Dana Levin (artist)
Dana Levin | |
---|---|
Born |
Dana Elizabeth Levin June 26, 1969 Alexandria, Virginia |
Nationality | American |
Education | School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Florence Academy of Art |
Known for | Painting, Drawing |
Movement | Classical Realism, Contemporary Realism |
Website |
www |
Dana Levin (born Dana Elizabeth Levin June 26, 1969) is an American Classical Realism painter. Trained in Florence, Levin is established as a portrait, landscape, still life, figurative, and interior painter.
Personal life
Levin was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1969, and soon moved with her family to Miami, Florida.[1] Since she was young, Levin enjoyed painting and drawing,[2] and she attended the Belvoir Terrace's summer fine arts program in Lenox, Massachusetts at the age of 14.[2][3]
Education
She graduated from the New World School of the Arts, a Miami high school,[1] and in 1990 graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[3]
She moved to Italy to train at the Florence Academy of Art under Classical Realism maestro Daniel Graves.[2][4] For three years she learned the techniques of European masters, and upon graduating joined the faculty to teach drawing and oil painting. She stayed at the academy for a total of eight years, as student and then educator.[2]
She has been influenced by her mentor, Daniel Graves, Jean-Léon Gérôme, R. H. Ives Gammell, and artists from The Boston School Painters, like Edmund Tarbell, Frank Weston Benson and William McGregor Paxton.[2]
Career
In 2005 she founded The New School of Classical Art (NSCA) in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with the intention of making contemporary works of the Realism movement more accessible and ongoing.[2][5]
In search of subjects for her paintings, Levin's travels have taken her throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and South America. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York and The New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut. She's been featured in Who's Who in American Art.[1] She is represented by Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in New York City, the Bert Gallery in Providence, Rhode Island, and Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. She has professional relationships with John Pence Gallery in San Francisco and Saks Galleries in Colorado.[6]
By 2010 she taught the Realism movement in her studio, combining of classical two-dimensional techniques for drawing and painting with observation of how she paints.[2]
She is, or has been, a member of the International Society of Realist Painters (ISRP)[7] and the International Guild of Realism (IGOR).[8]
Style
Levin's works are mainly in the revival of the Classical Realism and representational painting tradition.[3] However, she works in a range of genres and takes commissions for portraits and still life paintings.[7] She works in still life, portrait painting, interiors, florals, and figure painting utilizing oil paint, charcoals, and graphite pencils.
For inspiration, Levin has cited Rembrandt, Jean-François Millet, Jean-Jacques Henner, Pieter Bruegel, Ilya Yefimovich Repin, Valentin Serov, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Johannes Vermeer. She has stated that the symbolism she uses and the emotional impact she strives for is in part inspired by the writings of Carl Jung, the story the Epic of Gilgamesh, and especially the poetry of thirteenth century Jelaluddin Rumi.[9][10]
Exhibitions
- 2003 - "Realism Revisited," Hirschl and Adler Galleries, New York[11]
- 2009 - "Working From Life," Walsingham Gallery in Newburyport, Massachusetts[12]
- 2011 - "Reflections & Celebrations," Walsingham Gallery in Newburyport[13]
Awards and honors
- 2001 - Art Renewal Center International Scholarship Competition[2]
- 2002 - Fourth place, Art Renewal Center International Scholarship Competition[14]
- 2007 - First place, "24th Annual Showcase Portrait Category" – The Artist's Magazine[1][15]
- 2007 - American Artist Professional (AAPL) for Portrait of a Young Man, Ridgewod Art Association Award for Artistic Excellence[8]
- 2009 - Dianne Rudy Memorial Award – American Artists Professional League for "Heaven"[16]
Selected works
- Echo, oil on canvas, public collection[11]
- Flora, 2004, oil on canvas, private collection[11]
- Mountain Climber, 2005, oil on canvas, private collection[11]
- Orchids and Apples, 2007, oil on canvas, private collection[11]
- Portrait of a Young Man, 2007, oil on canvas, private collection, won portrait category of The Artist's Magazine[6][17]
- Silent Still Life, 2006, featured on cover of 2008 German edition of Who's Who in Visual Art 100 Artists[7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Fourth Alumni Exhibition". Florence Academy of Art. February 21, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ross, Sherry. "An Interview with Artist/Teacher Dana Levin". Art Renewal Center. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Dana Levin at Artworld". Art Gallery Worldwide. 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ↑ "Realism Revisited - The Florence Academy of Art". Panorama Museum. February 2003. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ↑ Sanford, Eve (June 8, 2010). "Alum Dana Levin (BFA 1991) Eyes Reality at the Wistariahurst Museum". School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- 1 2 "Dana Levin Craft Interview". The Providence Journal. 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Dana Levin – Premium Artist". The Painter's Keys. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- 1 2 "Awards of Guild Members - 2007" (PDF). International Guild of Realism. p. 17. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Dana Levin Interview – Classical Realist Artist". ArtQuotes.net. May 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ↑ Volpe, Christopher (2007). "A Legacy of Beauty: Paintings in the Boston School Tradition". Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ross, Sherry. "Hirschl & Adler: Realism Revisited, The Florence Academy of Art,". Art Renewal Center. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
- ↑ Wendy Killeen (October 11, 2009). "Globe North Best Bets". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA: The New York Times Company (accessed via HighBeam Research, subscription required). Retrieved December 24, 2013. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Wendy Killeen (January 16, 2011). "Globe North Arts: Provocative play". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA: The New York Times Company (accessed via HighBeam Research, subscription required). Retrieved December 24, 2013. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ American Artist. Watson-Guptill Publications. 2003. p. 4.
- ↑ Gilltrap, Angela (December 2007). "First Place – Dana Levin". The Artist's Magazine. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
- ↑ Russell, Melissa (December 17, 2009). "Finding 'Heaven': Artist is inspired by local news". The Reading Advocate. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ↑ Ross, Sherry. "Works highlighted in the article: An Interview with Artist/Teacher Dana Levin". Art Renewal Center. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
Further reading
- Art Now Gallery Guide: International. Art Now, Inc. January 2006. p. 16.
- The Boston School Legacy. Commonwealth Editions. 30 November 2006. pp. 12, 15, 35. ISBN 978-0-9711321-6-0.
- "Competition 2007". The Artist's Magazine (subscription or payment required). December 2007.
- "Emerging Artists, 20 artists under 40". The Artist's Magazine (subscription or payment required). March 2007.
- Frank Jewett Mather; Frederic Fairchild Sherman. Art in America. F.F. Sherman. p. 198.