John Nelson Shanks (December 23, 1937 – August 28, 2015) was an American artist and painter.
His best known works include his portrait of
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
, first shown at Hirschl & Adler Gallery in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, April 24 to June 28, 1996
and the portrait of president
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
for the
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to:
*National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra
*National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred
*National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C.
*National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...
.
Shanks had been on the faculty of the
Memphis Academy of Arts, the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
, the
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stu ...
, the
National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
and
Studio Incamminati
Studio Incamminati is a private school for Contemporary Realist Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the late Nelson Shanks and his wife, Leona Shanks in 2002 and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Desi ...
and was a resident of
Andalusia, Pennsylvania
Andalusia is a historic neighborhood and unincorporated community in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It borders Philadelphia along the Poquessing Creek. The ZIP Code is 19020. The area is the southernmost part of the township and ...
. He was an honorary member of the American Society of
Classical Realism
Classical Realism is an artistic movement in the late-20th and early 21st century in which drawing and painting place a high value upon skill and beauty, combining elements of 19th-century neoclassicism and realism.
Origins
The term "Classic ...
Guild of Artists.
Shanks was a painter, teacher and art historian influential in the revival of
Classical Realism
Classical Realism is an artistic movement in the late-20th and early 21st century in which drawing and painting place a high value upon skill and beauty, combining elements of 19th-century neoclassicism and realism.
Origins
The term "Classic ...
in the United States.
His portraits of royalty, politicians and celebrities added to his international profile as one of the foremost contemporary figurative painters. Shanks' philosophies and skills were shared through his teaching at various public and private institutions.
In 2002, he founded Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife, Leona Shanks; an academy dedicated to the study, practice and spread of realist art using the philosophy and techniques espoused by Shanks.
Early life
Shanks was born in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
.
He lived in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
for most of his childhood. He studied at the
Kansas City Art Institute with Wilbur Niewald and in New York City at the
National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
and the
Art Students League. At New York's Art Students League, he earned his tuition serving as a monitor in classes taught by
Robert Brackman
Robert Brackman (September 25, 1898 – July 16, 1980) was an American artist and teacher, best known for large figural works, portraits, and still lifes.
Biography
Robert Brackman was born on September 25, 1898, in Odessa, Russian Empire (no ...
,
Ivan Olinsky
Ivan Gregorewitch Olinsky (1 January 1878 – 11 February 1962) was a Russian Empire-born American painter and art instructor.
Biography
Olinsky was born in Elizabethgrad, Russian Empire (now Kirovohrad, Ukraine). After immigrating to the Uni ...
and
Edwin Dickinson
Edwin Walter Dickinson (October 11, 1891 – December 2, 1978) was an American painter and draftsman best known for psychologically charged self-portraits, quickly painted landscapes, which he called ''premier coups'', and large, hauntingly enigma ...
.
He studied privately with
John Koch
John Koch (August 18, 1909 — April 19, 1978), (pronounced "KŌK") was an American painter and teacher, and an important figure in 20th century Realism. He is best known for his light-filled paintings of urban interiors, often featuring classica ...
and
Henry Hensche
Henry Hensche (February 25, 1899 – December 10, 1992) was an American painter and teacher.
Early years
Born Heinrich Hensche, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Henry came to the United States by way of Antwerp, Belgium. He is listed on the sh ...
. Grants from the
Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation
The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation (formerly The Elizabeth T. Greenshields Memorial Foundation) is a private Canadian charity that provides grants to young artists working in representational painting, sculpture, drawing and/or printmaking. ...
and the Stacey Foundation allowed him to study in Florence with
Pietro Annigoni at the Accademia de Belle Arti. He then taught in
Memphis,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, where he maintained a studio for over three decades.
Career
Commissioned work
His portrait of
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
was completed in 1996.
The painting was first shown at Hirschl & Adler Gallery in New York City, April 24 to June 28, 1996 and now hangs in the Princess's ancestral home at
Althorp. His other commissions include
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
, and
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
.
Exhibitions
His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...
in Washington, D.C., the
Royal Palace
This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent.
Africa
* Abdin Palace, Cairo
* Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo
* Koubbeh Palace, Cairo
* Tahra Palace, Cairo
* Menelik Palace
* Jubilee Palace
* Guenete Leul Palace
* Imperial Palace- Massa ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...
in London and Fortezza Firmafede in Sarzana, Italy.
During the summer and fall of 2011, he had solo exhibitions in Russia at the
Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (russian: Государственный Русский музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (russian: Русский Музей Императора Александра III), on ...
, St. Petersburg and the Russian Academy of Art, Moscow. He was one of two living American painters to have been invited to exhibit at either of these venues.
Other exhibition of Shanks' work at museums and galleries have included the
National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
; Hirschl & Adler Galleries; Coe Kerr and FAR Galleries in New York; Dayton Art Institute; the
Butler Institute of American Art
The Butler Institute of American Art, located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, was the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Established by local industrialist and philanthropist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., the museum h ...
; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Philadelphia Art Alliance; the
New Jersey State Museum; the National Gallery of Art; the
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...
; Oklahoma University; the University of Pennsylvania; Temple University, Jefferson University,
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
; the College of William and Mary; the Allentown Art Museum, the
Palmer Museum of Art
The Palmer Museum of Art is the art museum of Pennsylvania State University, located on the University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania.
Collections
The museum has an increasing permanent collection of more than 7,000 works. The colle ...
; George Washington University; the University of the Arts; Oglethorpe University Museum; LaSalle University; the Royal Palace, Stockholm; Kensington Palace, London; and the historic Filoli Estate, California.
A major one-man exhibition was held at the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts as well as the Hirschl & Adler exhibition, "Yanks Paint Brits." In August 2004, the city of Sarzana, Italy hosted a one-man exhibition entitled 'Dal Maestro'/'From the Master', in a fifteenth-century fortress called Fortezza Firmafede. The
Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also hosted an exhibition 'Dal Maestro' in October, 2004, of more than fifty works by Nelson Shanks. In addition, his work is held in distinguished collections worldwide.
Portraiture
Known for his skill in capturing the complex nature of his subjects, Shanks'
portraits
A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this re ...
have contributed to his reputation as one of the foremost contemporary figurative painters.
Among his notable commissions are Diana, Princess of Wales,
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
for the
Vatican Museum
The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...
,
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
, U.S. Presidents
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
and
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
for the
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to:
*National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra
*National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred
*National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C.
*National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...
.
Significant commissions also include
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
for the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
,
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...
for the
Kennedy Center,
Denyce Graves for the National Portrait Gallery and the private collection at
Althorp of Charles, Lord Spencer. Other portraits include King
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen
Silvia of Sweden, Queen
Juliana of the Netherlands
Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980.
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...
,
J. Carter Brown,
Katharine Graham
Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...
, Judge
Guido Calabresi, Surgeon General Dr.
C. Everett Koop
Charles Everett Koop (October 14, 1916 – February 25, 2013) was an American pediatric surgeon and public health administrator. He was a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and served as the 13th Surgeon Gen ...
,
Robert Wood Johnson, Jr., James Burke, Marcus Wallenberg, Dr. Peter Wallenberg, Ms. Darla Moore, Mr. Lionel Pincus, Mr.
Jerry Speyer
Jerry I. Speyer (born June 23, 1940) is an American real estate developer. He is one of two founding partners of the New York real estate company Tishman Speyer, which controls the Rockefeller Center.
Early life and education
Speyer was born in M ...
, Chairman of the Board,
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
,
Arthur O. Sulzberger Sr., Chairman of the Board,
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, Chairman Emeritus New York Times,
Mary McFadden
Mary McFaddenCharlotte Curtis, "Mary McFadden Married to Philip Harari at St. Bartholomew's; Former Dior Aide is Wed to Director in De Beers Group", The New York Times, 26 September 1964 (born October 1, 1938) is an American art collector, editor ...
, United States Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...
, former New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
and many others. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, Kensington Palace in London and Fortezza Firmafede in Sarzana, Italy.
In 2015, Shanks revealed that he had hidden a secret reference to the blue dress worn by
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American activist and writer. President Bill Clinton admitted to having an affair with Lewinsky while she worked at the White House as an intern in 1995 and 1996. The affair, and its repercus ...
in the official portrait of President Bill Clinton hanging in the National Portrait Gallery by way of a shadow.
Teaching
Shanks was a
realist, attempting to capture the essence of his subjects through acute observation and technical skill.
Whether the subject was
still life
A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...
, landscape or
figurative, the work was meant to evoke emotion and challenge the viewer to make close examination. In the words of the artist, "The Realistic painting must be nothing less than a meditation on the nature of existence and the individual. It must create likeness with the power to kindle the observer's imagination and awaken memories.... It must encompass all that the Realist painter sees before his eyes and therefore feels in his heart."
Shanks' teaching philosophy emphasized the importance of gaining knowledge and training the student to "see" with the understanding that it takes years of concentration and practice to become a highly skilled painter. Throughout his career, Shanks painted nearly every day of the year—landscape, still life, the figure and portraits. He set goals to grow and improve with every painting and encouraged students to do the same.
Shanks taught on the faculty of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Students League, National Academy of Design,
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he was the first instructor in their Master Class program, instituted at the Academy after a petition to have him invited, signed by students and faculty, was submitted to the President of the Academy.
He established an apprentice program at his
Bucks County home and studio, where artists received room, board and instruction at no cost.
Bo Bartlett, Eleanor Greaves and Michael Lane were among the approximately 30 different artists to work as his apprentices over the years. In the late 1990s, he launched a successful series of workshops in response to the growing need for serious art instruction.
The need for students to immerse themselves deeply in his teaching principles was indicated by the high demand for and over-subscription to these workshops, which led to the decision to open a full-time
atelier program in 2002, name
Studio Incamminati which can be translated from the Italian as "those who are progressing". The name also aims to invoke the spirit and practices of its namesake—the studio founded by the Renaissance artist
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci (; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother and cousin, Annibale was one of the progenitors, if not founders of a leading strand of th ...
.
Nelson, and his wife, Leona Shanks, founded Studio Incamminati to provide a place where artists devoted to realism could study painting and acquire other skills necessary for successful artistic careers.
Nelson Shanks was committed to changing the world's view of art and through Studio Incamminati attracted people willing to devote time to this cause.
Reception
Recognition and awards
In 1996, Shanks was awarded the "Sargent Medal" for Lifetime Achievement by the American Society of Portrait Artists
In 2006, Governor
Edward Rendell
Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...
presented Shanks the Governor’s Distinguished Arts Award, which recognizes a Pennsylvania artist of international fame or renown whose creations and contributions enrich the Commonwealth. Among those contributions noted were his lifelong commitment to teaching and his establishment of Studio Incamminati.
In 2009, Shanks was awarded the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Portrait Society of America.
In 2011, for "transcendent work" and contributions to culture, the members of the
Russian Academy
The Russian Academy or Imperial Russian Academy (russian: Академия Российская, Императорская Российская академия) was established in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1783 by Empress Catherine II of Russia ...
, the centuries-old institution that governs art education and exhibitions in the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, voted to make Shanks an honorary member of their ranks.
Death and legacy
Shanks died of prostate cancer at his home in
Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
on August 28, 2015 at the age of 77.
His son Alexander Shanks (b. 1996) is also a painter.
Further reading
*
*
*
References
External links
obituary*
Artist mad Clinton portrait with Lewinsky reference isn't on display
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanks, Nelson
American portrait painters
20th-century American painters
American male painters
21st-century American painters
1937 births
2015 deaths
Kansas City Art Institute alumni
National Academy of Design alumni
Art Students League of New York alumni
Artists from Rochester, New York
Painters from New York City
20th-century American male artists