Raymond Jonson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raymond Jonson (1891-1982) was an American-born Modernist painter known for his paintings of the American Southwest.
Jonson was born in Chariton, Iowa in 1891, but grew up in Portland, Oregon. At twenty, Jonson attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Later, he continued the development of his technical skills Chicago Art Institute. In 1913, Jonson was strongly affected by the avant-garde works displayed in the Armory Show, particularly the works of Wassily Kandinsky. His artistic theories were further developed by Kandinsky's book On The Spiritual In Art. [1]
From 1912 to 1917, Jonson worked as the art director for the avant-garde Chicago Little Theater. He also taught at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts until 1920. In 1922, Jonson's life was changed when he visited New Mexico for the first time. The experiences and sights of this short visit to Santa Fe, convinced Jonson to move to New Mexico in 1924 to focus on painting the southwestern landscapes. In New Mexico, Jonson started the Atalaya Art School and the Modern Art collection at the Museum of New Mexico. In 1934, Jonson began teaching art at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Then, in 1938, he co-founded the Transcendental Painting Group with Emil Bisttram.[2]
The Jonson Gallery at the University of New Mexico was established in 1950. Jonson retired from the University of New Mexico in 1954.
Raymond Jonson died in 1982.
[edit] External links
The Jonson Gallery at University of New Mexico
City Perspectives, 1932 from the Portland Art Museum
Variations On Rhythm P, 1932 from the Dallas Museum of Art
Composition 7 - Snow, 1928 from the Dallas Museum of Art
Raymond Jonson Colores PBS episode on Google Video
