John A. Mallin (was born ''Johann Malinkowitsch''; April 14, 1883 — January 9, 1973) was a
Czech-American mural
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
and
fresco painter in the
Chicago area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...
in the 20th century. He painted many church interiors for the
Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...
, often working after the
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
and builder
Henry J. Schlacks completed the structure of a church.
Biography
Mallin was born Johann Malinkowitsch on April 14, 1883 in the town of
Bischofwart (now Hlohovec) in what was then Lower Austria, and is now the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. His parents both came from families of
vintners
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:
*Cooperating with viticulturists
*Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to deter ...
. At the age of fifteen, he became an apprentice at the School of the Interior and Decorative Painters Guild in Vienna. Johann was apprenticed to a series of master trainers in the painter's trade from April 1, 1898 until April 1, 1902. Until 1906, he continued to live and work near his home as a painter's assistant with a number of employers, some of whom were his former master instructors. His work ledger indicates a high level of satisfaction with his performance and demeanor. He was often let go "because of lack of available work." In search of a more secure future, he shortened his name to Mallin and came to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1907.
[Mallin, Katherine. "John Anton Mallin: Ecclesiastical Artist and Decorator in Twentieth-Century Chicago", ''Sacred Architecture Journal'', vol. 32, Fall 2017, Institute for Sacred Architecture, Notre Dame University]
/ref>
He settled in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
. One of his first jobs was as a decorator of façades for the Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago. In 1918, he formed his own decorating company, John A. Mallin, Interior Art Decorations. He specialized in church decoration and ecclesiastical painting as well as art glass and mosaics. He stated his philosophy in one of his commercial brochures: "As there is nothing too good for God, so there is nothing too rich or too precious for God's earthly homes, His churches..."[
His business flourished. In one of his brochures, he lists over 50 churches as references, most in ]Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, but some in Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
and Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. Eventually, he moved his studio to 2252 W. Devon Avenue
Devon Avenue is a major east-west street in the Chicago metropolitan area. It begins at Chicago's Sheridan Road, which borders Lake Michigan, and it runs west until merging with Higgins Road near O'Hare International Airport. Devon continues on ...
. His son joined the studio and specialized in gold leaf applications. He decorated more than 100 churches in his lifetime.
He died on January 9, 1973, at the age of 89.[ He has a crypt in the crematorium at the Bohemian National Cemetery, which still has his decorations from the 1920s.
]
Churches with John A. Mallin Art
* St. Adalbert Parish, South Bend
* St. Vincent de Paul Church (Chicago)
* St. Mary of the Angels (Chicago)
* St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church, (Rogers Park) Chicago
References
External links
Some of Mr. Mallin's work can be seen at a website maintained by his grand-daughter
Apse ceiling, St. Vincent de Paul, Chicago
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mallin, John A.
American muralists
20th-century American painters
American male painters
1973 deaths
American people of Czech descent
Burials at Bohemian National Cemetery (Chicago)
Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States
People from Hlohovec
Artists from Chicago
1883 births
20th-century American male artists