Elena Jahn (May 3, 1938, in

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho. Located in the North Central Idaho, North Central region of the state along the border with Washington (state), Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 United States ...

— November 26, 2014, in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part o ...

) was an artist noted for both figurative paintings and landscapes and for her connection to Monhegan Island, Maine.

Biography

Jahn was born on May 3, 1938, in Moscow, Idaho, to Helen (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Schumann) and Edwin C. Jahn. She spent her childhood in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

. Her family started visiting Monhegan Island in 1949 when her interest in art began. She resided in Rhode Island for ten years, starting in 1966, and helped found a cooperative art gallery in her community. In 1976, she moved to Brunswick, Maine and resided there for 12 years, whereafter she divided her time between a studio on Monhegan and

Culebra, Puerto Rico Isla Culebra (, ''Snake Island'') is an island, town and municipality of Puerto Rico, and together with Vieques, it is geographically part of the Spanish Virgin Islands. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of ...

. Jahn received a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...

from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, followed by studies in Paris on a

Fulbright Grant The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people o ...

. She had college and university teaching positions in art departments in Wisconsin, Rhode Island, and Maine and in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and Norway. She married Garrett C. Clough, a zoologist; they had a daughter and a son. She died in Brunswick, Maine of complications from

scleroderma Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas ...

on November 26, 2014.

Painting career

Jahn's paintings included both the human figure and landscapes from many locations in Scandinavia, Iceland, Paris, Puerto Rico, the American Southwest, Maine and elsewhere in the U.S. She exhibited at the

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. History The PMA use ...

in its "Maine Perspectives" series in 1991 with a solo display of work from Maine and Puerto Rico. In 2015 her work was displayed retrospectively at the Heron Point Gallery in Portland. Her work was described in multiple surveys of Maine artists.

References

External links

Website for Elena Jahn's artwork
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jahn, Elena Artists from Idaho Painters from Maine 1938 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American painters Syracuse University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni People from Culebra, Puerto Rico People from Moscow, Idaho Artists from Syracuse, New York 20th-century American women painters Deaths from scleroderma