John E. Dowell Jr.
American printmaker, professor (b. 1941)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Edward Dowell Jr. (born 1941) is an American printmaker,[1] painter, and educator. He was a professor of printmaking at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia.[2]
Tyler School of Art (BFA),
Tamarind Institute
John Edward Dowell Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941 (age 84–85) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Art Students' League of Philadelphia, Tyler School of Art (BFA), Tamarind Institute |
| Occupations | Visual artist, printmaker, educator, painter |
| Known for | Etching, lithography |
| Website | johndowell |
Life and education
Dowell was born on March 25, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[3] and grew up in a housing project there. As a child, he explored art with his brother by copying the work in Lone Ranger comics.[1]
When he was young he took classes at the Art Students' League of Philadelphia.[4] Dowell studied at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University (now Tyler School of Art and Architecture), where he was mentored by ceramist Rudolf Staffel.[1] He graduated from Tyler School of Art in 1963.[5] He mastered his printmaking skills at the Tamarind Institute in Los Angeles, California, where he worked as a senior printer.[6]
Career
His work is influenced by abstract expressionists Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, and Jackson Pollock[1] and jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor.[7] While visiting Bahia, Brazil in 1988, Dowell explored interest in traditional African religions. He later converted to the voodoo religion,[8] but later was defrocked from the Voodoo priesthood.[9]
Dowell is well known for works keyed to music.[1] He often focuses on abstract visual representations of poetry and music, notably jazz.[2] In the late 1980s, he focused on art related to the voodoo religion. These works were inspired by voodoo forces and spirits.[8]
Dowell's first individual exhibition was at the Swope Art Museum in 1968.[1] Dowell's canvas, ceramic, and print works are showcased at over 70 museums worldwide, and he has had more than 50 solo exhibitions.[7] He has also participated in a number of group exhibitions,[1] including in "Philadelphia Teaches Printmaking" at Philadelphia's Print Club in 1978.[6] His works are featured in many collections,[1] including the Minneapolis Institute of Art,[10][11] the Philadelphia Museum of Art,[12] and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[13] Dowell also recorded photographic images of the President's House archaeological site.[7]
Dowell's work was featured in the 2015 exhibition We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s at the Woodmere Art Museum.[14]
Dowell has received many awards for his work, including the James Van Der Zee award from the Brandywine Workshop,[15] and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.[2]