In 1943, the U. S. Army contacted the Portland Art Museum about conducting an art workshop at Camp Adair in order to give the soldiers something to do when they weren't actively training. The soldiers who participated were a mix of those with some training in art and others who had never done any art work before. Some of the work produced by those participants is in the collection of the Benton County Historical Museum. One piece, a mural, is on display in the Corvallis Museum.
Another is this painting of a shell done in oil on masonite by Henri Jovi (1914-2014).
Jovi, then a private in the 70th Division, had been a student in art and architecture at Cornell University prior to beginning military service. This painting and two others of his were part of the 1944 Portland Art Museum's All-Oregon exhibition. Works done at Adair were also displayed on the OSU campus and at the servicemen's center in Corvallis.
After finishing his training, Henri Jovi was transferred to the Army's Combat Engineers and served in the South Pacific. After the war, he completed his degree at Cornell and then studied in Rome.
He became a noted architect based in Atlanta, Georgia where he designed the Colony Square, the Atlanta City Hall and the Carter Center. He was also known for is leadership in developing the midtown area of Atlanta and in pioneering mixed used developments.
By
Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath,
Oregon
No comments:
Post a Comment