Stow Wengenroth
Encyclopedia
Stow Wengenroth was an American
artist
and lithographer, born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York. Wengenroth was once called "America's greatest living artist working in black and white" by the American realist painter Andrew Wyeth
, and he is generally considered to be one of the finest American lithographers of the twentieth century. He studied at the Art Students League of New York
under George Bridgman
and John Fabian Carlson from 1923 to 1927, then at the Grand Central School of Art
under Wayman Adams. Wengenroth was elected a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters (renamed the American Academy of Arts and Letters) in 1942 and was also a member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts and the Prairie Printmakers. He was elected an Associate of the prestigious National Academy of Design
in 1938, and a full Academician in 1941. Wengenroth was also the author of several influential books on lithography.
Wengenroth's lithographs are found in most major American collections, including the Library of Congress
, Whitney Museum of American Art
, and Metropolitan Museum of Art
. During his career, Wengenroth became well known for his detailed depictions of the seascapes and landscapes of New England
and, in particular, Maine
. As an artist, he eschewed colour in his lithographs but rather focused on shadow, light, and form to transmit detail and dimension. While his urban scenes of Manhattan
and the New York City
environs are especially coveted by the current market, Wengenroth was most adept at creating sincere yet vivid simulacra of the New England littoral
and interior.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and lithographer, born in 1906 in Brooklyn, New York. Wengenroth was once called "America's greatest living artist working in black and white" by the American realist painter 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 he is generally considered to be one of the finest American lithographers of the twentieth century. He studied at the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
under George Bridgman
George Bridgman
George Brant Bridgman was a Canadian-American painter, writer, and teacher in the fields of anatomy and figure drawing. Bridgman taught anatomy for artists at the Art Students League of New York for some 45 years....
and John Fabian Carlson from 1923 to 1927, then at the Grand Central School of Art
Grand Central School of Art
The Grand Central School of Art was an American art school in New York City, founded in 1923 by the painters Edmund Greacen, Walter Leighton Clark and John Singer Sargent. The school was established and run by the Grand Central Art Galleries, an artists' cooperative founded by Sargent, Greacen,...
under Wayman Adams. Wengenroth was elected a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters (renamed the American Academy of Arts and Letters) in 1942 and was also a member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts and the Prairie Printmakers. He was elected an Associate of the prestigious National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
in 1938, and a full Academician in 1941. Wengenroth was also the author of several influential books on lithography.
Wengenroth's lithographs are found in most major American collections, including the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, and Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
. During his career, Wengenroth became well known for his detailed depictions of the seascapes and landscapes of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and, in particular, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. As an artist, he eschewed colour in his lithographs but rather focused on shadow, light, and form to transmit detail and dimension. While his urban scenes of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
environs are especially coveted by the current market, Wengenroth was most adept at creating sincere yet vivid simulacra of the New England littoral
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
and interior.
Selected exhibitions
- 1998: Mary Ryan Gallery, New York: Black & White: Four Decades of Prints, 1905-1947
- 1996: Kennedy Galleries, New York: American Master Prints
Selected collections
- Library of Congress, Washington
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Fogg Museum of Art, Cambridge
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
- Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh
- Boston Museum of Fine Arts
- Boston Public Library
External links
- Artcyclopedia
- Brown University Library (Stow Wengenroth collection)
- Boston Public Library American Printmaking Collection (Stow Wengenroth collection)