The Stan Brodsky papers measure 2 linear feet and date from 1951 through 2004. The collection reflects Brodsky's career as a painter and educator through biographical material, letters, printed material, and sketchbooks. Also found are photographs of the artist, slides of his artwork, and sound and video recordings.
Scope and Content Note:
The Stan Brodsky papers measure 2 linear feet and date from 1951 through 2004. The collection reflects Brodsky's career as a painter and educator through biographical material, letters, printed material, and sketchbooks. Also found are photographs of the artist, slides of his artwork, and sound and video recordings.
Letters from Brodsky are to his friend, painter Margo Allman. Letters received are from various museums as well as New York City galleries such as Lerner-Heller Gallery and June Kelly Gallery Inc. Printed material consists of catalogs and announcements for Brodsky's solo and group exhibitions, clippings, magazines and journals and monographs. Artwork includes 10 sketchbooks with drawings in pencil, pen and ink, pastels, and watercolor. Many volumes contain scenes from foreign travel as well as various Long Island locations. Among the sound and video recordings are interviews with Stan Brodsky, lectures by him, and a conversaton with art critic Amei Wallach.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 6 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1959-2004, undated (Boxes 1, 4; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 2: Letters, 1976-2004, undated (Box 1; 2 folders)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1958-2003, undated (Boxes 1, 4, OV 5; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 4: Artwork, 1951-1999, (Boxes 1, 4; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 5: Photographic Materials, 1951-2004 (Boxes 1, 3; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 6: Sound and Video Recordings, 1979-1999 (Box 2; 0.3 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Stan Brodsky (b. 1925), was on the faculty of C. W. Post College, Long Island University for 31 years.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, he earned a bachelor's degree in photo-journalism from Missouri University (1949) and the M.F.A. in painting from Iowa University (1950). He completed a doctorate in education at Columbia University (1959). Brodsky began teaching at C. W. Post College (now C. W. Post Campus, Long Island University) in Brookville, New York, and for many years was Director of Studio Programs. He married in 1960 and five years later moved from New York City to Huntington, New York. The year after his retirement, the university presented him a career achievement award (1992).
Brodsky painted both figuratively and abstractly at various points in his career. He was influenced by artists such as Milton Avery, Richard Diebenkorn, Edward Hopper, and Mark Rothko. Brodsky often took his cue from the landscape. Earlier works were geometric and realist, reflective of his New York City surroundings; after Brodsky moved to Long Island, his work gradually became more abstract. Color and light are key elements in his work. His canvases range from soft hues and delicate brushstrokes to bold colors exuberantly applied. For Brodsky, travel was a source of inspiration. Visits to the Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, France, Greece and Spain were reflected by distinct color palettes.
Brodsky held fellowships at MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire (1971), Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, Virginia (1985, 1986, 1989), and Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, New York (1987). His first major retrospective, "Transformations into Color: The Art of Stan Brodsky" (1991), was held at the Heckscher Museum, Huntington, New York. In 1998, Brodsky received a Richard Florsheim Art Fund grant to mount a second retrospective "Stan Brodsky, Seeing Through-Seeing Beyond: A Retrospective of Work from the 70s, 80s, and 90s" at Bridgeport University in Connecticut.
Brodsky continues to live and work in Huntington, New York. He is represented by June Kelly Gallery, New York City.
Provenance:
The papers were donated in 2004 by Stan Brodsky.
Restrictions:
Use requires an appointment. Use of audio visual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
