Gerald Curtis Delano

Encyclopedia : G : GE : GER : Gerald Curtis Delano

Gerald Curtis Delano (b. 1890 in Marion, Massachusetts, d. 1972) was a painter of the American west. He served in the US Navy in the First World War, then worked on a ranch in Colorado, before moving to New York to study art. For many years he lived and painted in Denver, Colorado and Summit County, Colorado.

Contents

1 Career
2 The saguaro cactus as a symbol of the West
3 Education
4 References

Career

In his early artistic years, Delano:

illustrated magazines such as Cosmopolitan,Collier's Weekly and Western Stories
Painted scenes for calendar companies
Drew comic illustations for magazines both in the USA such as Life and Puck as well as Punch in Britain.

During his later years, his painting focused on depictions of Navajo people, red sandstone canyons, and wildlife. His style shows some Cubist influences.

The saguaro cactus as a symbol of the West

In 1940, Delano painted "Navajo Shepherdess", placed in Monument Valley. In it he placed a saguaro cactus, although it was well outside the naturally occurring area for this plant. It is believed to be the first illustrative use of the plant to symbolize the american west, which has become almost ubiquitous.

Education

Art Students League,New York
Grand Central School of Art,New York

References

Bowman, Richard G., 1990. Walking With Beauty: The Art and Life of Gerald Curtis Delano. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado. ISBN 09625410-0-1

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.