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American Impressionist David Rosenthal - 19th and early 20th century

Rosenthal was born in Cincinnati in 1876 to Samuel Rosenthal, a German-Jewish immigrant who established his own printing company, S.Rosenthal Co.

As a young man David studied landscape, cityscape and portraiture in the United States and Europe. In the 1890’s he studied in Munich and later in Dachau, Germany and in Florence and Milan. His work follows lineage of John Twachtmann, Lewis Meakin, Frank Duveneck and Joseph Sharp (3), and identifies mostly with the German School of artistic expression.

He, along with his peers, exhibited work in many cities in the US and Europe; Rosenthal was especially well known in the art scene between Rome and Berlin.

In Cincinnati he became a sought after portrait painter in the social circles of the upper class. During this time he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt for the Columbus, Ohio courthouse.

In 1910 he wed and within 4 years he had two daughters. His family of “pragmatic business people”  (1) did not believe that he would be able to support his family while being an artist set him up as the owner of a bubble gum factory. It is said that the gum was awful and Rosenthal was most always in his studio during business hours (2). However, due to the business, Rosenthal’s artistic career was put on hold but thankfully was rekindled in later years-especially after the business was sold to Wrigley in 1945 (3). It was during this time that copper plate etchings became his main focus.

In 1939 he shared his Cincinnati studio with Max Pollack who was also working as an etcher at that time. During these years he also maintained studios in Atlantic City and Miami, FL.

David Rosenthal passed away in Cincinnati in 1949, the NY Times published his obituary. Since then some of Rosenthal’s work is held by the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles, California,, The Art Institute of Chicago, the NY Public Library, the Phyllis Weston Gallery,  and the Cincinnati Art Museum.

"David Rosenthal, along with many other students who studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati under Frank Duveneck and his distinguished colleagues, represents the flowering of the visual arts in the Queen City in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It is not surprising that he chose to study abroad in Germany and Italy, as Duveneck did, or that, like his teacher, he became an accomplished etcher. It is fitting that Rosenthal’s significant contributions should be retraced in the present exhibition and his achievement as an artist celebrated." —Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Written by Amy Opperman Cash, granddaughter and Allison DeDominick, ARTe: Finger Lakes Art Coordination, 2012.

References: 1. Gadiel, Karen. "Rosenthal Rediscovered: CSMA Spotlights Work of Prolific Printmaker ." Ithaca Timea [Ithaca] 23 02 11, n. pag. Print. 2. Drix, Pamela, and Amy Cash. "David Rosenthal: Project Grant." Section of Grant Proposal (2002): 1-2. 3. Complied by a grandson from family accounts (written records and memorabilia).