Joseph Stella 47 x 36 inches
oil on canvas Joseph Stella(1877-1946)is considered today as a great American artist; "with his
unique cultural and personal characteristics he not only enriched the American heritage but made a significant and lasting contribution to the
twentieth century. An exhibition of twentieth century American art
would be incomplete without Stella's futuristic-related paintings. Joseph
Stella was born on June 13, 1877, in Muro Lucano, Italy. He experimented with a variety of approaches (ranging from Futurism to classic idealism and techniques (including oils, pastels, and collage). Stella first arrived to America on a crowded immigrant ship that departed from Naples, Italy. His first view of the new land was the overpowering
vertical skyline of New York City. Stella quickly became fascinated with the city; this is evident in the content of his paintings, which deal with New York. For him, New York was the city of Poe and Whitman". Joseph Stella returned to Europe from 1909-1912. At this point in time, Paris
was the Mecca for artists. Stella learned a great deal from Paris art scene, in particular from Parisian impressionism.