Robert De Niro Sr.: talent and ambiguity of creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A talented sculptor, gifted artist and poet, Robert De Niro, Sr. significantly influenced post-war American art. His paintings were distinguished by their vitality and originality of representations.

While the tribesmen followed the traditions of the old school masters, he reveled in his work, using reality, depicted by expressive brush strokes. A bright innovator in the field of painting, Robert De Niro Sr. is a unique and extraordinary figure of abstract expressionism.

Childhood and youth

Robert De Niro was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1922. A talented child already at the age of 5 showed extraordinary abilities. When he was twelve, he impressed his art teachers so much that he got his own studio in the school museum.

The child's mother tried her best to encourage the desire to draw, but the father was strongly against the boy's hobby.

In 1939, De Niro spent the summer studying art with the famous master and teacher Hans Hoffman, and then went to continue his studies in North Carolina. But very soon he realized that hefar from the strict color theory characteristic of this school, and in 1941 returned to Hoffman. It was the teacher's love for abstract expressionism and cubism that had a huge impact on the formation of Robert De Niro Sr. as an artist.

The appearance of the heir

A year later he fell in love with the artist Virginia Admiral, and soon they became spouses. In 1943, the couple had an heir - the future great film actor, Robert Jr. The godfather of the baby was a beloved teacher and friend, who was highly appreciated by Robert De Niro Sr. The biography of an outstanding experimental artist is rich in ups and downs, public recognition and oblivion. After the birth of their son, the golden couple, as Virginia and Robert were called, divorced.

Maturity

After the unexpected divorce of the spouses, and to this day there are rumors that De Niro's unconventional orientation became the reason for the breakup. But anyway, they parted, and Robert threw himself into work.

In the mid-1940s and 1950s, he exhibited his work at the Guggenheim Gallery and established himself as a rising star in the American painting world. Some critics have compared De Niro to Matisse and Van Gogh. But its uniqueness lies in the fact that the famous favists only inspired the creator. He did not copy their ideas, but sought to create something of his own, special.

When Robert De Niro Sr. was only 24 years old, his first solo exhibition took place (1946). His works were highly appreciated by critics, who noted their originality and temperament. The manner of itthe artist did not fit into the standard framework of contemporary expressionists. He single-mindedly followed his own ideas, which made Robert a kind of outsider of the New York art community. But by 1950, he had fully decided on what his final artistic style would be: modern pictorial representation.

Unfortunately, some of the artist's early works have not survived. In 1949, a fire broke out in the creative studio, destroying much of his early work.

The tragedy of oblivion

"Recognition is luck over which you have no control," says Robert De Niro Jr. This is the result of the actor's own experience, which can be confidently applied to the work of his father. What caused the oblivion? Many of the artist's contemporaries noted his strong temper and inability to accept the mistakes of other people, some believed that his paintings were too close to European art. Still others call the creator's penchant for homosexuality and the unexpected fire that happened the main reason for the cooling of the public.

Despite all the speculation and statements, the son always remembers his father with deep tenderness and appreciates the extraordinary talent that Robert De Niro Sr. possessed. The photo of father and son is a confirmation not only of their external similarity, but also of the spiritual closeness of their relatives.

The restaurants owned by the younger De Niro are lined with paintings by his gifted father.

End of life

In the late 60s, De Niro received a grant from the Guggenheim, butcontinued to write and create his works. He was passionately involved in teaching at various visual arts schools in New York: Buffalo and Cooper Union. In the mid-70s he made two successful series of lithographs in New Mexico. In addition to creating paintings and sculptures, Robert De Niro Sr., an artist, was a writer and poet, and published a volume of his poetry in 1976.

In 1977, he briefly moved to San Francisco, but returned to his hometown, where he remained until the end of his days.

In 1993, De Niro Sr. died of an incurable disease, leaving behind beautiful canvases full of bold decisions and a synthesis of reality and abstraction.

His inimitable style, creative use of light brush strokes and unique color schemes may cause dislike or delight of the viewer, but will not leave anyone indifferent. Today, his work graces the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum.