James D. Havens
Encyclopedia
James Dexter Havens was a printmaker and painter in Rochester, New York
, who is considered part of the color woodblock
revival in America. He has works in the collections of the Library of Congress
, the Metropolitan Museum, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
, the Memorial Art Gallery
of the University of Rochester
, and Strong National Museum of Play. A founding member of the Print Club of Rochester, Havens designed its logo which is still in use.
Havens was the son of James S. Havens
, a former congressman and legal counsel at George Eastman
's Kodak. Artistic as a child, young Jim was stricken with childhood diabetes (diabetes mellitus
) at age fourteen. Though ill, he still managed to complete high school and three years at the University of Rochester. At the age of twenty, on the verge of death, he became the first person in the United States to receive the new drug insulin
. Insulin therapy dramatically improved the quality of his life and he finished studying art at the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (later Rochester Institute of Technology
).
Havens continued to study printmaking, first with Troy Kinney
, and later at the famous Woodbury school in Ogunquit, Maine
. His works are typically landscape and nature scenes characterized by minute detail and careful design. One author claimed he "strove to depict the dynamic, yet often unseen, processes of nature."
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, who is considered part of the color woodblock
Woodblock printing
Woodblock printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity as a method of printing on textiles and later paper....
revival in America. He has works in the collections of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, the Metropolitan Museum, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is an art museum located in Delaware Park in Buffalo, New York. The gallery is a major showplace for modern art and contemporary art. It is located directly across the street from Buffalo State College.-History:...
, the Memorial Art Gallery
Memorial Art Gallery
The Memorial Art Gallery is the civic art museum of Rochester, New York. Founded in 1913, it is part of the University of Rochester and occupies the southern half of the University's former Prince Street campus...
of the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, and Strong National Museum of Play. A founding member of the Print Club of Rochester, Havens designed its logo which is still in use.
Havens was the son of James S. Havens
James S. Havens
James Smith Havens was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Weedsport, New York. He attended the public schools and Munro Collegiate Institute, Elbridge, New York and graduated from Yale College in 1884. He moved to Rochester the same year and studied law...
, a former congressman and legal counsel at George Eastman
George Eastman
George Eastman was an American innovator and entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and invented roll film, helping to bring photography to the mainstream...
's Kodak. Artistic as a child, young Jim was stricken with childhood diabetes (diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
) at age fourteen. Though ill, he still managed to complete high school and three years at the University of Rochester. At the age of twenty, on the verge of death, he became the first person in the United States to receive the new drug insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
. Insulin therapy dramatically improved the quality of his life and he finished studying art at the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (later Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
).
Havens continued to study printmaking, first with Troy Kinney
Troy Kinney
Troy Kinney was a notable American artist, etcher, and author.Troy Kinney was most notable for his works portraying dance performers, fanciful subjects, and classically styled nudes. He worked with dance performers, including Ruth St. Denis, Anna Pavlova, and Sophie Pflanz among others...
, and later at the famous Woodbury school in Ogunquit, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. His works are typically landscape and nature scenes characterized by minute detail and careful design. One author claimed he "strove to depict the dynamic, yet often unseen, processes of nature."