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Herman Cohen was an American artist and teacher, creating primarily modern art from the 1940s through 1990. Say something important about the topic.

Life and Career
Herman Cohen was born in Philadelphia, USA in 1922. His parents were Louis and Sarah Cohen. His family moved to Atlantic City. As a boy, he was fascinated with the diving horses that would dive from great heights into water at Atlantic City's Steel Pier. After much pestering the handlers taught him how to do the dive, which he then adopted as something of a dangerous hobby (that remained a secret from his parents).

His family moved to Philadelphia and Herman attended West Philadelphia High School. He became an Eagle Scout, learned traditional rudimental drumming, played in the Philadelphia All-City High School Orchestra and the Archer-Epler Drum and Bugle Corp, composed music for drums, and was an early member of the National Association of Rudimental drummers. His love for classical music continued throughout his life.

Herman entered Villanova University in approximately 1941. With the outbreak of WWII, his entire class left school to join the armed forces. Herman served as a US Army paratrooper (apparently still interesting in jumping from great heights) and attained the rank of second lieutenant. He saw action in New Guinea, receiving two purple hearts for combat injuries. In a display of artistic flair, humor, and perhaps rebellion, he painted Japanese insignia on his army helmet. He refused to discuss the war with his family. However, after his passing years later, in his papers were found short stories he wrote describing terrible events in the jungles of New Guinea.

After the war he attended Temple University's Tyler School of Art. The Tyler approach was from the ground up - to the point of teaching students to grind their own paints. One day a professor had all the students turn their canvases to the wall. After inspecting each he held up Herman's canvas, declaring, “This is the best piece.” He felt the craftsmanship that went into stretching the canvas carried through to the painting. At Tyler Herman met Boris Blai - Tyler's founder and dean – and developed what became a lifelong friendship. Blai was responsible for rescuing many of Auguste Rodin’s sculptures from Nazi Germany and bringing them to the United States.

After graduation, Herman taught art at Vare Junior High School in Philadelphia and then at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in New Jersey. He continued his studies and received a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. At Glassboro he was on the Art Department faculty and friends with Burt Wasserman, Herbert Appleson, and Robert Mitchell.

Herman married Hanni Lore Friedler and had two children, Linda Cohen and Ronald Cohen.

Herman exhibited his art at Glassboro and the Philadelphia Museum of Art but declined other exhibitions (including turning down the OK Harris Gallery) after being rejected from a juried show because “We do not accept computer art." (His work was done by hand.) He said he was doing his art for himself. He experimented with visual techniques and media, including pen and ink, poured ink, fabric designs, sculpture, and photography. His photographic work included studies of patterns founds in nature, and dynamic "op-art" imagery using rotating polarizing filters.

Herman's work was noticed by Edward Fischer, who had been a Bauhaus student and friend of Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Josef Albers, Oscar Schlemmer, Walter Gropius, and Bauhaus founder Marcel Beuer. Herman and Fischer became friends. Herman visited Fischer at Fisher's "Waldenmark" home (designed by Gropius and Breuer) and the two traded artworks. Presumably some of Herman's works remain in the Fischer family collection to this day.

Herman donated some of his artworks to the State of Israel and a Christian seminary.

In addition to his art and teaching, Herman was an avid antique collector and classical music fan.

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