Tom Lee Rost, Jr. (1909-2004)

“No biographical information was found.” That is the statement on the website of the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s research department under the heading for “Tom Rost.” That is unfortunate, because Rost’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obituary can readily be found online. Here are some details from it. Rost’s family moved to Milwaukee from Indiana when he was young. He attended high school in Milwaukee and attended Milwaukee State Teachers College (MSTC) from 1926-1930. He was an artist/illustrator at a local Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in the early 1930’s (Camp Honey Creek). Rost told me he did similar work at the Boerner Botanical Garden in Hales Corners, Wisconsin; that is, making drawing of the work projects there. In 1936 he began working for the Milwaukee Journal as an illustrator (He told me that Robert Von Neumann got him that job) and stayed there until 1945. During the war years he created many military maps for the newspaper. After the war he moved to New York City to work as a commercial artist. After five years, he moved back to Milwaukee and cofounded an advertising and illustration firm. During this time Rost worked as a freelance commercial artist, creating a number of magazine covers for the likes of “Field and Stream” and other similar publications.

I first met Rost in the 1990’s. I was searching for information on Wisconsin artists of interest to me, and I just looked him up in the phone book. I found someone with his name, but not knowing if it was the same person, I sent a letter of polite inquiry. With it, I sent a list of artists whose work I sought. He turned out to be the person I was looking for and I got a speedy reply from Rost. He invited me up for a visit and we got along well. He told me my list of artists “brought back a flood of memories.” He said he had forgotten many of those artists, but I could see in his eyes that he remembered much, too. We chatted for some time. I ended up buying some of his prints from the 1930’s, as well as some prints he got from other artists in “art trades.” We met several more times. One time I asked him about a specific print of his that showed CCC workers peeling potatoes in the camp kitchen. He remembered the print, but said they were all gone. Then he thought for a moment and said that he still had the block and offered to pull a new print for me. I readily accepted. Not long after, I visited again and he gave me the print. What a fantastic experience for me. At that time Tom was about ninety years of age, and I think he enjoyed pulling the print as much as I did receiving it.

What Rost’s obituary didn’t say was that he created well regarded WPA murals that can still be found in three Midwest post offices; two in Wisconsin---Elkhorn (1938) and Lancaster (1940), and one in Paoli, Indiana (1939). He also created a number of prints for the WPA, but the exact number is uncertain. He was a charter member of the Wisconsin Printmakers, a group that originated in 1935. His prints can be found in two of their Wisconsin Artist Calendars, 1936 and 1937. He exhibited numerous times with the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and at the Wisconsin Salon in Madison, Wisconsin in the 1930’s. He also exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and other institutions.

 

Tom Rost  "Excavators"   woodcut  11.25"h x 15"w  1934

Tom told me this was his favorite print.

 

 

Tom Rost "Camp Honey Creek"   woodcut  4"h x 6"w  1934

 

 

Tom Rost   untitled (Newspaper Seller)  woodcut  5"h x 8"w  no date

 

 

Tom Rost  "Winter Farm Chore"  woodcut  11"h x 14.25"  1933

 

 

Tom Rost  untitled (Outside the Factory)  woodcut  11"h x 13.25"w  1934/35

I have two of this print. One is dated 1934 the other 1935.

 

 

Tom Rost  untitled (Mixing Cement)  woodcut  12"h x 15.5"w  1934

 

 

Tom Rost  "Dump Wagon"  woodcut 10.75"h x 14.24"w  no date

 

 

Tom Rost  "Quarry at Grafton" (Grafton, Wisconsin)  woodcut  4"h x 6"w  no date

I have seen this print with the title "Lime Kiln".

 

 

Tom Rost  "Lunch Hour"  woodcut  8"h x 10"w  no date

 

 

Tom Rost  "Caulkers"  woodcut  6.5"h x 8.75"w  1934

 

 

Tom Rost  "Peeling Potatoes"  woodcut  10"h x 8"w  no date

I think the original date was 1934. Rost printed this in the late 1990's but I don't know if it is considered a restrike, since it was pulled by the artist himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Howard W. Thomas (1899-1971) was born in Ohio and studied art at Ohio State University, followed by study at the Art Institute of Chicago. He began teaching art to high school students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1923, continuing to 1930. He was director of the art education department at Milwaukee State Teachers College (MSTC) from 1930-1936. In the later 1930’s, I believe Thomas was head of the WPA art program in Milwaukee. Right now I can’t locate my documentation for that, but I believe it to be accurate. By the mid 1940’s Thomas had moved south, first at the University of North Carolina, and then the University of Georgia, where he spent the rest of his career.

While at MSTC, Thomas was exposed to other teachers in the art department, most notably Carl Holty. Holty was already making modernist art, and Thomas was influenced by Holty. Thomas mostly worked in the modern idiom after WWII. The University of George held an exhibition for Thomas (possibly after his death), and they produced a nice catalog, albeit a slim one. I can’t seem to locate that right now, either, unfortunately. As I recall, it mostly pertained to his later work.

Thomas’s Wisconsin years were very active in the local art community. He was a member of the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and also the Milwaukee Printmakers. He exhibited with both of them many times. He also participated in many national exhibitions. He exhibited at the Milwaukee Journal Gallery of Art, which operated from 1924-1931.

 

Howard W. Thomas "Jones Island, Seventeen"  oil on board, 16"h x 20"w 1937

Jones Island is in Milwaukee. This painting has two exhibition labels.

The Art Institute of Chicago "American Paintings and Sculpture" show (no year)

The "National Exhibit of American Art" in New York City, 1939

 

 

Howard W. Thomas "Wells Street Bridge" (Milwaukee) linocut 9.75"h x 5.25"w, signed, no date

 

 

Howard W. Thomas "Still Life"  woodcut, 6"h x 5"w, signed, 5/6, 1936

This print was featured in the Milwaukee Printmakers Artist Calendar for 1936.

 

 

Howard W. Thomas  "Jones Island"  woodcut, 4"h x 5"w, unsigned, 1936

This print was also featured in the 1936 calendar.

 

 

Howard W. Thomas  "Indian Pony" linocut, 4"h x 5"w, signed, 24/24, 1938

 

 

Howard W. Thomas "Farmer with Chew" woodcut, 7.5"h x 6"w, signed, 5/5, no date

A nearly identical print by Thomas appeared in the 1936 Wisconsin Artist Calendar with the title "Jefferson County Farmer."

 

 

Howard W. Thomas "Nauvoo Hollow"  wood engraving, 6"h x 7.5"w, signed, 3/24, no date

This print appeared in the 1938 Wisconsin Artist Calendar.

 

 

Howard W. Thomas untitled ("Monday In Wick Haven") linocut, 6"h x 5"w, unsigned, no date

This print appeared in the 1937 Wisconsin Artist Calendar, with the title.

 

 

Howard W. Thomas "White Horse"  color etching, 7"h x 9.75"w, estate signed, 1952

 

 

Howard W. Thomas  "Swallows Come Out"  lithograph, 11.25"h x 14.5"w, signed, no date

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Von Neumann, part 2
This is a continuation of my previous blog on this wonderful Wisconsin artist, and it features more of his prints. Like many prolific artists, Von Neumann was not very fastidious in documentation of his work. He usually signed his prints, but only rarely dated them. Sometimes I have located three identical prints, all with different (but similar) titles. Also, he rarely issued his prints in editions. None of this really matters much to me, but it will make the job of doing a catalogue raisonne a formidable challenge. I like his work no matter what, but it would be nice to be able to date them, to better understand his growth as an artist.
Although Von Neumann's style and subject matter have the WPA (Works Progress Administration)feel to them, he was never part of the program. He was always employed, and you had to be unemployed to qualify for the WPA.

Robert Von Neumann  "Great Lakes Harbor"  woodcut, 8.5"h x 11"w, signed, no date
I think that it is fairly likely that this is Jones Island, Milwaukee.

Robert Von Neumann  "Wharf at Jones Island" (Milwaukee)  lithograph, 10"h x 7.25"w, signed, no date

Robert Von Neumann untitled, woodcut, 8.5"h x 11"w, signed, no date
I have seen this print with the title "The Sawyers"

Robert Von Neumann  untitled  woodcut, 9"h x 12"w, signed, no date

Robert Von Neumann "On the Shore of Lake Superior" woodcut, 8"h x 11"w, signed, no date

Robert Von Neumann  untitled, woodcut, 8.75"h x 11"w, signed, no date

Robert Von Neumann  untitled, woodcut, 11"h x 8.5"w, signed, 1934

 

Robert Von Neumann  untitled, woodcut, 11"h x 8.5"w, signed, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann  untitled (feeding cows)  linocut, 8.5"h x 11"w, signed, no date

Robert Von Neumann  "Reeling the Nets"  lithograph, 5.75"h x 9.75"w, signed, no date

Robert Von Neumann  untitled, woodcut, 8.25"h x 11"w, signed, no date

 
Robert Von Neumann  "The Last of the Lot"  lithograph, 6.75"h x 10.5"w, signed, 11/25, no date
This is one of the few prints that indicates a specific edition
I have had a couple of print experts look at this print to better determine the technique. So far no definitive answer on that.

Robert Von Neumann (1888-1976) was arguably Wisconsin’s most significant artist of the first have of the 20^th Century. He was extremely prolific, creating many prints and paintings, he exhibited widely, and as a teacher he influenced many other artists.

Robert Von Neumann was born in Germany in 1888. He studied art in Germany, fought in World War I, and taught for some years in Berlin after the war. He also worked as an illustrator and a lithographer in Germany. Along with his wife, he emigrated to America in 1926 and settled in Milwaukee. He soon started teaching at Milwaukee’s Layton School of Art, and shortly thereafter began teaching at Milwaukee State Teachers College (later the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), where he spent the remainder of his teaching career, retiring in 1959.  Over the years he actively participated in many arts organizations, and exhibited numerous times. He exhibited at the Milwaukee Journal Gallery of Art, with the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors, at the Wisconsin Salon in Madison, Wisconsin, with the Milwaukee Printmakers, and other groups. He also participated in national organizations and exhibitions, most notably at the Chicago Art Institute (on numerous occasions), with the Prairie Printmakers, and also the Associated American Artists. (AAA was a New York based concern that brought art to the masses, offering original prints by fine artists, many of whom were already well known, or later became noteworthy.)

Von Neumann’s favorite subject matter was working people---you will quickly see that theme in the numerous prints that I will show. From the considerable amount of his work that I have seen, I have loosely classified his categories as commercial fishing, lumbering, farming, and landscapes. You will see examples of all of these in this blog and future blogs. Because Von Neumann was so prolific I intend to profile him in different blogs, possibly not all in sequence. I may decide to take a break from “Vonnie” to showcase some other artists. I have my prints sorted by size, for ease of storage, so this first blog will be Von Neumann’s smallest prints.

 

Robert Von Neumann  "Supper on the Boat"  woodcut, 6"h x 5"w, signed, no date

This print was featured in the 1936 Wisconsin Artist's Calendar

 

 

 

Robert Von Neumann "The Trout Net" woodcut, 6"h x 5" unsigned, no date

The print, aka "Fishermen", was featured in the 1936 Wisconsin Artist's calendar

 

 

Robert Von Neumann "Reeling the Nets"  wood engraving, 5" h x 6"w, signed, no date

This print was featured in the 1938 Wisconsin Artist's Calendar

This print has a label from the 1943 San Francisco exhibition of Drawings and Prints

 

 

Robert Von Neumann "Fishing" etching, 5"h x 7"w, signed, no date

 

 

Robert Vo Neumann  Untitled (fisherman) woodcut, 6"h x 5"w, signed, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann "Morning" etching, 6"h x 8"w, signed, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann untitled ("Reapers")  woodcut, 6"h x 5"w, unsigned, no date

This print was feature in the 1936 Wisconsin Artist's Calendar, titled "Reapers"

 

 

Robert Von Neumann   untitled (lumberjacks) etching, 6"h x 8"w, signed, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann  untitled (fishermen)  etching, 6.5"h x 9.5"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann  untitled (fisherman)  etching, 7"h x 5"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann  "Beaching the Boat"  etching, signed, no date

 

 

Robert Von Neumann  untitled (women working in field) mezzotint, 8"h x 9.5"w, unsigned, no date

 

 

 

 

Ruth Grotenrath (1912-1988) was a well-known Wisconsin artist. She was a Milwaukee native; she went to college there, earning her degree and teaching certificate at Milwaukee State Teachers College in 1933. She is listed on the 1934 WPA (Works Progress Administration) Wisconsin artist list. She created three WPA murals at post offices in the Midwest, including one in Hudson, Wisconsin. She created prints in the pre-WWII era, but I have not been able to determine if she made any for the WPA. She did submit prints for possible acceptance in the “Artists for Victory” program, but it is not clear if any were accepted. I have seen one list of program participants, and Grotenrath was not on the list, but the program lasted for several years so there were probably multiple exhibitions. The “Artists for Victory” program was a national program meant to boost America’s wartime morale through art, via posters, prints, and paintings, in exhibitions and shows.

Grotenrath’s style started to change sometime in the late 1940’s. It became much more colorful and the subject matter became more whimsical. There is a sizable write-up on Grotenrath in “German-American Artists in Early Milwaukee” by Peter C. Merrill. Merrill says “Grotenrath’s work from the early 1930’s tended to be somber in tone and serious in subject matter, but by the mid-1940’s she had begun to turn to brighter colors.” Her introduction to serigraphy at this time proved to be an effective media for her artistic endeavors. Serigraphs are often fairly large and usually have at least several colors.

Ruth Grotenrath was a member of Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and often participated in their exhibitions, starting in the 1930’s. She also exhibited at the Wisconsin Salon of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the late 1930’s into the 1950’s. She was also accepted for the prestigious Wisconsin Centennial exhibition of 1948.

 

Ruth Grotenrath  oil on board, untitled, signed, undated
This was a study for Grotenrath's mural at the Hudson, Wisconsin Post Office.

Ruth Grotenrath   "Steve"   lithograph, 12"h  x  8"w, undated
There is an unidentified exhibition label with the print.

Ruth Grotenrath   "Market"   lithograph, 13"h  x  10"w, undated
This print has an unidentified exhibition label.

Ruth Grotenrath   "Going Home"   lithograph, 14"h  x  9"w, signed, undated

Ruth Grotenrath   "Slavic Worker"   lithograph, 9"h  x  7"w, signed, undated

  
Ruth Grotenrath   "Studio Corner"   linocut, 8"h  x  8"w, signed, undated

Ruth Grotenrath   "Posterity in Color"    color linocut, 9"h  x  6"w, signed, undated
I showed this print to Schomer Lichtner, Grotenrath's husband, when I visited him in the 1990's. He had never seen it before and felt that it was made before 1934.

Ruth Grotenrath   "Chicken Motif"   serigraph, 9"h  x  10"w, signed, undated

Ruth Grotenrath   "The Pond"   serigraph, 11"h  x  20"w, signed, undated
The book "150 Years of Wisconsin Printmaking" dates this print to 1948