Peter Blume
Encyclopedia
Peter Blume was an American painter and sculptor. His work contained elements of folk art
, precisionism
, Parisian Purism
, Cubism
, and Surrealism
.
, Russia (present-day Belarus
) to a Jewish family, emigrated with his family to New York City
in 1912; the family settled in Brooklyn
. He studied art at the Educational Alliance, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
, and the Art Students League of New York
, establishing his own studio by 1926. He trained with Raphael Soyer
and Isaac Soyer
, exhibited with Charles Daniel, and was patronized by the Rockefeller family. Blume married Grace Douglas in 1931; they had no surviving children.
in 1932 and spent a year in Italy. His first major recognition came in 1934 with a first prize for South of Scranton at a Carnegie Institute
International Exhibition. The painting was inspired by a trip across Pennsylvania in an old car that required frequent repair. Eternal City (1934–1937) was politically charged, portraying Benito Mussolini
as a jack-in-the-box emerging from the Coliseum; as a one-man, one-painting exhibition, it excited considerable attention from critics and audiences.
Blume's works often portrayed destruction and restoration simultaneously. Stones and girders made frequent appearances; The Rock (1944–1948) was interpreted by its viewers as symbolizing renewal in the wake of World War II
. Recollection of the Flood (1969) depicted the victims of the 1966 Flood of the River Arno in Florence
along with restorers at work. The Metamorphoses (1979) invoked the Greek legend of Deucalion
and Pyrrha
, who repopulated the earth after a deluge.
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
, precisionism
Precisionism
Precisionism, also known as Cubist Realism, was an artistic movement that emerged in the United States after World War I and was at its height during the inter-War period...
, Parisian Purism
Purism
Purism was a form of Cubism advocated by the French painter Amédée Ozenfant and the architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret . Purism rejected the decorative trend of cubism and advocated a return to clear, ordered forms that were expressive of the modern machine age as documented in their 1918 book...
, Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
, and Surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
.
Biography
Blume, born in SmarhonSmarhoń
Smarhoń is a city in Hrodna Voblast, Belarus. It is located at . It was the site of Smarhoń air base, now mostly abandoned. Smarhoń is located 107 km from the capital, Minsk....
, Russia (present-day Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
) to a Jewish family, emigrated with his family to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1912; the family settled in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. He studied art at the Educational Alliance, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
Beaux-Arts Institute of Design
The Beaux-Arts Institute of Design was an art and architectural school at 304 East 44th Street in Turtle Bay, Manhattan, in New York City...
, and the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
, establishing his own studio by 1926. He trained with Raphael Soyer
Raphael Soyer
Raphael Soyer was a Russian-born American painter, draftsman, and printmaker. Soyer was referred to as an American scene painter...
and Isaac Soyer
Isaac Soyer
Isaac Soyer was a social realist painter and often portrayed working-class people of New York City in his paintings.-Biography:...
, exhibited with Charles Daniel, and was patronized by the Rockefeller family. Blume married Grace Douglas in 1931; they had no surviving children.
Works
An admirer of Renaissance technique, Blume worked by drawing and making compositional cartoons before putting his work on canvas. He received a Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim 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...
in 1932 and spent a year in Italy. His first major recognition came in 1934 with a first prize for South of Scranton at a Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
International Exhibition. The painting was inspired by a trip across Pennsylvania in an old car that required frequent repair. Eternal City (1934–1937) was politically charged, portraying Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
as a jack-in-the-box emerging from the Coliseum; as a one-man, one-painting exhibition, it excited considerable attention from critics and audiences.
Blume's works often portrayed destruction and restoration simultaneously. Stones and girders made frequent appearances; The Rock (1944–1948) was interpreted by its viewers as symbolizing renewal in the wake of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Recollection of the Flood (1969) depicted the victims of the 1966 Flood of the River Arno in Florence
1966 Flood of the River Arno in Florence
The 1966 Flood of the Arno River in Florence killed many people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art and rare books in Florence. It is considered the worst flood in the city's history since 1557. With the combined effort of Italian citizens and foreign donors and committees, or...
along with restorers at work. The Metamorphoses (1979) invoked the Greek legend of Deucalion
Deucalion
In Greek mythology Deucalion was a son of Prometheus and Pronoia. The anger of Zeus was ignited by the hubris of the Pelasgians, and he decided to put an end to the Bronze Age. Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, had sacrificed a boy to Zeus, who was appalled by this savage offering...
and Pyrrha
Pyrrha
In Greek mythology, Pyrrha was the daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora and wife of Deucalion.When Zeus decided to end the Bronze Age with the great deluge, Deucalion and his wife, Pyrrha, were the only survivors...
, who repopulated the earth after a deluge.
Further reading
- Harnsberger, R.S. (1992). Ten precisionist artists : annotated bibliographies [Art Reference Collection no. 14]. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-27664-1
- Trapp, F. (1987). Peter Blume. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 0-8478-0854-8
External links
- http://tiger.towson.edu/users/bwells2/Critique.html
- Ten Dreams Galleries
- The Columbia Encyclopedia at factmonster.com
- Peter Blume - Works of Art