User:Shipwreckedtoadstool921/sandbox
Veronica Helfensteller | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1910 Fort Worth, TX |
| Died | September 30, 1964 (aged 54) Tucson, AZ |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Blanche McVeigh |
| Alma mater | Washington University in St. Louis Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Fort Worth School of Art |
| Known for | Printmaking, painting |
| Notable work | Cienega Willow; Three Virgins, Three Giraffes and a Turtle; The Artists and the Tiger; Doorway Aviary |
| Movement | Fort Worth Circle |
| Spouse | Haakon J. Ogle |
| Elected | President, Fort Worth Artists Guild 1939 |
Biography
[edit]Veronica Helfensteller (1910–1964) was an American painter and printer,[1] who was a member of the Fort Worth Circle, a group of artists in Fort Worth, Texas, active in the 1940 and 1950s.
Born in 1910, Helfensteller's parents were Armin and Louise Helfensteller. She lived in Fort Worth during her early years. In 1926-27, she studied at the School of Fine Arts, Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri) before continuing her studies at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (Colorado Springs, Colorado).[2]She later studied at the International School of Art in Budapest Hungary[3].
Helfensteller exhibited her works in a solo show at the Fort Worth School of Fine Arts in 1938. Animals were at the center of many of Helfensteller's works. They were often depicted in fantastical, allegorical settings.[4] In 1944, she began an etching that was attended by other Fort Worth Circle artists.[5] “She was very friendly and outgoing,” he said. “She had flashing eyes like a gypsy. She was a nice-looking woman. She was pushy, but a lot of those artists were or they wouldn’t have survived.”[FWWeekly]
Helfensteller was one of six artists from the Fort Worth group whose work was shown in the Weyhe Gallery in New York in 1944.[6] Kelly Fearing, Dickson Reeder, Bror Utter, Lia Cuilty, Bill Bomar, Cynthia Brants and others would meet at Helfensteller's to work on their art.[7] After the group separated, Helfensteller moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico[8] and Guatemala[9].
Her work was shown in the retrospective exhibition "Beyond Regionalism: The Fort Worth School (1945–1955)" (Albany, Texas, 1986); in the exhibition "The Texas Printmakers, 1940–1965" (Meadows Museum, Dallas, 1990), and the exhibition "Prints of the Fort Worth Circle, 1940–1960", (Archer Milton Huntington Art Gallery, 1992). Her work is held in the collections of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.[10]
Later she moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she taught art history and art appreciation at the Valley School for Girls.[11]
She died in Tucson, Arizona in 1964.[11]
Art
[edit]Veronica Helfensteller's artwork was influenced by the artists around her. As an member of the Fort Worth Circle, she was one of the Texas Modernists, whose works were influenced by American Regionalism, European Cubism and Surrealism[9]. Helfensteller was an avid traveler and these travels influenced her work. Hoops and Kites (1948) incorporates a number of hieroglyphic figures, which reference Mayan hieroglyphics she would have seen in Guatemala. This work balances her Latin American travels with those of the Southwest[3].
Her works had been largely forgotten until gallery owner, Dutch Philips discovered some of her letters at an estate sale[3]. Upon discovering her art, Dutch Phillips organized the first exhibition of sale of her work in over 40 years[9].
Her work could be strange, which added to her exotic persona. “Her subject matter was macabre, stuff like children in a cemetery flying kites,” Dow said. He described her as odd, “like most artists are.” [FWWeekly]
References
[edit]- ^ Vogel 2000, p. 61. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVogel2000 (help)
- ^ Kovinick & Yoshiki-Kovinick 1998, p. 136.
- ^ a b c Wilson, Wade (June 6, 1994). "Bringing home the brilliance of a Fort Worth School notable". Fort Worth Star Telegram.
- ^ Grant., Barker, Scott (2008). Intimate modernism : Fort Worth Circle artists in the 1940s (1st ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Amon Carter Museum. p. 61. ISBN 9780883601037. OCLC 180989563.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Grant., Barker, Scott (2008). Intimate modernism : Fort Worth Circle artists in the 1940s (1st ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Amon Carter Museum. p. 189. ISBN 9780883601037. OCLC 180989563.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Vogel, Donald S. (2000). Memories and Images: The World of Donald Vogel and Valley House Gallery. U of North Texas P. p. 58. ISBN 9781574411171.
- ^ Szilagyi, Pete (September 5, 1992). "Fort Worth art comes full circle - Exhibition recalls abstract movement". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
- ^ Vogel 2000, p. 124. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFVogel2000 (help)
- ^ a b c Veronica Helfensteller (1910)-1964). Fort Worth, TX: Dutch Philips & Co. [1994].
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ Curlee, Kendall. "Helfensteller, Veronica". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ a b Sherrod, Katie, ed. (2007). Grace & gumption : stories of Fort Worth women. Fort Worth, TX: TCU Press. p. 169. ISBN 9780875653525. OCLC 104870146.
Bibliography
[edit]- Kovinick, Phil; Yoshiki-Kovinick, Marian (1998). An encyclopedia of women artists of the American West. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292790636.
- Vogel, Donald S. (2000). Memories and Images: The World of Donald Vogel and Valley House Gallery. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 978-1-57441-117-1.
Category:1910 births
Category:1964 deaths
Category:Washington University in St. Louis alumni
Category:American women painters
Category:20th-century American painters
Category:American printers
Category:Artists from Texas
Category:20th-century women artists