Ernest Fiene (November 2, 1894 – August 10, 1965) was a 20th-century American graphic artist who primarily worked in New York City and

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

. Fiene was known primarily for his varied printed works, including lithographs and etchings. His notable work includes cityscapes, views of New York City in particular, landscapes and other figural art.

Biography

Ernest Fiene was born in

Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the Germany, German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on November 2, 1894 to Henry and Maria Fiene. He left Germany in 1912. Traveling first to the Netherlands, he continued on to the United States. From 1914 to 1918 he studied at the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

in New York City, and from 1916 to 1918 at the Beaux Arts Institute. In 1923, Fiene continued his study of printmaking 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 ...

. In 1921 he married Jeannette Etarre. In 1923, he had his first solo show at the Whitney Studio Club. The show was successful, and he secured an art dealer. His work was decidedly modern, depicting modern life and industry through color and shape through

precisionism Precisionism was a modernist art movement that emerged in the United States after World War I. Influenced by Cubism, Purism, and Futurism, Precisionist artists reduced subjects to their essential geometric shapes, eliminated detail, and often u ...

. From 1928 to 1929 Fiene studied in Paris and traveled in France. In 1932, he was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

which allowed him to study mural painting in Italy. His work was sold as

lithographs Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

through the

Associated American Artists Associated American Artists (AAA) was an art gallery in New York City that was established in 1934 and ceased operation in 2000. The gallery marketed art to the middle and upper-middle classes, first in the form of affordable prints and later in ...

' (AAA) mail-order catalogs for $5 each. Through his association with AAA, Fiene was hired in 1940, along with eight other prominent American artists, to document dramatic scenes and characters during the production of the film ''

The Long Voyage Home ''The Long Voyage Home'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell and Ian Hunter. It features Barry Fitzgerald, Wilfrid Lawson, John Qualen, Mildred Natwick, and Ward Bond, among others. The ...

'', a cinematic adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's plays. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

. In 1945 he divorced his first wife and married Alicia Wiencek (1918–1961) on August 13, 1945, who was one of his students at the Arts Students League. Fiene re-established his relationship with the Art Students League in 1948, returning to teach classes in painting and drawing there. In 1948, he was elected into the

as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1952. In the 1950s he also served on the faculty of the Famous Artists School in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...

. Fiene died of a heart attack in Paris in 1965.

References

External links

''The Long Voyage Home'' Artist Portraits and Paintings
at The Ned Scott Archive *
Ernest Fiene: Issue 1 of Younger artists series
', by William Murrell (1922) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiene, Ernest 1894 births 1965 deaths Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States American graphic designers Art Students League of New York faculty Art Students League of New York alumni Section of Painting and Sculpture artists Art competitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics 20th-century American printmakers 20th-century American male artists