Joseph Allworthy
Encyclopedia
Joseph Allworthy was a prominent mid-twentieth century American representational, tonal-realist painter based in Chicago
, known for his still life compositions and portraits. He also did notable work in the field of commercial art and advertisements.
, but never graduated and went on to study at the ‘Grand Central’ in New York. Like all aspiring American artists of the time he headed to Europe, but had to leave with the outbreak of the First World War.
It was in Madrid at el Museo del Prado
that Joseph Allworthy had an epiphanic experience that left an indelible mark on him as a painter– he discovered Diego Velázquez
, whom he viewed as 'natural and eternal as nature itself'. After the War, Joseph Allworthy returned to Paris wanting to study under the late-Impressionist painter Jean-Paul Laurens
, who was then a Professor at the École des Beaux-Arts
. It is uncertain how long or for that matter whether he ever studied under Laurens, as Laurens died in March 1921. Duriung his visit in 1926-27 he said "I was fortunate enough to study with a man who by means not revealed to me inherited the thinking that was Chardin
's, Corot
's and Manet
's. From that time on, my work went steadily forward in goodness and quality. Today there is no one that I know of anywhere in our world who is interested in this great heritage." This was the Australian painter Max Meldrum
later known for his "tonal style" of painting. He studied under Meldrum and adopted his techniques and theory of art.
in New York introduced modern art to America, Allworthy focused on keeping the tradition of tonal, representational art alive in the mid 1900s. In an Arts Club of Chicago show in 1958, a critic noted, "It is a happy break for visitors who have been shown almost nothing but the most extreme nonrepresentational art in show after show of foreign painting all year in this gallery. Joseph Allworthy's portrait is done with the old time skill of a Sargent
."
– and his ultimate reputation, rests as the preeminent portrait painter of the American Midwest in the middle of the 20th century. As his skill in this genre grew and drew attention, it began to overtake his already impressive reputation as a still life painter. As a critic noted – "Joseph Allworthy lives up to his reputation in a brilliant, smooth still life and surpasses it in a portrait of a model in gypsy dress." He was sought after to paint official portraits by prominent men and women, in the realms of education, industry and politics, in the Midwest. Portraits by him now hang in major universities, colleges and industrial houses. The subjects of Joseph Allworthy's portraits are a veritable who's who of the American Midwest of the mid-century. They included Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly (industrialist)
, Banker Walter J. Cummings, Boeing Chairman, William E. Boeing, the brewers Pabst
brothers, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago
Laird Bell
and many others associated with several Universities across the United States. He painted the official portrait of Adlai Stevenson for his 1952 presidential bid and later his sister's too. His portrait work also extended into the international political arena, painting many diplomats and foreign leaders. But perhaps the largest collection of his portraits – 28 of them – is of the cattle barons of the Midwest. These are portraits of men in the livestock industry and were hung in the celebrated quarters of the Saddle and Sirloin Club of the Stockyards Inn until it was demolished and now hang in the rebuilt club in Louisville, Kentucky.
, Carnation milk, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
, Pabst Brewing Company
, Swift & Company
and Florsheim Shoe
. What characterized his works was that whether he painted sliced ham, a bottle of beer, a pair of shoes or a Buick
sedan, he saw them as works of art – as still life compositions.
announced that "Joseph Allworthy, well known Chicago painter of portraits and still life, will teach a class in painting in their evening school. Mr. Allworthy has had a number of invitations to teach in schools throughout the country, but this is the first time he has yielded to the temptation." And again, in the summer of 1942, the Saugatuck Summer Art School had the privilege of him serving as the instructor in charge, announcing that "Joseph Allworthy is an outstanding painter! The opportunity of working with him is one not to be lightly dismissed." These are the only two known instances where he has imparted instruction. At the twilight of his career in the late 1970s he not only bequeathed his studio to his grand-niece and adopted daughter Dorian Allworthy
, but also imparted the secrets of his art to her. The studio to this day preserves not only his memory but also his heritage, as Dorian Allworthy continues to perpetuate his legacy.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, known for his still life compositions and portraits. He also did notable work in the field of commercial art and advertisements.
Early life and training
Joseph Allworthy was born in Pennsylvania on September 19, 1892, to parents of German descent. He came from a family of artists. His grandfather and granduncles painted murals and frescoes in Catholic Churches after the American Civil War. His father was a decorator and illustrator who assisted in the adorning of the walls and ceilings of the Congressional Library at Washington. Joseph Allworthy got his initial training under his father and at the age of 14 worked as an errand-boy in the art department of RR Donnelley. He began his formal artistic studies at the Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, but never graduated and went on to study at the ‘Grand Central’ in New York. Like all aspiring American artists of the time he headed to Europe, but had to leave with the outbreak of the First World War.
It was in Madrid at el Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of...
that Joseph Allworthy had an epiphanic experience that left an indelible mark on him as a painter– he discovered Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...
, whom he viewed as 'natural and eternal as nature itself'. After the War, Joseph Allworthy returned to Paris wanting to study under the late-Impressionist painter Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens , was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style.Born in Fourquevaux, he was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexandre Bida...
, who was then a Professor at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
. It is uncertain how long or for that matter whether he ever studied under Laurens, as Laurens died in March 1921. Duriung his visit in 1926-27 he said "I was fortunate enough to study with a man who by means not revealed to me inherited the thinking that was Chardin
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was an 18th-century French painter. He is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre paintings which depict kitchen maids, children, and domestic activities...
's, Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot was a French landscape painter and printmaker in etching. Corot was the leading painter of the Barbizon school of France in the mid-nineteenth century...
's and Manet
Manet
-MANET as an abbreviation:*MANET is a mobile ad hoc network, a self-configuring mobile wireless network.*MANET database or Molecular Ancestry Network, bioinformatics database-People with the surname Manet:*Édouard Manet, a 19th-century French painter....
's. From that time on, my work went steadily forward in goodness and quality. Today there is no one that I know of anywhere in our world who is interested in this great heritage." This was the Australian painter Max Meldrum
Max Meldrum
Duncan Max Meldrum was a Scottish born Australian painter. He is known as the founder of Australian Tonalism, a representational style of painting, as well as his portrait work, for which he won the Archibald Prize in 1939 and 1940.-Early Life and Training:Meldrum was born in Edinburgh, Scotland,...
later known for his "tonal style" of painting. He studied under Meldrum and adopted his techniques and theory of art.
Career
Joseph Allworthy established himself as a prominent painter excelling in still life compositions. In 1931 a critic had this to say of him: "Joseph Allworthy is a young Chicago painter whose ability to paint an exquisite and flawless still life has won him great admiration. There are still life arrangements here which will add to his glamorous reputation and there are a few portraits of considerable charm..." Like other artists of his kind, Allworthy also painted portraits. Allworthy began to progressively focus more on portraits, so much so, in 1960 a critic referred to him as "a distinguished portrait painter." Although he also painted landscapes he never considered it as his métier, but did them as a part of his investigations into his theory of vision and painting. Allworthy's work became significant in the middle of the 20th century when decades after the Armory ShowArmory Show
Many exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
in New York introduced modern art to America, Allworthy focused on keeping the tradition of tonal, representational art alive in the mid 1900s. In an Arts Club of Chicago show in 1958, a critic noted, "It is a happy break for visitors who have been shown almost nothing but the most extreme nonrepresentational art in show after show of foreign painting all year in this gallery. Joseph Allworthy's portrait is done with the old time skill of a Sargent
Henry Sargent
Henry Sargent , American painter and military man, was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was one of seven children born to Daniel and Mary Sargent...
."
Still life
Joseph Allworthy "whose paintings of still life are practically perfect," first gained attention of the art world in the early 1930s with his still life arrangements and he continued to paint them even after his focus had shifted to other forms. His still life paintings are today scattered all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico in various museums and private collections.Portrait
Joseph Allworthy's favorite subject was the human figure and his heroes were the great masters of portraiture – Velazquez, Rembrandt, Corot and Henry RaeburnHenry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn was a Scottish portrait painter, the first significant Scottish portraitist since the Act of Union 1707 to remain based in Scotland.-Biography:...
– and his ultimate reputation, rests as the preeminent portrait painter of the American Midwest in the middle of the 20th century. As his skill in this genre grew and drew attention, it began to overtake his already impressive reputation as a still life painter. As a critic noted – "Joseph Allworthy lives up to his reputation in a brilliant, smooth still life and surpasses it in a portrait of a model in gypsy dress." He was sought after to paint official portraits by prominent men and women, in the realms of education, industry and politics, in the Midwest. Portraits by him now hang in major universities, colleges and industrial houses. The subjects of Joseph Allworthy's portraits are a veritable who's who of the American Midwest of the mid-century. They included Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly (industrialist)
Eli Lilly (industrialist)
Eli Lilly was a pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist from Indiana, United States.- Business :Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Eli Lilly was President of Eli Lilly and Company. He was named for his grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly, who founded the family business...
, Banker Walter J. Cummings, Boeing Chairman, William E. Boeing, the brewers Pabst
Pabst Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and by 1889 named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently the holding company contracting for the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor from defunct companies...
brothers, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Laird Bell
Laird Bell
Laird Bell was a distinguished attorney and Democrat who founded a leading Chicago law firm and endowed several charitable institutions. Bell was an extraordinarily active contributor in a variety of social and not-for-profit causes...
and many others associated with several Universities across the United States. He painted the official portrait of Adlai Stevenson for his 1952 presidential bid and later his sister's too. His portrait work also extended into the international political arena, painting many diplomats and foreign leaders. But perhaps the largest collection of his portraits – 28 of them – is of the cattle barons of the Midwest. These are portraits of men in the livestock industry and were hung in the celebrated quarters of the Saddle and Sirloin Club of the Stockyards Inn until it was demolished and now hang in the rebuilt club in Louisville, Kentucky.
Landscapes
Although Allworthy, of necessity, continued to paint landscapes all through his career, he never considered it his métier and he rarely exhibited them. The scores of landscapes he painted were more directed toward his studies of vision and theory of painting and they form a veritable itinerary of his world wide travels.Commercial art
A little known side of Allworthy's career, but which nonetheless had considerable significance for him, was his work as a commercial artist. He was proud of his skills in lettering, design, layout, typography and commercial paintings and was much sought after for them. He even earned a comfortable living out of it. He had accounts with General MotorsGeneral Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, Carnation milk, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery....
, Pabst Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and by 1889 named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently the holding company contracting for the brewing of over two dozen brands of beer and malt liquor from defunct companies...
, Swift & Company
Swift & Company
Swift & Company is an American food procession company a wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. , a Brazilian company that is the world's largest processor of fresh beef and pork, with more than US$30 billion in annual sales as of 2010. It is also the largest beef processor in Australia.Swift &...
and Florsheim Shoe
Florsheim Shoe
-History:It was founded in 1892 by Milton S. Florsheim and his father Sigmund.Until the mid-1990s, almost every mall in the United States had a Florsheim store. However, with the rise of such shoe stores as Journeys and Finish Line, and the de-emphasis of shoe stores in American malls, most...
. What characterized his works was that whether he painted sliced ham, a bottle of beer, a pair of shoes or a Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
sedan, he saw them as works of art – as still life compositions.
Theory of vision and painting
Joseph Allworthy was an artist who deeply contemplated on the nature of his art. Profoundly influenced by the great past masters Velazquez and Rembrandt, and more immediately by his teacher Max Meldrum, Allworthy tried to develop further the latter's theory of vision and painting. He contended visual sensations are interpreted with the aid of one's past experience of other pictures or nature. Beauty, ugliness, order, confusion are visual properties, indisputable verities that are the same for all viewers allowing of no dispute. But because of personal likes and dislikes not all are capable of unprejudiced vision. Hence, the true recognition of these qualities is essential for a painter engaged in using them to bring about a definite objective through their employment. He termed this skill "detached or unprejudiced vision" and one painter more than anyone else embodied it for him – Velazquez.Personal life
In 1916 he married Grace Geymer. The two were lifelong traveling companions. They visited most European cities and the galleries to study the old masters first hand. In 1922 they bought a townhouse in the Gold Coast in Chicago, where the couple spent the rest of their lives – on its third floor was Joseph's studio. Grace was the subject of many portraits by Allworthy.Legacy
Joseph Allworthy never considered himself a teacher. In the summer of 1934, The American Academy of ArtAmerican Academy of Art
The American Academy of Art is a professional, accredited fine arts school located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1923 for the education of both fine and commercial arts students. The school has a tradition of top art education with exceptional students being awarded the academy's...
announced that "Joseph Allworthy, well known Chicago painter of portraits and still life, will teach a class in painting in their evening school. Mr. Allworthy has had a number of invitations to teach in schools throughout the country, but this is the first time he has yielded to the temptation." And again, in the summer of 1942, the Saugatuck Summer Art School had the privilege of him serving as the instructor in charge, announcing that "Joseph Allworthy is an outstanding painter! The opportunity of working with him is one not to be lightly dismissed." These are the only two known instances where he has imparted instruction. At the twilight of his career in the late 1970s he not only bequeathed his studio to his grand-niece and adopted daughter Dorian Allworthy
Dorian Allworthy
Dorian Allworthy is an American representational, tonal-realist painter working in Chicago. She is also known for her drypoint engravings. She specializes in large figure paintings as well as still life compositions and landscapes...
, but also imparted the secrets of his art to her. The studio to this day preserves not only his memory but also his heritage, as Dorian Allworthy continues to perpetuate his legacy.