John Day (1932-1982
Visa pour Hereke.
Visa for Erebos.
Oil on canvas 24 inches diameter 61 cms
Exhibited Galerie Dorethea Speyer 1965 Groupe 69
John Day was born in Malden, Massachusetts on May 27, 1932; his father was a physician who became an anaesthesiologist and his mother was a classical pianist/teacher.
After graduating from Malden High School (1949), where he had already exhibited his talent for and commitment to painting, he spent a year (1949-1950) at Syracuse University‘ s School of Art, before transferring to Yale University’s School of Art & Architecture. During his years there (1950-1957) he studied with Josef Albers, Burgoyne Diller, and James Brooks.
Still seeking his own “voice,” his early work in the 50’s was a mix of styles and subjects—everything from landscapes to collages. In the early 60’s he worked on a series of collages* known as the Billboard series. Meanwhile, he was spending several summers in France and, through his friendship there with a young Greek artist, Theo Stavropoulos, Day developed an interest in Greek mythology. This would come to the fore with his Erebos series during 1961-62, a phase that began with his find of a scrapbook with photographs of Victorian and Edwardian actors and singers; he proceeded to make what are technically collages, although many of the works require close examination to see the photographs under his painting; also, although seemingly a dramatic break from the colour field mode he had studied with Albers, many of the Erebos works incorporate almost pure colour field elements.
In 1958 he started teaching studio art at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, attaining the rank of associate professor during 1965-1970. In 1970 he became a professor of art at William Paterson College in New Jersey, holding this post until his death in 1982.
Although he maintained a studio in New York City, he began to spend more of his free time in Bridgehampton, Long Island, where in 1974 he acquired a home and studio. His work continued to evolve: the Pompeiian series (1978-79) based on ancient frescoes, and his Infanta series (1980-82), based on Velasquez’s Infanta paintings: both these phases eschewed literal representation of the subject matter, instead employing the mode of colour field painting to express the essence, the mood, evoked by the original works.
A meticulous artist, serious about his craft and goals, Day would make quite elaborate studies and sketches for many of his works; he also never lost his intense interest in colour, arriving at a highly sophisticated theory of colour that was based on mathematical sequences, in turn related to musical composition.
Although he did not choose to portray his fellow humans with realistic representations, his self-portrait of 1962 reveals he did possess this ability. Day was also a highly articulate and sensitive wordsmith, particularly when it came to expressing his views about his own work and the role of art in general.
He continued his devotion to serious art until his death in New York City on April 15, 1982, one of the first known victims of AIDS.
Although Day may not have gained the public reputation of the major American artists of his time, he had his own share of recognition, having won numerous awards, prizes and grants: French government scholarships, stays at Yaddo and the McDowell Colony, an Ingram Merrill Foundation grant, numerous first prizes at judged exhibitions.
From 1961 through 1984, he had almost annual one-man exhibitions at galleries in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Paris and elsewhere.
He also was included in numerous group exhibitions, including those at.
The Whitney Museum of American Art.
The Museum of Modern Art.
The Brooklyn Museum in New York City.
The American Embassy in London.
The Musée Pompidou, Paris France.
The Foundation Maeght.
Marseilles’ Musée Cantini in France.
The Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton New York.
The Montclair Museum in New Jersey.
The Harmon Gallery in Naples, Florida.
His works are in countless public and private collections including.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The National Museum of American Art in Washington DC.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
The Guggenheim Museum in New York .
The Musée Pompidou in Paris, France.
There are several monographs devoted to Day and his work: John Day, with an Introduction by Karl Lunde and One Day a recent biography of the life of John Day available through iain@artadvisor.ch
Submitted by John Bowman, a lifetime friend of John Day Ask Art 2025.
Antiques.co.uk Ref: GW9T9KY6H
- Maker/Artist:
- John Day
- Materials:
- Oil on canvas
- Width (cm):
- 61 cms
- Height (cm):
- 61 cms
- Depth (cm):
- 61 cms
Price: RESERVED
Please note that this price may NOT include delivery charges which the seller may charge extra for.
