chapter 305

Virgil Art World

2/17/2013

eye of beholder

I took this poignant picture last week at the home of my former Virgil classmate and current Angel Flight Pilot. His grandfather was the young, in perhaps 1893, artist in training Alex Oscar Levy . Alex was born in Bonn, Germany in the house right behind Beethoven's. Young Levy's father (pictured as well) moved to Cincinati in 1885 where Alex also played a little on their 200 year old violin. My picture was actually a photo of the original photograph mounted in a glass mirror as you may have already surmised.

The book title is something like Goethe Gedichte   = Goethe Poetry

Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?

Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind;

Who rides so late through the night and wind?

It's the father with his child;

   J.W. Goethe, Erlkönig/Erlking

   German verse with prose translation

Or as Eminem put it in Lose Yourself, "Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity 

To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment.  Would you capture it or just let it slip ? "

Alex (believed to be #23) took the opportunity to study at the New York School of Art 1902-1903 with Robert Henri and William Merritt Chase. Employed at Chasma-Winchell Press while apparently continuing art study up through 1908 when he moved to Buffalo and established permanent career roots in the field of art.

 Norman Rockwell, Frederick Church, Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder. If these names are familiar to you perhaps you also are aware that they all studied art at the center of the modern art world: New York City. This photo is one such gathering of other distinguished artists. This was among the Levy family heirlooms but without documentation. Our current consensus is that Alex is the youngster back row far right (#35).

I've been spending oodles of time and contacted many sources trying to solve this intriguing and fascinating history mystery. I believe some of the men in this photo are the nationally renowned figures I studied in high school. John Philip Sousa whose music we marched to and became the official national marching music may be the shortest guy back row. Another on the back row may be August Saint-gaudens whose Lincoln sculptures we were made aware of and who designed one of the most beautiful coins ever, the 20 dollar gold double eagle($7 million).

The thin long stemmed clay pipes I've come to know are churchwarden pipes (among other names). Keens Chopshop has the worlds largest collection of clay churchwarden pipes. The gentleman on the left appears to be holding a bust of a woman perhaps in a mocking fashion. The Lillie Langtry Dining Room there is dedicated to this Broadway star and mistress of England's King Edward after her lawsuit opened the doors to women in this previously exclusive men's club. 

 The Salmagundi Club, the prestigious and earliest social club for American artists, confirmed Levy was in fact a member. The beer mugs appear to be a match for ones used at the club in this 1898 Tile Club meeting. Have only scratched the surface in identifying the artists but the second from right sitting is most certainly Thomas Wilmer DeWing one of the top ten early pastel masters and one of  the ten artists you should know in this Smihsonian photo 1908. On special occasions a certain guest would be honored. Member Louis Comfort Tiffany (stained glass) is not pictured but was the guest of honor the year before Levy hit town.

Some of Levy's early works

 The Mountaineer. 1921 illustration for a book.

  1915 Knox Mansion in Buffalo, founder of  Woolworths.

 Recreation> Levy: Carnival Scene 1925

 I bought this lithograph of Levy's 1918 poster on ebay

Chapter 305 New York Skectch Club is my background reference  page where I am compositing evolving information on this quest. It is difficult to decipher with the continuously changing place names along with thousands of characters involved, but this could assist with the 2014 Levy Exhibit at the Burchfield Penny Gallery.

Alex's  2014 Alex Levy Blog

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