John E. Dowell Jr. | |
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Born | 1941 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Known for | Printmaker |
Website | http://johndowell.com/ |
John Edward Dowell Jr. (born March 25, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American printmaker,[1] etcher, lithographer, painter, and professor of printmaking at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University.[2]
Dowell was born in Philadelphia, and grew up in a housing project there. As a child, he explored art with his brother by copying the work in Lone Ranger comics.[1]
He studied at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he was mentored by ceramist Rudolf Staffel.[1] And he mastered his printmaking skills at the Tamarind Institute in Los Angeles, CA, where he worked as a senior printer.[3] His work is influenced by abstract expressionists Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, and Jackson Pollock[1] and jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor.[4]
While visiting Bahia, Brazil in 1988, Dowell explored interest in traditional African religions. He later converted to the voodoo religion,[5] but later was defrocked from the Voodoo priesthood.[6]
Dowell is well known for works keyed to music.[1] He often focuses on abstract visual representations of poetry and music, notably jazz.[2] In the late 1980s, he focused on art related to the voodoo religion. These works were inspired by voodoo forces and spirits.[5]
Dowell's first individual exhibition was at the Swope Art Museum in 1968.[1] Dowell's canvas, ceramic, and print works are showcased at over 70 museums worldwide, and he has had more than 50 solo exhibitions.[4] He has also participated in a number of group exhibitions,[1] including in "Philadelphia Teaches Printmaking" at Philadelphia's Print Club in 1978.[3] His works are featured in many collections,[1] including the Minneapolis Institute of Art,[7][8] the Philadelphia Museum of Art,[9] and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[10] Dowell also recorded photographic images of the President's House archaeological site.[4]
Dowell's work was featured in the 2015 exhibition We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s at the Woodmere Art Museum.[11]
Dowell has received many awards for his work, including the James Van Der Zee award from the Brandywine Workshop,[12] and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.[2]