Santos Zingale  (1908-1999)

Santos Zingale was a well-known and widely respected Wisconsin artist and teacher of art. He was born in Milwaukee and studied at Milwaukee State Teachers College (MSTC) under highly regarded artists Gustave Moeller, Robert Von Neumann, Elsa Ulbricht, and Howard Thomas. He was affiliated with federal art programs as early as 1937. He created several murals in Wisconsin---in Sturgeon Bay, Racine, and at Marquette University. According to “WPA Artwork in Non-Federal Repositories (Edition 2)” he created work for the WPA at various times during the years 1935-1942. I suspect there are probably other WPA works that are unrecorded. He received a master degree in education from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and began teaching art there in 1946. He worked with John Steuart Curry when Curry was artist in residence at UW-Madison. Zingale retired from UW-Madison in 1978.

Santos Zingale exhibited widely. In Wisconsin, with the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors beginning in 1930; with the Wisconsin Salon of Art beginning in 1937, into the 1950’s, and in other venues such as the Wisconsin Centennial Exhibition of 1948. He also exhibited numerous times around the United States.

Santos Zingale  "Scrub Ladies"  lithograph, 7 1/4"h x 8 3/4"w, signed, no date.

 

Santos Zingale  "The Thing"  lithograph, 8"h x 9 3/4"w, signed, 1938.

There is a record of a painting and print titled "Junk Man"---maybe the same image?

 

 

Santos Zingale  "On Relief"  woodcut, 11 1/2"h x 9"w, signed, no date.

 

 

Santos Zingale  "Lodi"  lithograph, 11 1/4"h x 17"w, state 1, ed. 21, signed, no date.

Lodi is a town near Madison, Wisconsin.

 

 

Santos Zingale  "Blackhawk No 1"  lithograph, state 1, ed. 10, signed, 1950.

 

 

Santos Zingale  "Air Raid"  woodcut, 12"h x 9 1/2"w, signed, 1937.

I have seen this print with the tittle "Refugees."

 

 

Santos Zingale  "Cigar Sniper"  lithograph, 7 1/2"h x 9 1/2"w, signed, 1937.

 

 

Santos Zingale  untitled etching (?), 7"h x 7 1/2"w, 1/1, no date.

The signature on this print seems to be authentic. However, the subject and technique is unusual for Zingale. So is the small edition. I found it in Wisconsin. Maybe someone can verify this print.

 

 

Santos Zingale  untitled oil on canvas, 23 1/4"h x 36 1/2"w, signed, 1934 (or 1939)

This is nearly identical to a painting at the Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, titled "Fall." It is on the cover of an exhibition catalog called "Wisconsin's New Deal Art."

 

 

Santos Zingale "Madison Gas and Electric"  oil on canvas, 23 1/2"h x 29 1/2"w, signed, ca 1950

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alfred Sessler (1909-1963)

Alfred Sessler was a prominent Wisconsin artist and art teacher. Most of the information about Sessler in this blog is gleaned from two sources. “Progressive Printmakers: Wisconsin Artists and the Print Renaissance,” a book published in 1999, and “The Prints of Alfred Sessler,” an exhibition catalog from 1988, published by the Wisconsin Academy Gallery.

Sessler studied art at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1930’s. He was part of the Treasury Relief art project from 1935-37. He participated in the Federal Art Project from 1937-1942. He created two Post Office murals for the WPA (Lowell, Michigan and Morris, MN.) He received a degree from Milwaukee State Teachers College in 1944, and a Master’s Degree from UW-Madison in 1945. He joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1946.

At his position at the University, his enthusiasm influenced many students, and I’m guessing he probably influenced some of the other staff members. The Print Department flourished. Sessler pioneered some of new printmaking techniques, particularly in the realm of color prints.

Sessler began exhibiting in the 1930’s, both prints and paintings. He participated in many Wisconsin exhibitions, particularly with the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors, and at the Wisconsin Salon of Art. His work appeared in at least one of the cart calendars produced by the Milwaukee Printmakers in the late 1930’s. He also had a one man show at the Smithsonian, and was in group shows at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran in Washington, D. D., and the 1939 World’s Fair. He also exhibited at the Walker in Minneapolis, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Library of Congress, and others. He received numerous awards.

 

Alfred Sessler "City Dump" oil on board  8"h  x 7.5"w  signed, 1945

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Log"  lithograph, 3.25"h x 6"w, signed, no date

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Xmas tree lumberjack"  lithograph, 4"h x 3.5"w, signed, no date

 

 

Alfred Sessler untitled (two portraits)  lithograph, 3"h x 2"w (each), signed, 1960

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Berlin"  lithograph, 5.75"h x 2.5"w, signed, 1938

Pictured in "American Art Today", art exhibition catalog for the New York World's Fair, 1939

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Cold World II" lithograph, 6"h x 6.75"w, 10/25, signed, 1951

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Track Worker" lithograph, 7.75"h x 3.25"w, 12/20, signed, 1951

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Farmer" lithograph, 6"h x 4"w, ed 10, signed, no date

 

 

Alfred Sessler  (untitled)  etching, 6.75"h x 4.25"w, 1/4, signed, no date

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "3 Ladies"  lithograph, 10"h x 7.25"w, ed 15, signed, 1955

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Hamburger Joint"  lithograph, 3.25"h x 4.75"w, signed, no date

 

 

Alfred Sessler  "Clown Bandsman" lithograph, 14.75"h x 10"w, signed, 1952

This print is also known as ""Clown Majordomo"

 

 

Alfred Sessler "Night Rider #1" woodcut, 7"h x 5"w, signed, no date

 

 

Alfred Sessler "Pageant Prelude" lithograph, 8.25"h x 5.75"w, 10/11, signed, 1938

 

 

Alfred Sessler "Dragon Root" color woodcut, 11.75"h x 21"w, ed 10, signed, 1958

 

 

Alfred Sessler "Tree Dancer"  color woodcut, 18"h x 11.25"w, 9/10, signed, 1958

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer (1892-1982)

Hulda Rotier Fischer was a well know Milwaukee, Wisconsin artist and teacher, exhibiting widely from the 1930’s well into the 1950’s. Fischer studied at the Milwaukee Normal School under Robert Von Neumann. She also studied under Carl Holty, and when in Provincetown, Massachusetts, under Hans Hofmann. She taught art in Milwaukee at the Shorewood Vocational School.

Fischer has sometimes been erroneously described as being married to the well- known Milwaukee artist Peter Rotier (1888-1963). They were not married. Peter Rotier was her cousin.

Hulda Fischer participated in the local WPA project but I have never seen any of her work that was definitely made for that project. She also made at least one print for the World War 2 era effort known as “Artists for Victory.” I have never seen any of those prints, but I have seen the documentation for at least one.  

Fischer was a member of the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and exhibited with that group starting in the 1930’s, up into the late 1950’s. She also exhibited with the Wisconsin Salon of Art in Madison, Wisconsin. Fischer also participated in the Wisconsin Calendar of Art project in the late 1930’s, sponsored by the Milwaukee Printmakers, though I have not been able to confirm that she was a member of that group. She also exhibited at the Wisconsin Centennial Art Exhibition in 1948.

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Melon Pickers" lithograph, 5"h x 8"w, 1940, signed

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Farm Lads" lithograph, 5"h x 3"w, 1942, signed

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Late Fall" lithograph, 7"h x 6.5"w, no date, signed

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Farm Woman" lithograph, 7.75"h x 6"w, 11/13, 1942, signed

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Baldy's Ranch Tavern" woodcut, 5"h x 6"w, no date, signed

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer untitled (wild antelope) woodcut, 3"h x 3.75"w, unsigned, no date

I have seen this print with Fischer's signature.

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "My Log House Studio at Holy Hill", 10"h x 7.5"w, signed, no date

Holy Hill is northwest of Milwaukee.

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Red Desert Wyo" lithograph, 8.5"h x 11.5"w, 62/106. signed, no date

The large edition for this print makes me wonder if it was made for "Artists for Victory."

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Holy Hill Church" lithograph, 10"h x 11.75"w, 1/35, signed, 1940

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Abstraction A C" lithograph, 7.75"h x 8.75"w, signed, no date

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Still Life Abstraction" lithograph, 7.5"h x 8.75"w, signed, no date

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Early Winter" lithograph, 10"h x 12.25"w, signed, no date

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer "Composition" oil on board, 16"h x 20"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer untitled (farmyard) oil on board, 12.5"h x 16.5"w, signed, 1932

 

 

Hulda Rotier Fischer untitled (rainy intersection) oil on board, signed, no date

I think this is a later painting, judging by the type of bus, but that is a guess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair (1890-1955)

In his day, Gerrit V. Sinclair was one of Wisconsin’s most significant artists. His influence was felt as an artist, and also as a teacher, having taught numerous artists who went on to become influential in their own right---Joseph Friebert, Karl Priebe, Edmund Lewandowski, Alfred Sessler, Gerhard Bakker, and others. Sinclair was a member of Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and exhibited with that group many times from the 1920‘s into the 1950’s. He also exhibited at the Wisconsin Salon of Art in Madison, Wisconsin from the 1930’s into the 1950’s, and at the Milwaukee Journal Gallery of Art, which operated from 1924-1931. He won many prizes. He also exhibited at national institutions and many private galleries, locally and around the country, including New York City. I haven’t been able to confirm that Sinclair was a member of the Milwaukee Printmakers (founded 1935), but he was an active printmaker at the time of their founding. He participated in the three artist calendars that they produced in 1936-1938. The 1934 government report on the WPA (Works Progress Administration) lists Sinclair as a participant, but one had to be unemployed to be in the program, so he must not have been teaching in that year. Also, Sinclair created a WPA mural in Wausau, Wisconsin in 1940. I doubt he was in the WPA every year from 1934-40. The WPA artists weren’t paid all that much, and Sinclair had a wife and two children. I don’t know if there is anyone around who can clarify this one way or the other. We’ll see.

Today Sinclair is recognized primarily as a painter, but in this blog I will be highlighting his prints. In both paintings and prints, Sinclair rarely created art that didn’t include human activity. He must have truly loved people. He depicted scenes of everyday life of the average person.  

Sinclair was born in Michigan but grew up in Chicago. He attended the School at the Art Institute of Chicago. Sinclair served in the army in World War 1. After the war, he taught briefly in Minneapolis and then Milwaukee. The Layton School of Art (Milwaukee) was founded in 1920, and Sinclair was on the faculty that first year.  He taught there until 1954.

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair   "Jefferson Street"  (Milwaukee)   linocut, 6.25"h x 8.25"w, signed, 1937. This print appeared in the 1939 Wisconsin Artist Calendar.

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair linocut, 5"h x 6"w, untitled, signed in the plate, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  "Cambridge Ave Boat House" (Milwaukee) linocut, 6.5"h x 8.25"w, signed 1937

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  "And Two Cars"  linocut, 6.25"h x 8.25"w, signed, 1935

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair untitled (North Avenue Market) (Milwaukee)  linocut, 5.25"h x 6"w,

signed in the plate.  This print was in the 1938 Wisconsin Artist Calendar,

with the title "North Avenue Market."

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  "Ox Bow"  lithograph, 8.5"h x 12"w, signed, no date

Ox Bow is an art school in Saugatuck, Michigan. This print is annotated "To Fritzi Brod (Chicago artist) ---for helping me with my first lithograph"

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  "Bar"  linocut, 8"h x 5"w, signed, 1937

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (village square, maybe Saugatuck) lithograph, 8.25"h x 10"w,

unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (Mike's Drive In)  lithograph, 8"h x 11.75"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (baseball)  lithograph, 8.25"h x 9.75"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (three men and a dog)  lithograph, 8"h x 9.5"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (couple on bicycle) lithograph, 9.5"h x 8.25"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (Juneau Ave Bridge, Milwaukee)  linocut, 4"h x 5"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (people on bridge) linocut, 4"h x 5"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (Provincetown)  etching, 3.75"h x 4.75"w, signed in the plate, no date

 

 

Gerrit V. Sinclair  untitled (Provincetown) etching, 3"h x 3.75"w, signed, 1922

Sinclair made a number of etchings while in Provincetown, Massachusetts.