Hilda Shapiro Thorpe (1919–2000) was an American sculptor and painter. Thorpe taught a generation of metro Washington, D.C. artists.
[''Hilda Thorpe: Sculpture, Paperwork, Painting 1963-1988''; Introduction and catalog essays by Elizabeth Tebow; Organized and edited by Lois McArdle.]
Life
Thorpe was born Hilda Gottlieb on December 1, 1919, in Baltimore. She was a prolific artist who did not start working professionally until she was nearly 40 and had raised three children.
Thorpe made sculpture from materials such as
sheet metal
Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process.
Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil (metal), foil or Metal leaf, leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 ...
, gauze,
balsa wood
''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as balsa, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma'', and is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the mallow family Malvaceae. The tree is f ...
and handmade paper painted with shimmering fields of color. Thorpe carried on the proud tradition of the
Washington Color School
The Washington Color School, also known as the Washington, D.C., Color School, was an art movement starting during the 1950s–1970s in Washington, D.C., in the United States, built of abstract expressionist artists. The movement emerged during ...
.
Thorpe was influenced by her peers of the time, including the six artists in The Washington Color School: Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Gene Davis, Howard Mehring, Thomas "Tom" Downing, Paul Reed. In July 1997 Thorpe was interviewed for a special Creative Vision documentary by Barbara Januszkiewicz.
Further reading
*
References
Sources
* Elizabeth Tebow ''Hilda Thorpe: sculpture, paperwork, painting, 1963-1988'', Athenaeum, Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (Alexandria, Va), 1988
"Hilda Thorpe, in her own words" ''Washington Review Volume'' XXVI No.June 1/July 2000
''Washington Review Volume'' XXVI No.June 1/July 2000
External links
*
Idealist
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20th-century American painters
1919 births
2000 deaths
20th-century American sculptors