Billy Morrow Jackson
Encyclopedia
Billy Morrow Jackson was an American
painter.
Jackson was born in Kansas City, Missouri
in 1926. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Washington University in Saint Louis, and later received an MFA from University of Illinois at Urbana, where he later taught. Over the course of his education, Mr. Jackson was taught by Max Beckmann
, Fred Conway and Abraham Rattner
. In addition to the Bureau of Reclamation's commission, Mr. Jackson received several other government commissions. These include paintings for NASA
to record the Apollo space program, and paintings in the state capitol buildings of Olympia, Washington
and Springfield, Illinois
.
All of the paintings that he completed for the Bureau of Reclamation are watercolors, however, Mr. Jackson is probably better known for his oils of the Midwest. After beginning in printmaking, specifically woodcut
s and lithographs, he made the shift to painting with Still Life with Postage Stamp in 1955. The expressionism and flat, two-dimensional, patterned prints of his earlier years gave way to increasing naturalism. Realism as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism
gained a significant following starting in the late 1960s, the most visible of the movement being the photorealists
and the super-realists, artists such as Richard Estes
and Chuck Close
. While Billy Morrow Jackson was certainly painting in a realist manner, his use of ambiguity (imperfect or rough lines, for example) and his use of light for compositional purposes also linked him to the historic American Luminist school of the 19th century. The Luminists tended to depict landscape scenes (in the tradition of John Constable
and Joseph M. W. Turner) with a romantic sensibility, much like Jackson was doing. The sky is a dominant feature in many of Jackson's paintings, pushing the horizon line down towards the bottom of the canvas. The empty fields and solitary farm houses impart a sense of vastness and expanse that is enhanced by his use of perspective. Some of Jackson's later works moved indoors, where he exploited walls and doors to impart depth as well as employing perspective. Jackson's paintings recall the paintings of Andrew Wyeth
and Edward Hopper
in their use of realism to convey feelings of isolation and vastness.
Jackson died in 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter.
Jackson was born in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 1926. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Washington University in Saint Louis, and later received an MFA from University of Illinois at Urbana, where he later taught. Over the course of his education, Mr. Jackson was taught by Max Beckmann
Max Beckmann
Max Beckmann was a German painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement...
, Fred Conway and Abraham Rattner
Abraham Rattner
Abraham Rattner was an American artist, best known for his richly colored paintings, often with religious subject matter. During World War I, he served in France with the U.S. Army as a camouflage artist.-Early life:...
. In addition to the Bureau of Reclamation's commission, Mr. Jackson received several other government commissions. These include paintings for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to record the Apollo space program, and paintings in the state capitol buildings of Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
and Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
.
All of the paintings that he completed for the Bureau of Reclamation are watercolors, however, Mr. Jackson is probably better known for his oils of the Midwest. After beginning in printmaking, specifically woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s and lithographs, he made the shift to painting with Still Life with Postage Stamp in 1955. The expressionism and flat, two-dimensional, patterned prints of his earlier years gave way to increasing naturalism. Realism as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
gained a significant following starting in the late 1960s, the most visible of the movement being the photorealists
Photorealism
Photorealism is the genre of painting based on using the camera and photographs to gather information and then from this information creating a painting that appears photographic...
and the super-realists, artists such as Richard Estes
Richard Estes
Richard Estes is an American artist, best known for his photorealist paintings. The paintings generally consist of reflective, clean, and inanimate city and geometric landscapes. He is regarded as one of the founders of the international photo-realist movement of the late 1960s, with such painters...
and Chuck Close
Chuck Close
Charles Thomas "Chuck" Close is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits...
. While Billy Morrow Jackson was certainly painting in a realist manner, his use of ambiguity (imperfect or rough lines, for example) and his use of light for compositional purposes also linked him to the historic American Luminist school of the 19th century. The Luminists tended to depict landscape scenes (in the tradition of John Constable
John Constable
John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...
and Joseph M. W. Turner) with a romantic sensibility, much like Jackson was doing. The sky is a dominant feature in many of Jackson's paintings, pushing the horizon line down towards the bottom of the canvas. The empty fields and solitary farm houses impart a sense of vastness and expanse that is enhanced by his use of perspective. Some of Jackson's later works moved indoors, where he exploited walls and doors to impart depth as well as employing perspective. Jackson's paintings recall the paintings of Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
and Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
in their use of realism to convey feelings of isolation and vastness.
Jackson died in 2006.