Magnus Colcord "Rusty" Heurlin (July 5, 1895March 10, 1986) was a Swedish-American artist best known for his pastel palette and depictions of

Alaskan Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...

landscapes.

Background

Magnus Colcord Heurlin was born in Christanstad,

Skåne County Skåne County ( sv, Skåne län, link=no ), sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the most southern county, or , of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronobe ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. He was the son of Berndt Felix Heurlin and Sophie Bjorklund. He was raised at the house at 2 Nichols Street in Wakefield, Massachusetts after the family returned to the U.S. from Sweden in 1896. He attended art classes conducted by Harold Mathews Brett at the Fenway School of Illustration in Boston, Massachusetts.

Career

Heurlin first came to Alaska in 1916, to Valdez, traveling aboard the SS ''Northwestern'' from Seattle, Washington. He later moved to

Utqiagvik Utqiagvik ( ik, Utqiaġvik; , , formerly known as Barrow ()) is the borough seat and largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located north of the Arctic Circle, it is one of the northernmost cities and towns in th ...

where he lived and painted, concentrating on the Inupiat, creating many works depicting whaling and

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1917 and left the territory during World War I, serving in France. Because of his extensive knowledge of armaments he attained a job as Admiral Plunkett's orderly in the naval railroad batteries. After the war, Heurlin lived for many years in Westport, Connecticut, where he began his professional art career as an illustrator for magazines published in New York City. In the early 1930s he was selected as an artist for the ''WPA'' Arts Project in Westport's public school buildings. He returned to Alaska around 1935, and moved outside

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

to the gold mining village of Ester with his wife, Anne Downer Severin (d. 1971). The artist worked on the gold dredges near Ester for the Fairbanks Exploration (FE) Company at the Independence Mine. In 1942 Heurlin became an officer in the

Alaska Territorial Guard The Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG), more commonly known as the Eskimo Scouts, was a military reserve force component of the US Army, organized in 1942 in response to attacks on United States soil in Hawaii and occupation of parts of Alaska by Jap ...

which was organized to protect Alaska from Japanese invasion. After World War II he returned to his cabin in Ester, where he resided until his death at age 90. Heurlin taught the first art classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the 1950s, and received an honorary doctorate from the university in 1971. He was also named to Alaska's 49ers Hall of Fame. Heurlin was known for his pastel

palette Palette may refer to: * Cosmetic palette, an archaeological form * Palette, another name for a color scheme * Palette (painting), a wooden board used for mixing colors for a painting ** Palette knife, an implement for painting * Palette (company), ...

and luminous skies, and influenced many later Alaska artists, such as

Fred Machetanz Fred Machetanz (February 20, 1908 – October 6, 2002) was an Alaskan painter and illustrator who specialized in depictions of Alaskan scenes, people and wildlife. He first came to the territory in 1935, when he traveled to Unalakleet to visit ...

References

Sources

Alaska Digital Archives- Rusty Heurlin

External links

Alaska Territorial Guard "Rusty" Heurlin, painter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heurlin, Magnus Colcord 1895 births 1986 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Army personnel of World War II American miners 20th-century American painters American male painters Artists from Alaska Artists from Connecticut People from Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska People from Kristianstad Municipality People from Valdez, Alaska People from Wakefield, Massachusetts People from Westport, Connecticut Swedish emigrants to the United States University of Alaska Fairbanks alumni University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty Federal Art Project artists People from Utqiagvik, Alaska United States Army officers Military personnel from Massachusetts 20th-century American male artists