Alfred Victor Frankenstein (October 5, 1906 – June 22, 1981) was an art and music critic, author, and professional musician. He was the long-time art and music critic for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' from 1934 to 1965. He was noted for championing

American art Visual art of the United States or American art is visual art made in the United States or by U.S. artists. Before colonization there were many flourishing traditions of Native American art, and where the Spanish colonized Spanish Colonial arc ...

and coining the term

Actual Art Actual Art is a genre of art that was first named by critic Alfred Frankenstein of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' in a review of Helene Aylon’s work. The name was chosen because the art was "real", but the term ''Realism (arts), realism'' was a ...

. His most famous book is '' After The Hunt'', a volume that examined the

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

movement in late 19th-century and early 20th-century American art, focussing especially on the

painters Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

William Harnett William Michael Harnett (August 10, 1848 – October 29, 1892) was an Irish-American painter known for his trompe-l'œil still lifes of ordinary objects. Early life Harnett was born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland during the time of the Gr ...

and

John Frederick Peto John Frederick Peto (May 21, 1854 – November 23, 1907) was an American ''trompe-l'œil'' ("fool the eye") painter who was long forgotten until his paintings were rediscovered along with those of fellow ''trompe-l'œil'' artist William Harnett. ...

. Among his colleagues, he was noted for his wit and his lack of tolerance for pretension. Prior to becoming a journalist and critic, he played clarinet in the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

. He was married to the

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist

Sylvia Lent Sylvia Lent (June 11, 1903 – March 25, 1972) was an American violinist. Early life Sylvia Lent was born in Washington, D. C., the daughter of composer and cellist Ernest Lent and pianist Mary (Mamie) Simons Lent. Ernest Lent was born and educat ...

. He also was professor of Art History at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1970s and a professor of Art History at Mills College in Oakland in the 1960s and 1970s. Frankenstein was a cousin of Abraham F. Frankenstein, who composed the music of California's official state song, "

I Love You, California "I Love You, California" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of California, originally published in 1913. It was adopted in 1951 and reconfirmed in 1987 as the official List of U.S. state songs, state song. The lyrics were written by Franc ...

Books

*''After the Hunt; William Harnett and Other American Still Life Painters, 1870-1900''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1953. *''A Modern Guide to Symphonic Music''. New York: Meredith Press. 1966. *''After the Hunt; William Harnett and Other American Still Life Painters, 1870-1900''. Rev. ed. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1969. *''The Reality of Appearance: The Trompe l'œil Tradition in American Painting''. Greenwich, Conn: New York Graphic Society Ltd. 1970. *''The World of Copley, 1738-1815''. New York: Time-Life Books. 1970. *''Karel Appel''. New York: H.N. Abrams. 1980. *''Painter of Rural America: William Sidney Mount, 1807-1868''. Washington: H.K. Press, c1968.

Sources

Author and Bookinfo.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankenstein, Alfred 1906 births 1981 deaths American clarinetists Musicians from Chicago American art critics American music critics 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Classical music critics