|
An artist concerning Art Deco art and architecture, Hildreth Meière (1892-1961) was the artist behind some murals of the mid-twentieth century. The dynamic roundels of Dance, Drama, and Song at Radio City Music Hall, the Creation cycle and stained-glass windows at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan), and the iconographic suites at the Nebraska State Capitol, the National Academy of Sciences, and elsewhere—all are the work of Meière, a figure in American decorative art.〔Catherine Coleman Brawer and Kathleen Murphy Skolnik, The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meiere: Andrea Monfried Editions, 2014.〕 == Biography == After studying at New York's Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, Meiere studied in Florence. Upon studying the works of the Renaissance Masters, she is quoted as saying, "After that I could not be satisfied with anything less than a big wall to paint on. I just had to be a mural painter."〔Don Chandler, (Hildreth Meiere Profile )〕 She furthered her studies at the Art Students League of New York, California School of Fine Arts, San Francisco (now San Francisco Art Institute), the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, New York School of Applied Design for Women and the Beaux Arts Institute of Design.〔McGee, Celia. ''If These Walls Could Speak, They'd Say Her Name''. New York Times, May 2, 2014. C19, C28-C29.〕 After training as a mapmaker, Meière served her country as a draftsman in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Finding work in a male-dominated field was difficult for her, so she began her career as a costume designer for theater actresses, a field more common for women at the time. In 1923 she was commissioned to decorate the dome of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. by architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.〔Lauren Knapp , (Slide Show: New Exhibit Brings Mosaic of Hildreth Meière's Life Out of Obscurity ), PBS, 5nApril 2011〕 Meiere and sculptor Lee Lawrie became members of the loose "repertory company" of artists assembled by Goodhue, and she came to work on many different projects with him. One of these, the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, which she began before the NAS dome was even completed, became her pièce de résistance featuring eight separate examples of her work.〔National Building Museum, (Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meière ), 2011〕 During Meiere's successful career, spanning 30 years and working on over 100 commissions, she became well known for contributing well-integrated public art mosaics to many landmark buildings and is most closely associated with the Art Deco movement. Some of Meiere's best work is visible throughout her hometown of Manhattan, although reportedly she was proudest of her work on the Nebraska State Capitol. When World War II broke out, Meiere served on the Citizen’s Committee for the Army and Navy, providing portable altar pieces for military chaplains. This campaign created over 500 mobile 4’x6’ triptychs, 70 of her own design which could be used on base-camps, battleships, and hospitals worldwide. She taught first aid for the Red Cross after the US entered World War II.〔International Hildreth Meiere Association, Biography (http://www.hildrethmeiere.com/Biography.html), from "Hildreth Meiere - Her Life and Times," written by Hildreth Meiere c. 1955.〕 Asked how to say her name, she told ''The Literary Digest'' (which spelled the name Meière) "It is of French origin and I pronounce it ''mee-AIR''. My father's family anglicized the pronunciation to ''meer'', but I have always used the more proper form." 〔Charles Earle Funk, ''What's the Name, Please?'', Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.〕 Hildreth Meiere died in 1961. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hildreth Meiere」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|