Sidney Riesenberg

Yonkers, New York Industrial Scene

1938

Sidney Riesenberg, an accomplished landscape painter but best known as an illustrator, was born in Chicago in 1885. He received his formal education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he won several purchase prize awards. By 1905, he moved to Yonkers, New York for his career and contributed illustrations to journals such as Harper's, Scribner's, Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post and produced many posters for the Marines and Liberty Loan campaigns. From 1905–09, Riesenberg made two trips to the West and often created western subjects such as book illustrations for, With Whip and Spur and Pioneers All. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he exhibited his easel work at the National Academy of Design, The New York Watercolor Club, the Allied Artists of America, The Yonkers Art Association, and the Rockport Art Association. Riesenberg was often influenced by Impressionism and Plein-air painting. Evidence of his background as an illustrator is seen in his paintings by his use of modern color theory, unique brushstrokes, and attention to structure and design.