Frank J. Reilly
Encyclopedia
Frank J. Reilly A.N.A. was an American painter
, illustrator, mural
ist, and teacher. He taught drawing and painting at the Grand Central School of Art, and illustration at Pratt Institute and Moore College of Art. However, he is best known for his twenty-eight years of instructing at the Art Students League of New York
and establishing the Frank J. Reilly School of Art in the early sixties, where he taught until his death in 1967.
from 1927 through 1931. Frank was admitted as a student into George Bridgman
's drawing class. It was required that prospective students take an entry test. "I had boned up for this important event by studying art pose number one, the front view, using Mr. Bridgeman's book as a source of information" . Reilly served as his class monitor from 1927. Reilly began lecturing at the League in 1933, and upon Bridgeman's death in 1943 took over the figure drawing class. His painting instructor at the League was Frank Vincent Dumond.
He also taught at the Grand Central School of Art from 1934 to 1937, and at Moore College of Art and Design
, and Pratt Institute
from 1951 to 1953.
Reilly served as apprentice to famed illustrator Dean Cornwell
, his friend and neighbor, and assisted him on several murals, including the Los Angeles Library Murals and one in the Raleigh Room of the Warwick Hotel in New York City.
He held the positions of Art Commissioner of New York City, President of the Council of American Artists Societies, Vice President of the National Society of Mural Painters, and Vice President of the Art Students League.
His illustration clients included Continental Distilling Corporation, the Pennsylvania Railroad and Philadelphia Whiskey. In 1947 he completed a series of twelve historical painting for the Continental Distilling Corporation that were released as lithographs and print ads. Reilly created murals for the Bronx High School of Science and the Johnson City Courthouse in Tennessee. He taught mural painting at the National Academy of Design.
, had studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme
, a student of Paul Delaroche. Bridgeman also studied with Gustave Boulanger
.
His painting instructor Frank Vincent DuMond attended the Académie Julian, where he studied under artists Gustave Boulanger and Jules-Joseph Lefebvre. Dumond also studied with Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, who had been a student of Alexandre Cabanel
.
Reilly was further influenced by American illustrator Dean Cornwell
. Cornwell had studied with Frank Brangwyn and Harvey Dunn. Dunn had been a student of Howard Pyle
.
He is especially noted for developing a means of organizing the palette, based partially on the work of 19th-century colorist Albert H. Munsell. Following Munsell's view of separating color into hue, value and chroma, Reilly organized the figure-painting palette in this manner, creating nine values of neutral grey as a control, with corresponding values of red, orange and fleshtone. A value based palette was also developed for landscape painting.
His classes at the Art Students League and the corresponding landscape classes held in Woodstock, NY were consistently full and students on the wait list numbered in the hundreds. In the early 1960's he left the League to establish the Frank J. Reilly School of Art in the nearby Steinway Hall Building at 111 West 57th Street.
"He taught drawing and painting, values and color, for 28 years, at the Art Students' League of New York....His classrooms were always jammed to the doors; it is said that, in all he had more pupils that any art teacher in history". Memorial tribute by Henderson Wolfe.
, Jack Faragasso, Fred Fixler, Gordon Johnson, Carl Hantman, Doug Higgins, Clark Hulings
, Ronnie Lesser, Frank Liljegren, Peter Max
, Gerald McConnell, George Passantino and Robert Emil Schulz are among them. Reilly's teaching influence continues today with instructors Michael Aviano and Jack Faragasso as well as their students John Ennis, Jon deMartin, Graydon Parrish
, Neilson Carlin and many more.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, illustrator, mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
ist, and teacher. He taught drawing and painting at the Grand Central School of Art, and illustration at Pratt Institute and Moore College of Art. However, he is best known for his twenty-eight years of instructing 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...
and establishing the Frank J. Reilly School of Art in the early sixties, where he taught until his death in 1967.
Background
The son of a Broadway stage manager, Frank J. Reilly was born August 21, 1906, in New York City. He studied at the Art Students League of New YorkArt 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...
from 1927 through 1931. Frank was admitted as a student into 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....
's drawing class. It was required that prospective students take an entry test. "I had boned up for this important event by studying art pose number one, the front view, using Mr. Bridgeman's book as a source of information" . Reilly served as his class monitor from 1927. Reilly began lecturing at the League in 1933, and upon Bridgeman's death in 1943 took over the figure drawing class. His painting instructor at the League was Frank Vincent Dumond.
He also taught at the Grand Central School of Art from 1934 to 1937, and at Moore College of Art and Design
Moore College of Art and Design
Moore College of Art & Design educates students for careers in the visual arts. Moore is an independent college of art and design. Located in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Moore is the first and only women's visual arts college in the nation, and one of only two in the world...
, and Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
from 1951 to 1953.
Reilly served as apprentice to famed illustrator Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell was an American illustrator and muralist. His oil paintings were frequently featured in popular magazines and books as literary illustrations, advertisements, and posters promoting the war effort. Throughout the first half of the 20th century he was a dominant presence in American...
, his friend and neighbor, and assisted him on several murals, including the Los Angeles Library Murals and one in the Raleigh Room of the Warwick Hotel in New York City.
He held the positions of Art Commissioner of New York City, President of the Council of American Artists Societies, Vice President of the National Society of Mural Painters, and Vice President of the Art Students League.
His illustration clients included Continental Distilling Corporation, the Pennsylvania Railroad and Philadelphia Whiskey. In 1947 he completed a series of twelve historical painting for the Continental Distilling Corporation that were released as lithographs and print ads. Reilly created murals for the Bronx High School of Science and the Johnson City Courthouse in Tennessee. He taught mural painting at the National Academy of Design.
Influences
Frank Reilly's teaching heritage is linked to the French academy of the 19th century. His drawing instructor, George BridgmanGeorge 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....
, had studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme
Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as Academicism. The range of his oeuvre included historical painting, Greek mythology, Orientalism, portraits and other subjects, bringing the Academic painting tradition to an artistic climax.-Life:Jean-Léon Gérôme was born...
, a student of Paul Delaroche. Bridgeman also studied with Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Boulanger
Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger was a French figure painter known for his Neo-Grec style. He was born at Paris, studied with Delaroche and Jollivet, and in 1849 took the Prix de Rome. His paintings are prime examples of academic art of the time, particularly history painting...
.
His painting instructor Frank Vincent DuMond attended the Académie Julian, where he studied under artists Gustave Boulanger and Jules-Joseph Lefebvre. Dumond also studied with Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant, who had been a student of Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel was a French painter.- Biography :Cabanel was born in Montpellier, Hérault. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter...
.
Reilly was further influenced by American illustrator Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell was an American illustrator and muralist. His oil paintings were frequently featured in popular magazines and books as literary illustrations, advertisements, and posters promoting the war effort. Throughout the first half of the 20th century he was a dominant presence in American...
. Cornwell had studied with Frank Brangwyn and Harvey Dunn. Dunn had been a student of Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.__FORCETOC__...
.
Teaching
Reilly developed a figure drawing method that began with six basic structural lines, a framework upon which the figure could be constructed.He is especially noted for developing a means of organizing the palette, based partially on the work of 19th-century colorist Albert H. Munsell. Following Munsell's view of separating color into hue, value and chroma, Reilly organized the figure-painting palette in this manner, creating nine values of neutral grey as a control, with corresponding values of red, orange and fleshtone. A value based palette was also developed for landscape painting.
His classes at the Art Students League and the corresponding landscape classes held in Woodstock, NY were consistently full and students on the wait list numbered in the hundreds. In the early 1960's he left the League to establish the Frank J. Reilly School of Art in the nearby Steinway Hall Building at 111 West 57th Street.
"He taught drawing and painting, values and color, for 28 years, at the Art Students' League of New York....His classrooms were always jammed to the doors; it is said that, in all he had more pupils that any art teacher in history". Memorial tribute by Henderson Wolfe.
Legacy
Many of Reilly's students went on to forge professional art careers. Gerald Allison, Michael Aviano, James BamaJames Bama
James Bama is an American artist known for his realistic paintings and etchings of Western subjects. Life in Wyoming led to his comment, "Here an artist can trace the beginnings of Western history, see the first buildings, the oldest wagons, saddles and guns, and be up close to the remnants of...
, Jack Faragasso, Fred Fixler, Gordon Johnson, Carl Hantman, Doug Higgins, Clark Hulings
Clark Hulings
Clark Hulings was an American realist painter. He was born in Florida and raised in New Jersey. Clark also lived in Spain, New York, Louisiana, and throughout Europe before settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the early 1970s...
, Ronnie Lesser, Frank Liljegren, Peter Max
Peter Max
Peter Max is a German-born Jewish American artist. At first, works in this style appeared on posters and were seen on the walls of college dorms all across America. Max then became fascinated with new printing techniques that allowed for four-color reproduction on product merchandise...
, Gerald McConnell, George Passantino and Robert Emil Schulz are among them. Reilly's teaching influence continues today with instructors Michael Aviano and Jack Faragasso as well as their students John Ennis, Jon deMartin, Graydon Parrish
Graydon Parrish
Graydon Parrish is a realist painter living in Austin, Texas. He is both trained in and an exponent of the atelier method which emphasizes classical painting techniques.-Life:...
, Neilson Carlin and many more.