Ida Kohlmeyer, née Rittenberg, was born on November 3, 1912 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Polish immigrant parents. She attended Tulane University of New Orleans and received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature in 1933. She met her husband Hugh Kohlmeyer after graduation, and it was on their honeymoon that she fell in love with art and began pursuing her passion for painting and sculpting. She returned to school and received her Master’s of Fine Art from Tulane University in 1956, as a special student under the direction of artist Pat Trivigno.1 She went on to teach at the University of New Orleans in 1973. She died on January 29, 1997.
Known by many as an Abstract Expressionist, Ida Kohlmeyer was influenced by artists such as Hans Hofmann …show more content…
This piece uses mixed media on canvas to show a circus in a deconstructed style. It measures 49 inches by 49 inches and was created between 1990 and 1994.2 It commands the viewer’s attention with its use of childlike figures and vibrant colors. This piece is a great example of Kohlmeyer’s later works, and her stray from the extreme abstract into something more tangible and relatable. Her use of primary and secondary colors helps to convey the feeling of being at a circus: bright, whimsical, and nostalgic. The shapes that represent different aspects of the circus are almost primitive. Overall, the piece speaks to the child in everyone, sparking memories of fun with an undertone of excitement and fear; all feelings associated with being a child at a …show more content…
This piece shows Ida Kohlmeyer’s more popular style of painting. Its use of shapes and color fits in well with the rest of her “pictograph” style pieces. Personally, I enjoyed this piece because of the feelings it provoked inside of me. Because it has such a nostalgic feel, it is likely to provoke the same feelings in all of its viewers. While the subjects are still very abstract, I found myself justifying how all of these shapes could fit in with a circus theme. While these shapes are indistinguishable, they are still reasonably realistic, allowing the viewer to interpret each in their own
Known by many as an Abstract Expressionist, Ida Kohlmeyer was influenced by artists such as Hans Hofmann …show more content…
This piece uses mixed media on canvas to show a circus in a deconstructed style. It measures 49 inches by 49 inches and was created between 1990 and 1994.2 It commands the viewer’s attention with its use of childlike figures and vibrant colors. This piece is a great example of Kohlmeyer’s later works, and her stray from the extreme abstract into something more tangible and relatable. Her use of primary and secondary colors helps to convey the feeling of being at a circus: bright, whimsical, and nostalgic. The shapes that represent different aspects of the circus are almost primitive. Overall, the piece speaks to the child in everyone, sparking memories of fun with an undertone of excitement and fear; all feelings associated with being a child at a …show more content…
This piece shows Ida Kohlmeyer’s more popular style of painting. Its use of shapes and color fits in well with the rest of her “pictograph” style pieces. Personally, I enjoyed this piece because of the feelings it provoked inside of me. Because it has such a nostalgic feel, it is likely to provoke the same feelings in all of its viewers. While the subjects are still very abstract, I found myself justifying how all of these shapes could fit in with a circus theme. While these shapes are indistinguishable, they are still reasonably realistic, allowing the viewer to interpret each in their own