John William Orth
Still life Flowers in a Vase
c.1960

About the Item

This artwork "Still Life Flowers in a Vase" c.1960 is an oil painting on canvas by noted California artist John William Orth, 1889-1976. It is signed at the lower right corner by the artist. The canvas size is 36 x 30 inches, framed size is 46.5 x 40.5 inches. Custom framed in a wooden gold with brown patina frame, with fabric and gold liner. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: John W. Orth was born in Bavaria in 1889. He sold his first painting, a water color, when he was 13. At age 15 studied under a scholarship at Nuremberg's College of Fine Arts. Three years later, again on a scholarship, he attended Munich's Academy of Fine Arts. From there he went on to study at the Art Academy Julien in Paris and then traveled throughout Europe, studying work by the Old Masters. For Nuremberg's Albrecht Durer Museum, he was commissioned to reproduce a number of Durer's paintings, and representatives of The Rhineland's Barmen Museum purchased his painting of The Prodigal Son. In 1922, Louis Mayer, an accomplished artist himself, purchased Orth's The Prophet from among thousands of paintings displayed at Munich's Glas Palast. He declared Orth's painting "the work of a genius," and for three years The Prophet was hung, by invitation, in the Brooklyn Art Museum. Already an established artist at age 34, Orth left his troubled country in 1923 to escape certain persecution for his outspoken liberal views on race, religion and politics. He came to America to start anew. Here, he felt certain, his restless spirit could continue to grow, his career to flourish in an environment of freedom, which encouraged individual expression and unrestrained thought. In the United States, John Orth did portraits of notables including Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, Marian Anderson, Charles Laughton and Zazu Pitts. In Houston, Texas the financier Jesse H. Jones, now deceased, commissioned Orth to do portraits of all the U.S. presidents. The paintings now hang in the University of Houston's Anderson Memorial Library, and the collection of the Texas Hall of Remembrance in Austin his portrait of President Eisenhower. His double portrait of John F. Kennedy with his brother Robert earned one of Orth's most cherished rewards, a letter from the late Robert F. Kennedy warmly commending him for his exceptional artistry. The paintings of William Orth range from impeccable miniatures to sweeping murals and encompass a wide range of subjects: florals, landscapes, seascapes, nudes, portraits, religious scenes and his latest works, "meditations of the soul." Orth has earned worked in other media including sculpture, mosaic creations, architectural designs and models. world dreams of." The purpose of Orth's work, as stated by him, is to translate to canvas his boundless interest and love for humanity. For example, the frightened child peeking from behind a tattered drape, while a wolf pack races toward the background, suggests the innocence of a new generation entering a disillusioned world torn by strife, misery and want. Another canvas depicting figures striving to reach the heights above a tottering column suggests man's persevering ambitions to achieve a better world in the face of staggering adversities. In another, the African woman turned majestically toward the light of a new dawn suggests the higher dignity to which this tormented race aspires. Museums for John William Orth, Submitted July 2006 by Steven Sanchez: Albrecht Durer Museum Nuremberg, Germany Anderson Memorial Library Houston, TX Brooklyn Art Museum New York, NY Munich Glas Palast Museum Munich, Germany Rhineland's Barmen Museum Barmen, Germany Texas Hall of Remembrance Austin, TX

Creator:

John William Orth (1889 - 1976, German, American)

Creation Year:

c.1960

Dimensions:

Height: 46.5 in (118.11 cm)Width: 40.5 in (102.87 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)

Medium:

Oil

Movement & Style:

American Impressionist

Period:

Mid-20th Century