Stephen Pace (artist)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Pace was an American painter best known for his work as an Abstract expressionist
and for his figurative art
.
. Though he had started drawing as a child, he first received a sketchbook from a teacher when he was in the fourth grade. His parents, who had owned a farm and grocery store, moved to New Harmony, Indiana
, when Pace was in his teens. His first formal training began when he was 17, when he studied anatomical studies and watercolor painting with WPA
artist Robert Lahr in Evansville, Indiana
.
He served in the United States Army
during World War II
. He was injured while serving in Europe, and met Gertrude Stein
and Pablo Picasso
after being hospitalized in Paris
. After completing his military service, Pace went to Mexico
to study art under the G.I. Bill. While at a school in San Miguel de Allende
, he met artist Milton Avery
who convinced him to come to New York City
to continue his education, learning there at the Art Students League of New York
and independently with artist Hans Hofmann
. Pace's work as Abstract Expressionist during the 1950s, first displayed in New York at the Artists Gallery, was described by The New York Times
as consisting of "dark, energetically worked abstractions achieved through a distinctive blend of brushwork, drawing and staining". Time he spent in Pennsylvania
and Maine
led Pace to create representational pieces depicting outdoor scenes, such as lobstermen and of his wife while she was gardening, as well as interiors and nudes done in his studio. Though his work often appeared to have been painted very quickly, Pace was often able to make subtle corrections, saying of himself that "You might call me a fake Zen painter".
Pace donated a series of paintings to the University of Southern Indiana
as part of a collection of 6,000 pieces of his work from as early as 1947, and he and his wife donated $1.5 million to found the Kenneth P. McCutchan Art Center/Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace Galleries.
A resident of Manhattan
and Stonington, Maine
, Pace died of pneumonia
at the age of 91 on September 23, 2010, at St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville, after having lived for one year at an assisted-living facility in Evansville and then moving to his home and studio in New Harmony, Indiana. He was survived by his wife, Palmina Natalini.
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...
and for his figurative art
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
.
Biography
Pace was born on December 12, 1918, in Charleston, MissouriCharleston, Missouri
Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mississippi County and it is a home to a local correctional facility.-History:...
. Though he had started drawing as a child, he first received a sketchbook from a teacher when he was in the fourth grade. His parents, who had owned a farm and grocery store, moved to New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, United States. It lies north of Mount Vernon, the county seat. The population was 916 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Evansville metropolitan area. Many of the old Harmonist buildings still stand...
, when Pace was in his teens. His first formal training began when he was 17, when he studied anatomical studies and watercolor painting with WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
artist Robert Lahr in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
.
He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during 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...
. He was injured while serving in Europe, and met Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
after being hospitalized in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After completing his military service, Pace went to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to study art under the G.I. Bill. While at a school in San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende is a city and municipality located in the far eastern part of the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. It is 274 km from Mexico City and 97 km from the state capital of Guanajuato...
, he met artist Milton Avery
Milton Avery
Milton Avery was an American modern painter. Born in Altmar, New York, he moved to Connecticut in 1898 and later to New York City.-Biography:...
who convinced him to come 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...
to continue his education, learning there at 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...
and independently with artist Hans Hofmann
Hans 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...
. Pace's work as Abstract Expressionist during the 1950s, first displayed in New York at the Artists Gallery, was described by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
as consisting of "dark, energetically worked abstractions achieved through a distinctive blend of brushwork, drawing and staining". Time he spent in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and 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...
led Pace to create representational pieces depicting outdoor scenes, such as lobstermen and of his wife while she was gardening, as well as interiors and nudes done in his studio. Though his work often appeared to have been painted very quickly, Pace was often able to make subtle corrections, saying of himself that "You might call me a fake Zen painter".
Pace donated a series of paintings to the University of Southern Indiana
University of Southern Indiana
The University of Southern Indiana is a public university in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. This publicly funded institution has been among the fastest growingcomprehensive state universities in Indiana. Record fall enrollment in 2010 reached 10,702...
as part of a collection of 6,000 pieces of his work from as early as 1947, and he and his wife donated $1.5 million to found the Kenneth P. McCutchan Art Center/Palmina F. and Stephen S. Pace Galleries.
A resident of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and Stonington, Maine
Stonington, Maine
Stonington is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States, located on the southern portion of Deer Island. The population was 1,152 at the 2000 census. It includes the villages of Oceanville and West Stonington...
, Pace died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at the age of 91 on September 23, 2010, at St. Mary's Hospital in Evansville, after having lived for one year at an assisted-living facility in Evansville and then moving to his home and studio in New Harmony, Indiana. He was survived by his wife, Palmina Natalini.