User:Missioncanyon art/harry

Harry Carmean Born August 5, 1922, Anthony, Kansas

Harry Carmean is an American painter known for his figurative paintings based on the work of the old masters. The ideas of the Renaissance, Baroque, Mannerist and Impressionist art can all be seen in his work to varying degrees. He is known for practicing a form of drawing known as “draughstmanship” in which specific art ideas are consistently applied throughout a drawing. He was an instructor at Art Center College of Design from 1952 through 1996 and has taught thousands of students.

Harry Carmean was first a singer before becoming an artist. After serving in WWII he quit singing and began studying art at École des Beaux-Arts in France and later at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. It was there that he met the painter Lorser Feitelson who strongly influenced Carmean’s work. Carmean became involved with a circle of artists that including Feitelson, Helen Lundeburg, colorist Stanton MacDonald Wright and Frederick Hammersley.

In the 1960’s he began a series of paintings featuring a family theme. These were done in a simple manner with muted colors and showed the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque art. It was at this time that Carmean came into his own as a painter and his compositions became more involved. In the sixties Carmean was featured regularly on Feitelson's award winning television show "Feitelson on Art" on KNBC in Los Angeles. In the seventies he continued to further explore the compositional ideas of past masters culminating in a series of Spanish café paintings characterized by a strong use of light and dark and an emphasis on defining forms. In the early seventies he began a series of etchings depicting interior scenes and nudes which continued through the 1990’s. From the 1970’s through the 1990’s Carmean also completed a series of small wax sculptures inspired by the work of Rodin and Degas. In the late 1980’s his style shifted and he began a new series of paintings depicting acrobats and dancers. In contrast to his early paintings, Carmean now focused on the on the use of white and his paintings had a lighter, more impressionistic feel. The acrobat theme originated from his early days as a singer and from his experiences in the entertainment world. In these works the compositions became increasingly complex with Mannerist elements, setting precedents in terms of classical composition. In the late 1980’s he also began a series of erotic drawings, etchings and paintings. In 1997 upon retiring from Art Center he moved from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, California where he continues to draw and paint.

Exhibitions and Museums
Westmont College, Montecito 2007

Karpeles Manuscript Museum, Santa Barbara 2001

Los Angeles Art Association, 1970

Marymount College, Los Angeles, CA 1962

Oakland Museum of California, current

Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA, current

Red Deer College, Canada, current

Television:
“Feitelson on Art”, KNBC, Los Angeles 1964-5

"The Incredible Human Machine" National Geographic Society television program, 1975 “Carmean/Slater, the Figurative Tradition", Channel 21, Santa Barbara CA 2007

"Creative Community", Channel 21 Santa Barbara, CA 2007

Category: American artists Category: Contemporary painters Category: Living people Category: Printmakers Category: Drawing