurative painter known for his bold and colorful canvases, whose compositions were appropriated from the Old Masters. He was very prolific in his eight-year career, producing over 1000 works before his death in Rome, Italy in 1966. The Whitney Museum in New...
and, especially, Robert De Niro, Sr.
Along with some two dozen solo shows, Anne Tabachnick's many honors and awards include the Longview Foundation Award (1960), grants from Radcliffe’s Bunting Institute (1967 and 1969), grants from the Creative Artists Program (1975 and 1978), the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Fellowship (1982) and the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1983). In 1985, Tabachnick was appointed artist in residence at Altos de Chavón
Altos de Chavón
The biggest attraction in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is Altos de Chavón, a re-creation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of Roberto Copa, a former Paramount Studios set designer, and Charles Bluhdorn....
in the Dominican Republic and received numerous invitations to the MacDowell
MacDowell
MacDowell is a surname derived from the Gaelic Mac Dubhghaill, MacDubhghaill, meaning "son of Dubhghall".-People:*Andie MacDowell , American film actress*Edward MacDowell , American composer...
and Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
art colonies. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, the Hyde Collection (in a one-person show) and the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe.
See also
- Bob ThompsonBob Thompson (painter)Bob Thompson was an African-American figurative painter known for his bold and colorful canvases, whose compositions were appropriated from the Old Masters. He was very prolific in his eight-year career, producing over 1000 works before his death in Rome, Italy in 1966. The Whitney Museum in New...
- Robert De Niro, Sr
- Hans HofmannHans HofmannHans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
- Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
- Adolph and Esther Gottlieb FoundationAdolph and Esther Gottlieb FoundationEstablished in 1976, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation provides financial grants to visual artists through two programs: an annual Individual Support Grant and an Emergency Grant to assist visual artists in cases of catastrophic events....
- List of painters by name
- New York SchoolNew York SchoolThe New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
- Abstract Expressionist
External links
- Kingsley, April "Anne Tabachnick: Learning from the Past"
- Ask Art "Anne Tabachnick (1933 - 1995)"
- Mullarkey, Maureen"Painting About Paintings"
- Figurative Expressionism "Anne Tabachnick"