Edward Laning (1906–1981) was an American painter.

Career

Background

Laning was born in 1906 in Petersburg, Illinois. He studied at 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 ...

(1923–1924) and the University of Chicago, (1925–1927). He also studied at the Art Students League with

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...

, Boardman Robinson, John Sloan and

Kenneth Hayes Miller Kenneth Hayes Miller (March 11, 1876 – January 1, 1952) was an American painter, printmaker, and teacher. Career Born in Oneida, New York, he studied at the Art Students League of New York with Kenyon Cox, Henry Siddons Mowbray and with Willia ...

(1927–1930).

Paintings, murals

In 1931, Laning's work formed part of the first major show at the newly formed Whitney Museum of American Art. He painted murals for the Works Progress Administration during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

as well as a post office mural in Rockingham, North Carolina (1937).Park, Marlene and Gerald E. Markowitz, Democratic vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal, Temple University Press, Philadelphia 1984 In 1935, he painted the Ellis Island murals (chosen over Japanese-American artist

Hideo Noda , also known as Hideo Benjamin Noda and Benjamin Hideo Noda, was a Japanese-American modernist painter and muralist, member of the movement in Japan, student of Arnold Blanch, and uncle of Japanese printmaker Tetsuya Noda, as well as alleged co ...

It was a great relief to PWA, to the College Art Association, to Architects Harvey Wiley Corbett and Chester Holmes Aldrich and to Edward Laning last week to learn that Commissioner of Immigration & Naturalization
Rudolph Reimer Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788� ...
at Ellis Island had finally approved Artist Laning's designs for murals for the dining hall at New York's immigrant station. Cheered, Muralist Laning and his two assistants,
James Rutledge James Rutledge is an English, London-based musician, record producer and remixer. He is from Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England. Life James Rutledge studied at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Ashbourne alongside fellow musician Dave Tyack, before ...
and
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, hustled to get his cartoons on tempera and gesso panels as soon as possible.

In 1937, he painted murals in the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

, including his most famous work, ''The Story of the Recorded Word''. In 1980, Laning came to

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

, to personally oversee the installation of his two 50-foot by 12-foot murals in the Grand Lobby of the historic Ogden Railway Station. The northern side depicts the Union Pacific company coming from Omaha, Nebraska, and the southern side depicts the Central Pacific coming from Sacramento, California. The National Academy of Design of New York City granted $100,000 to Union Station as his commission.

Teaching

Laning taught art at the Art Students League (1932–33, 1945–50, 1952), and the Kansas City Art Institute.Biography
accessed December 2011 He was a member of the

American Society of Painters, Sculptors and Gravers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and the National Academy of Design. He served as president of the National Society of Mural Painters from 1970 to 1974.

Death

Laning died in 1981 in New York, survived by his wife, artist

Mary Fife Laning Mary Fife Laning was an American painter and wife of artist Edward Laning. Career Mary Elizabeth Fife was born in 1898 or 1900 in Canton, Ohio. In 1923, she earned a B.A. from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1925–1927, she did po ...

Works

In assessing his works, the Smithsonian Institution writes:

In his work, Laning expressed his disenchantment with the political and social uncertainties of post-Depression America and his perception of the degradation of American values; in several paintings he used fire as a symbol of impending societal destruction.

Laning's works have been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago (1945), the Carnegie Institute (1945), and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (1944–45). His works can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Richmond Professional Institute. In addition, his works can be seen at the New York Public Library and U.S. post offices in Rockingham, North Carolina and Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Art

* ''Fourteenth Street'' (1931) * ''1929 Crash'' (1929?) * ''Pantheon'' (1937) * New York Public Library murals (1937): ** ''The Story of the Recorded Word'' ** ''Learning to Read'' ** ''History of the Written Word'' * ''The Role of the Immigrant in the Industrial Development of American'' (1937) * ''The Past as Connecting Threads in Human Life'', triptych,

USPO The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexan ...

, Rockingham, North Carolina (1937) * ''The Escape'' * ''Coney Island Beach Scene'' (1938) * ''Prometheus'' (1942) * ''Armor in Alaska'' (1943) * ''Kiska Raid'' (1943) * ''Florence August 1944'' (1944) * ''Saturday Afternoon at Sportsmans Park'' () * ''The Building'' (c. 1955) * ''Union Pacific'' (north side mural at Union Station) (1980) * ''Central Pacific'' (south side mural at Union Station) (1980)

Writings

* ''Perspective for Artists'' (1967) * ''The Act of Drawing'' (1971) * ''The Sketch Books of Reginald Marsh''

Editing

* ''Sketchbooks of Reginald Marsh'', compiled by Edward Laning (1973)

Illustrations

* ''Hello, the Boat!'' by Phyllis Crawford with pictures by Edward Laning (1938)

References

Sources

* *

External links

Smithsonian Institution
Edward Laning papers, 1880-1983 {{DEFAULTSORT:Laning, Edward 1906 births 1981 deaths University of Chicago alumni Art Students League of New York alumni 20th-century American painters American male painters American muralists People from Petersburg, Illinois Painters from Illinois Federal Art Project artists School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Art Students League of New York faculty Kansas City Art Institute faculty National Academy of Design members Section of Painting and Sculpture artists 20th-century American male artists