Burgoyne diller biography
Burgoyne Diller American,
Diller developed an innovative typology of three aesthetic "themes" that structured his artistic practice. His "First Theme" is defined by solid rectangular forms (inspired by his work in collage) against a neutral ground. The Cleveland Museum of Art describes the "controlled and ordered tensions" in these works.
You can view other “First Theme” works in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Walker Art Center, MoMA, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Burgoyne Diller ()
Untitled (Second Theme),
tempera on paper collage with ink and graphite on paper
19 x 14 1/2 inches / x cm
signed and dated
Second Theme-Grey,
oil on linen
70 x 70 inches / x cm
signed
Untitled (First Theme), c–62
graphite, colored pencil and paperboard collage on paper
10 x 7 5/8 inches / x cm
First Theme, c
tempera, paper and paperboard collage on paperboard
18 x 21 1/4 inches / x 54 cm
New York Observer, September 26,
by Mario Naves
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New York Observer, April 12,
by Mario Naves
Download PDF
“I’ve always had the feeling that art really develops through a kind of general activity. You can have your isolated geniuses, but it's always been somehow or other a product of a kind of ferment.”[1]
A pioneer of American modernism, Burgoyne Diller devoted his career to the exploration of geometric abstraction in painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture. Born in the Bronx in , when the borough was still rural, Diller had a difficult childhood. His father died when he was only three, and in , after his mother remarried, the family moved to Battle Creek Michigan. A childhood illness caused Diller to miss a year of school, and during that time, he began to draw. Diller exhibited a natural talent for art, and after graduating from Michigan State College in , Diller moved back to New York City in From to , Diller supported himself while studying at the Art Students League with Jan Matulka, George Grosz, and Hans Hofmann. While there he created “paintings and drawings . . . dominated by bimorphic sculptural forms floating in space.”[2]
In the early s, Diller began a long career with the various incarnations of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which became a vital way for him to support himself as an artist. In , he served as Supervisor for Mural Painting for t
Matulka Class, c.
16 x 20 inches | oil on canvas
Burgoyne Diller was born in the Bronx in , he grew up in Buffalo, New York and later moved to Battle Creek, Michigan. In Diller started school at Michigan State College, but left after only two years. Due to the great economic period of decline, jobs were scarce and money was tight. Diller struggled to find sufficient work in Michigan. So in , Diller moved back to New York, where he was awarded a scholarship to enroll in the Art Students League.
At the Art Students League, Diller discovered inspiration in the Russian Constructivist work of Kazimir Malevich () and other artists, and the work of the De Stijl artists Piet Mondrian () and Theo van Doesburg (). Diller also was greatly influenced by teachers Hans Hofmann () and Jan Matulka (), who both encouraged Diller’s exploration of pure color and form. As a student Diller demonstrated leadership qualities, often coordinating exhibitions at the Art Students League. In he organized a show of avant-guard student work exhibiting, for the first time, a group of emerging, post-war American Cubists.
In the Early ’s Diller began making Geometric art. It was during that time that his artistic style transformed from cubism to non-objective neoplasticism. And in , Burgoyne Diller mounted a solo exhibition at Contemporary Arts Museum in New York City. The introduction for the catalogue was written by Hans Hofmann, whom Diller greatly admired.
Upon graduating from the Art Students League in , he began working for the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and then the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration (TERA), as a muralist and easel painter. Both of these committees were setup in the New York City area; their aim was to provide much needed employment to artists. In addition, Diller founded the artist group called “Group A” in
A year later, Diller was appointed director of the New York City PWPA Mural Division. During a time of national
Burgoyne Diller
American abstract painter (–)
Burgoyne Diller | |
|---|---|
| Born | ()January 13, New York City, US |
| Died | January 30, () (aged&#;59) New York City, US |
| Known&#;for | Painting |
| Movement | Abstract art |
Burgoyne A. Diller (January 13, &#; January 30, ) was an American abstract painter. Many of his best-known works are characterized by orthogonal geometric forms that reflect his strong interest in the De Stijl movement and the work of Piet Mondrian in particular. Overall, his Geometric abstraction and non-objective style also owe much to his study with Hans Hofmann at the Art Students League of New York. He was a founding member of the American Abstract Artists. Diller's abstract work has sometimes been termed "constructivist". He also did figurative and representational works early in his career working as a muralist for the New York City Federal Arts Project.
Life
Diller was born in The Bronx, New York in to Andrew Diller, a violinist and conductor, and Mary Burgoyne. His father died in , while Diller was just three years old. His mother would then marry an engineer named Adrian Adney. In he and his new family moved to Battle Creek, Michigan. When he was a child, he once had an illness that caused him to miss a year of school. During this period, he began to draw. This was his first exposure to the world of art and he exhibited a natural talent for it. Diller attended Battle Creek High School and Michigan State University. He graduated from Michigan State University in and moved to Buffalo, New York, where he lived with his maternal grandfather.
In Buffalo, Diller worked many odd jobs before landing a steady position as a janitor. At this time, he began to sell a few of his artworks and eventually this income allowed him to move to New York City where he began studying at the Art Students League in