Janice Biala
Encyclopedia
Janice Biala was a Polish
-born American painter well regarded both in France
and the United States
for her paintings of intimate interiors, portraits of her famous friends, and the places she traveled. In 1930, on a trip to Paris, she met and fell in love with the English Novelist, Ford Madox Ford
. Remaining with Ford until his death in 1939, Biala became the perfect representation of American bohemia
in France
signing her paintings simply as Biala
. Following the death of Ford in 1939, Biala returned to New York where she became one of the few women associated with the New York School befriending painter Willem de Kooning
and critic Harold Rosenberg
among others. In 1950 she participated in the important abstract expressionist discussion group at Studio 35 and exhibited frequently at the Stable Gallery
.
She married artist Daniel 'Alain
' Brustlein, a cartoonist for the New Yorker
, and the couple began a lifelong process of living and exhibiting between Paris and New York.
Biala's unique contribution to the rise of modernism
was celebrated throughout her lifetime from New York City
to Paris
. The albums of art history remark on her sublime assimilation of the School of Paris
and the New York School
of abstract expressionism
. Her career as an artist spans nearly eight decades and two continents.
Biala was the sister of painter Jack Tworkov
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born American painter well regarded both in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for her paintings of intimate interiors, portraits of her famous friends, and the places she traveled. In 1930, on a trip to Paris, she met and fell in love with the English Novelist, Ford Madox Ford
Ford Madox Ford
Ford Madox Ford was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals, The English Review and The Transatlantic Review, were instrumental in the development of early 20th-century English literature...
. Remaining with Ford until his death in 1939, Biala became the perfect representation of American bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
signing her paintings simply as Biala
Biala
Biała is a Polish word for white. It appears in many Polish toponyms:-Towns:* Biała, also called Biała Prudnicka, in Opole Voivodeship* Biała Piska, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship* Biała Podlaska, in Lublin Voivodeship...
. Following the death of Ford in 1939, Biala returned to New York where she became one of the few women associated with the New York School befriending painter Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
and critic Harold Rosenberg
Harold Rosenberg
Harold Rosenberg was an American writer, educator, philosopher and art critic. He coined the term Action Painting in 1952 for what was later to be known as abstract expressionism. The term was first employed in Rosenberg's essay "American Action Painters" published in the December 1952 issue of...
among others. In 1950 she participated in the important abstract expressionist discussion group at Studio 35 and exhibited frequently at the Stable Gallery
Stable Gallery
The Stable Gallery, originally located on West 58th Street in New York, was founded in 1953 by Eleanor Ward. The Stable Gallery hosted early solo New York exhibitions for artists including Robert Indiana and Andy Warhol.-History:...
.
She married artist Daniel 'Alain
Alain
Alain may refer to:* Alain , both a surname and common given name* 1969 Alain , a Main-belt Asteroid discovered in 1935* Al Ain International Airport in the United Arab Emirates...
' Brustlein, a cartoonist for the New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, and the couple began a lifelong process of living and exhibiting between Paris and New York.
Biala's unique contribution to the rise of modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
was celebrated throughout her lifetime from 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...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The albums of art history remark on her sublime assimilation of the School of Paris
School of Paris
School of Paris refers to two distinct groups of artists — a group of medieval manuscript illuminators, and a group of non-French artists working in Paris before World War I...
and the New York School
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
of 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...
. Her career as an artist spans nearly eight decades and two continents.
Biala was the sister of painter Jack Tworkov
Jack Tworkov
Jack Tworkov was a Polish born American abstract expressionist painter.He was born in Biała Podlaska, Russian Empire and immigrated to the United States in 1913 with his mother and younger sister who would later become known as Janice Biala...
.
External links
- Paintings by Janice Biala. http://www.tibordenagy.com