User:Artstarette

Julie Richman

Julie Richman (December 07, 1931) is an American artist known for abstract paintings which combine organic and geometric forms, colliding planes, patterns, and multiple perspectives. Her images are about creating shapes that appear to move in an imaginary space during the passage of time. While best known as a painter, Richman also produces drawings, prints, mixed-media works and artist books. She has exhibited in venues including the Art Institute of Chicago, The Springfield Art Museum, the Hyde Park Art Center, the State of Illinois Gallery, and Illinois State College, Ukrainian Museum of Modern Art. She was educated at Wright Jr. College, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois Chicago. Her works are in the permanent collections of many major American Corporations, institutions and individual collections such as that of David and Reva Logan.

Life

Richman was born in Chicago to Max and Pearl Drechsler, who emigrated from Hungary. Her father was a tailor. Her mother was a dressmaker known for creating unique dresses for her clients. Growing up with the colorful fabrics used in her parents shop inspired her to draw on any paper available to her. She saw the Disney animated film, Snow White in 1938 and that experience also left a strong impression on her. Disney's vibrant colors and drawing influenced her as an artist. She attended Roosevelt High School and attended the Saturday School of the Art Institute of Chicago on a scholarship and then graduated from Wright Jr. College. Afterwards, she took classes in ceramics at the Art Institute with Leah Balsham. She married Phil Richman in 1953 and was a stay at home mother to her three daughters but she continued classes at the Hyde Park Art Center as a student of Don Baum. Richman became a board member of that organization and was very active in its exhibition program until returning to college in 1965 to  study art with Richard Koppe and Roland Ginzel at the newly opened art program at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle.

She received a BFA with highest honors from the University of Illinois in 1967 and her MFA in 1978.

Career

Richman's art has always been characterized as abstract, somewhat expressionist combined with a strong interest in floral motifs, color and geometric shapes.