The prismatic palette of Frank DuMond

Date

Mar 21, 2024 6:00 PM

Location

Smith library

Sponsor

Salmagundi Library Committee

Admission

Open to the public
RSVP required

$15 | General admission
FREE | Salmagundi members

About the Event

This talk by fine artist and Salmagundi member, John A. Varriano, explores the prismatic palette of legendary Art Students League instructor, Frank Vincent DuMond (1865-1951), using Dumond’s rarely seen impressionistic masterpiece, “Autumn in Lyme” (1925).

A painting of a rock in the woods.

Dumond’s painting is a freely brushed view of boulders, trees, and yellowing leaves bathed in sunlight. It is a scene familiar to all who have observed the countryside around Old Lyme in the fall. This evocative image brilliantly demonstrates on canvas the principles of the prismatic palette that DuMond used in his own work and taught to generations of students. The painting reveals his love of nature and his profound study of light and atmosphere.

The Salmagundi library is privileged with the rare opportunity to exhibit the original oil painting. It will be displayed for viewing in the Library during the lecture.

Frank Vincent DuMond (1865–1951) was a key figure in American art and art education. He was a skilled painter and draftsman with great technical facility and a keen eye for color. He studied in Paris at the Academie Julian from 1889 to 1891 and upon return to the U.S., he found work as an illustrator for Harpers, Century, and other publications. DuMond began teaching at the Art Students League of New York in 1892, where he taught for nearly 60 years, guiding and instructing multiple generations of artists including such notable figures as John Marin and Norman Rockwell. He spent summers teaching and painting landscapes en plein air. DuMond and his wife Helen, also an artist, were founding members of the Lyme Art Colony and lived in Lyme, CT beginning in 1906.

Hungry?

Salmagundi members are welcome to reserve for dinner in the dining room via our Reservations page.

A man standing in front of a painting of the ocean.

About the Speaker

John A. Varriano is a respected and award-winning representational artist for over 30 years. As an artist and instructor, John focuses on how to carefully observe nature and expressively translate the language of light into the language of paint. He studied at The Art Students League of NY with Frank Mason and Gustave Rehberger. His numerous awards include the 2022 Philip Isenberg memorial award at the Salmagundi Club Annual Members’ exhibit, the 2016 AAPL Alden Bryan memorial award for traditional landscape and the 2015 Allied Artists of America ‘Florence and Ernest Thorne memorial award’ for his portrait work. John was one of 20 artists chosen to display work in the International Fine Art exhibition at Agora Galley in Chelsea, NY. He has been featured in numerous publications such as Fine Art Connoisseur and was profiled in a November, 2017 issue of Plein Air Magazine.

John served on the Board of Directors of the Art Students League for several years and was President in 2005 and 2006. He currently serves as a trustee and vice president for the Artists’ Fellowship. John is a member of the Salmugundi Club, the Portrait Society of America and the Allied Artists of America, and previously served as a board member of the Hudson Valley Art Association.

John is an instructor of painting and drawing at the Art Students League of New York and The Woodstock School of Art. He teaches landscape painting, figure drawing and prismatic palette workshops in New York and New Jersey.  John’s portrait commissions are in numerous private and public collections, including the Yale Club in NYC.  He is represented by Mark Gruber Gallery in New Paltz, NY and Lockwood Gallery in Kingston, NY.

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