William Dole (artist) explained

William Dole
Native Name Lang:English
Birth Date:1917
Birth Place:Angola, Indiana
Death Date:1983
Death Place:Santa Barbara
Alma Mater:University of California, Berkeley
Known For:Watercolor and Collage
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William Dole (1917-1983) was an American collagist and teacher.

Early life

Dole was born in Angola, Indiana in 1917.[1] Dole studied English literature at Olivet College and later finished a degree in art history, apprenticing with George Rickey.[2] Dole moved to Oakland, California in 1941 to study at Mills College and joined the United States Army Air Corps the following year, where he served until 1945.[3]

Career

Dole worked briefly in the advertising industry before beginning graduate studies in art at University of California, Berkeley in 1946[2] and lecturing there in 1947.[1] In 1949, Dole became an assistant professor at University of California, Santa Barbara;[2] he would become department chair in 1958 and full professor in 1962.[1] He was named to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[4]

Work

Dole's art was largely watercolor-based until he took a sabbatical in Florence, Italy in 1955, at which point he began to work in collage by incorporating Italian landscape elements.[2] Dole was inspired by the collages and assemblages of Georges Braque, Kurt Schwitters and Joseph Cornell.[2] Dole was also Mary Heebner's mentor.[5]

Dole's collages were described as Cubist and Dadaist, and as geometrical in form.[3] His work often featured words, letters, and other textual elements.[6] His work was considered influential in the Santa Barbara collage scene,[7] and was highly regarded by New York Times art critic John Russell.[8] [9] [10]

Dole's work was shown in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art beginning in 1976 and was exhibited in other major cities.[2] His work was also shown in Felix Landau's art gallery.[11] A portion of his collection resides at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[3]

Personal life

Dole married Kathryn Dole in 1941.[2] They lived in Santa Barbara and Hollister Ranch for some time.[12] [13] They had seven children and many grandchildren.[1] Dole died in 1983 in Santa Barbara.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: WILLIAM DOLE, 65, AN ARTIST WHO WAS KNOWN FOR COLLAGES. January 15, 1983. John Russell . The New York Times.
  2. Web site: William Dole (1917-1983) . Sullivan Goss.
  3. Web site: Dole (William) papers . Online Archive of California . September 13, 2014.
  4. Web site: William Earl Dole, Jr., Art: Santa Barbara . Online Archive of California . 1985.
  5. Cut and Paste: Collage in Santa Barbara . Kolaj Magazine.
  6. Web site: William Dole . February 1985 . Ronny Cohen . Artforum.
  7. News: 'Cut and Paste' at The Arts Fund . Charles Donelan . January 1, 2019 . Santa Barbara Independent.
  8. News: Art: Fragments of Language That Delight the Eyes . John Russell . December 14, 1974 . New York Times.
  9. News: Art: New Collages By William Dole . John Russell . November 12, 1976 . New York Times.
  10. News: CRITICS' CHOICES; ART . John Russell . December 5, 1982 . New York Times.
  11. News: Muchnic. Suzanne. March 5, 2003. Felix Landau, 78; His L.A. Art Gallery Was Showcase in 1960s. Los Angeles Times.
  12. News: Ward . Cynthia Carbone . 2024-02-26 . When Khrushchev Came to Gaviota . 2024-03-01 . The Santa Barbara Independent . en-US.
  13. News: "Kathryn Lee Holcomb Dole" . January 6, 2012 . Santa Barbara Independent.
  14. News: EXHIBIT : The Essence of Dole : A display of collage works by the famous Santa Barbara artist chronicles the evolution of his unique talent . April 9, 1992 . Josef Woodard . Los Angeles Times.