Dorothy Block (1904–November 5, 1984) was an American artist known for her paintings and visual arts. She was educated by her uncle, Louis Keila, at the

Mary Baldwin College Mary Baldwin University (MBU, formerly Mary Baldwin College) is a private university in Staunton, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1842 as "Augusta Female Seminary". Today, Mary Baldwin University is home to the Mary Baldwin College fo ...

, and at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

. She taught at the Art Students League and participated in the

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administratio ...

, including writing a memoir about her experience as an artist in the early 20th century.

Early life and education

She was born in 1904 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to Joseph and Rebecca Block, who had both immigrated to the United States in 1888 and 1889, respectively, from Russia and together they ran an import business. They had three daughters, Ethel, Dorothy, and Lilian. Joseph Block had a financial interest and was vice president and general manager of the Franco Electric Company until 1921. He had a number of patents for decorative electric devices. In 1920, the family lived in the Hotel Touraine in Brooklyn and Joseph was an executive with Electrical Corporation. Dorothy Josephine and Lilian Jeanette, who would both become artists, attended

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

. Both sisters were members of the Sky High Club. Dorothy was a member of the school's art club. Dorothy and Lilian studied art under their maternal uncle, painter and sculptor Louis Keila. Dorothy studied under William von Schlegell at the

, which she attended between 1920 and 1930. Block was a friend and correspondent of Brooklyn painter and printmaker

Lena Gurr Lena Gurr (1897–1992), was an American artist who made paintings, prints, and drawings showing, as one critic said, "the joys and sorrows of everyday life." Another critic noted that her still lifes, city scenes, and depictions of vacation ...

, who attended the Art Students League from 1920 to 1922.

Midlife and career

She worked at Art Students League of New York and as part of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

, including having written ''Reminiscences of an Artist about the Federal Art Project''. Blocked died on November 5, 1984, in her house. Her collected papers are stored in the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

's Archives of American Art. The

Frick Art Reference Library The Frick Art Research Library (formerly known as the Frick Art Reference Library) is the art library of the Frick Collection in New York City. The library, founded at the Henry Clay Frick House in 1920 by Helen Clay Frick, offers access to mater ...

also has a collection of archival information about her works and career, assembled by the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Personal life

Her sister and a student of Dorothy Blocks was artist, Lillian Block MacKendrick (1906–1987). Block was married to Robert Dublirer. She had a daughter, Dr. Johanna C. Fisher of Huntington Beach, New York who was the step-daughter of Robert Dublirer. She was a friend of fellow artists

Aristodimos Kaldis Aristodimos Kaldis (August 15, 1899 in Dikeli, Ottoman Empire – May, 1979) was an artist and left-wing activist in New York. Aristodimos Kaldis was influential in the gallery and museum scene during the 1950s. His friendship with leading members ...

and

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", an art form populariz ...

Works

* ''Beach Scene,'' painting * ''Isola,'' painting * No title, sculpture * ''Summer Interior, number 1,'' painting * ''Terrace on Via Pontano,'' circa 1958, painting * ''Triptych: Jazz,'' painting * ''Vacation Scene,'' painting * ''Vesuviana,'' circa 1955, painting * ''View from a Window,'' painting * ''The Wanderers in Sheridan Square,'' painting

Notes

References

External links

Dorothy Block papers, 1920-1985
from

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

, Smithsonian Institution {{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Dorothy 1904 births 1984 deaths Painters from New York (state) 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women painters Federal Art Project artists