Nicholas Albert Reale (March 20, 1922 – November 18, 1984) was a prominent American

watercolorist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

with a lengthy career in art and teaching. Reale's works have been exhibited throughout the United States and Canada, including the

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 ...

.Caplan, H.H. (2002).''Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers of the United States: Colonial to 2002''. Dealers Choice Books. . The recipient of more than 60 major awards, he is listed in ''

Who's Who in American Art ''Who's Who in American Art'' is a biographical hardcover directory of noteworthy individuals in the visual arts community in the United States, published by Marquis Who's Who,"Who's Who in American Art 2011 – Publications", Marquis Who's Who, ...

.'' His works are in the permanent collections of the National Academy of Design, Newark Museum NJ, the Jersey City Museum, the University of Arizona, and

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full- ...

. Born in Irvington, New Jersey, his parents emigrated from southern Italy in the early 20th century, and Reale attended Newark Arts High School in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

, Brooklyn. Reale served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for the entirety of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, returning to complete his degree. Upon graduation from Pratt he became a successful commercial artist in Manhattan, married Maria Padula, his wife of 35 years, and settled in

Hillside, New Jersey Hillside is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 21,404, reflecting a decline of 343 (−1.6%) from the 21,747 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in ...

, with summers in Belmar, New Jersey. They had three children who survive them: Nancy Reale Gifford-Humphreys, Aldo Reale, and Barbara Reale, and seven grandchildren. In 1968, Reale left the commercial art world and spent the rest of his life painting and teaching. He was an influential instructor in painting and graphic design, teaching at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

, the

Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art (NSFIA) was a city-run vocational and art school in Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 1882 as the Evening Drawing School, its name was changed in 1909 to the Fawcett School of Industrial Arts, and changed agai ...

, Somerset Art Association, Princeton Art Association , Summit Arts Center, and Morris County Art Association. He also led workshops nationally. Reale was an active associate member of the

American Watercolor Society The American Watercolor Society, founded in 1866, is a nonprofit membership organization devoted to the advancement of watercolor painting in the United States. Qualifications AWS judges the work of a painter before granting admission to the soc ...

, a member of Allied Artists of America, of Audubon Artists and the New Jersey Watercolor Society. The NJ Watercolor Society named him Artist of the Year in 1969. In 1981 he was named an Associate National Academician by the National Academy.
Reale's work explored and overlapped several styles and palettes, with impressionistic and abstract styles predominant; seascapes were his forte. All of his known paintings have a small patch of bright red, which is usually the focal point of the composition; this became his trademark. He was influenced by the work of French impressionist and cubist

Georges Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...

. Reale died suddenly and unexpectedly at age 62, during the opening days of a one-man exhibit at Gallery 9, Chatham, New Jersey.
Reale's work and teaching have influenced many artists, including Alice de Caprio, the Aquamedia Group (ten women who were his students), Beth Born, Diana Patton, Patricia Tindall Sally Vaughan, and Ellen Vreeland. The American Watercolor Society continues to present the Nicholas Reale Memorial Award in his honor

Major awards

- The Arches Papers Award (1972); The High Winds Medal (1976), The Doris Olsen Klep Memorial Award (1981) * New Jersey Watercolor Society Silver Medal of Honor awarded in 1971 (for ‘Mending nets in Nazare’) and 1982 (for ‘Homage to Henry’) * Grumbacher Award at the New Jersey Watercolor Society, 1981 (for "Warm Passage")

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reale, Nicholas 1922 births 1984 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II American watercolorists Artists from New Jersey Newark Arts High School alumni People from Hillside, New Jersey People from Irvington, New Jersey Painters from Newark, New Jersey Pratt Institute alumni Seton Hall University faculty American people of Italian descent