Stevan Dohanos

Walking the Tightrope, Saturday Evening Post Cover

1949

Stevan Dohanos was born in the steel mill town of Lorain, Ohio, on May 18, 1907. Dohanos studied at the Cleveland School of the Arts. He is best known for the covers, more than 100, he painted for The Saturday Evening Post magazine during the 1940s and 1950s. His work appeared frequently on its covers. Most of his illustrations depicted common scenes of everyday post-war American life, such as a mobile home complete with pink flamingo, a gas station attendant inflating a child's toy or a souped-up motorcycle in the owner's driveway. His works are often compared to those of Norman Rockwell. Dohanos was influenced by The Eight namely Henri, Sloan, Glackens, Shinn, Prendergast, Davies, Lawson and Luks. During the 1960s, his designs were used on 25 postage stamps. From 1961–63, he served as a President of the Society of Illustrators and in 1971 was elected to the Society's Hall of Fame. He was a founder of the Famous Artists School in Westport. Dohanos died on July 2, 1994, in Westport, Connecticut.