John Edward Costigan

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John Edward Costigan (1988-1972) was an American artist. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Costigan was mainly self-taught. He is known for his strong brush stroke and an interest in the common person as a subject. He portrays his people as deeply rooted in the soil that they work, humble yet dignified and contented. His most famous mediums are oil and watercolor painting as well as etchings and lithographs. The firm that he had worked for closed during the depression and in 1920’s he decided to buy a farm in Orangeburg, New York to paint. His subjects were his wife and his child. In 1928, he became a member of the National Academy of Design.