Ivan Gregorewitch Olinsky (1 January 1878 – 11 February 1962) was a Russian Empire-born American painter and art instructor.

Biography

Olinsky was born in Elizabethgrad, Russian Empire (now

Kirovohrad Kropyvnytskyi ( uk, Кропивницький, Kropyvnytskyi ) is a city in central Ukraine on the Inhul river with a population of . It is an administrative center of the Kirovohrad Oblast. Over its history, Kropyvnytskyi has changed its name ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

). After immigrating to the United States at the age of twelve, 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, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...

, then worked for the American muralist George Willoughby Maynard, then for Elmer Garnsey, then for

John La Farge John La Farge (March 31, 1835 – November 14, 1910) was an American artist whose career spanned illustration, murals, interior design, painting, and popular books on his Asian travels and other art-related topics. La Farge is best known for ...

in Boston until about 1906. Olinsky became best known for his female portraits in a style that tended towards Impressionism. He was awarded full membership in the National Academy of Design in 1919, and served as an longtime instructor at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stud ...

Manhattan, New York City Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. stat ...

. By 1942 he was living in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

. Olinsky suffered a stroke in December 1961, and he died on 11 February 1962.

Legacy

His second daughter, Tosca Olinsky (1909–1984), was a notable painter in her own right. Both father and daughter are associated with the Old Lyme Art Colony in

Old Lyme, Connecticut Old Lyme is a coastal town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is located in Old Lyme and ther ...

. Olinsky's papers reside at the Smithsonian.

References

External links

''Biographical Notes''
a collection of biographical information and images of 50 American artists, containing information about the artist on page 40.
Two exhibition catalogs
available from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries. {{DEFAULTSORT:Olinsky, Ivan 1878 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters Art Students League of New York faculty National Academy of Design members Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States People from New London, Connecticut People from Manhattan 20th-century American male artists