Hermon di Giovanno (born Hermolaus Ionides, el, Ερμόλαος Ιωνίδης; 17 December 1897 – April 1969) was an American mystic painter. He was born in

Mytilene Mytilene (; el, Μυτιλήνη, Mytilíni ; tr, Midilli) is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of ...

Lesbos Island Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

(now Greece), but lived for most of his life in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. In early adulthood, he performed as an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

, but was eventually forced to abandon his singing career after suffering difficulties with his voice. He had changed his name (from his original name, Hermolaus Ionides) to an Italian one because he had been advised that it would assist him with his opera career. According to his close friend, the composer

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American-Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) and ...

, "...he wanted to be an opera singer when he was young. Some local conductor said he should have an Italian name, so he had this peculiar name that didn't have anything to do with him, but is a translation." In Boston, while working at the counter of a Boston-area Hayes-Bickford's (a cafeteria-style restaurant), he befriended Alan Hovhaness and the painter

Hyman Bloom Hyman Bloom (March 29, 1913 – August 26, 2009) was a Latvian-born American painter. His work was influenced by his Jewish heritage and Eastern religions as well as by artists including Altdorfer, Grünewald, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Blake, Bre ...

, who often ate dinner there. Beginning around the early 1940s, the three often met to listen to

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

and discuss various mystical subjects. Also a member of this circle was Dr. Elizabeth A. Gregory, a Boston pediatrician to whom di Giovanno gave a number of his paintings just before his final return to Greece. Gregory donated these paintings to

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

. It was not until he was in his forties that di Giovanno began painting. Although he first began modestly, drawing on paper in black and white, eventually Hyman Bloom encouraged him to work in color, supplying him with a box of colored

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

s. Di Giovanno believed his artworks to be directly inspired by otherworldly supernatural forces. Hovhaness often referred to di Giovanno as his "spiritual guide" and "psychic teacher," and stated that he was often referred to as "the Socrates of Boston." Hovhaness believed that di Giovanno provided the "spiritual forces" required to allow him to compose his ''Easter Cantata'' (1953), and his Symphony No. 6, "Celestial Gate" (1959) is named after an artwork by di Giovanno. Hovhaness's Symphony No. 9, "St. Vartan" (1950), while not originally dedicated to di Giovanno, was later dedicated to him (possibly at the time of the symphony's recording, after di Giovanno's death). Di Giovanno exerted an influence on the American painter David Barbero (1938–1999), who met di Giovanno in 195

and was also a mentor to the artist Paul Shapiro (artist), Paul Shapiro and the musician Gil Magno. Di Giovanno's great-nephew, the

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

singer-songwriter

Peter Alvanos Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

, counts him as one of his primary inspirations, and named his band, Fabulous Bird, after one of di Giovanno's paintings. The Fort Smith, Arkansas punk rock band, Giovanno, uses his surname as his artwork has inspired their early lyrics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Di Giovanno, Hermon Year of birth missing 1968 deaths 20th-century Greek people Greek painters 20th-century American painters American male painters Greek tenors Greek emigrants to the United States People from Mytilene Artists from Boston 20th-century American male artists