Jay Meuser (September 28, 1911 — August 19, 1963) was an American

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of th ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. Meuser's style was versatile and his works prolific. In his lifetime he worked as an

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, portrait painter and

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

for several newspaper editorial pages.

Biography

He married Dorothy Ellen Morris in 1938. Their only child, Jacqueline Ellen Meuser, married Suren Saroyan, MD, cousin of the famous American Playwright

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''Th ...

. "I've led a most full life," he said to his wife just before his death. Besides teaching at the Art School of San Francisco, he had been a baseball pitcher, a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

performer, a sailor working around the world twice, and "was more than a fair boxer." He had worn 14 different law enforcement badges. At 31, he was the youngest chief of police in

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is a ...

, California. As a member of the Sheet Metal Workers International, he worked at the

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long Be ...

Naval Shipyard. There he was awarded the Navy's "Certificate of Award" for a suggestion that was adopted concerning the building of naval ships. He also wrote a column in the union's newspaper.

Career

Meuser painted many of the 20th century prominent personalities, including Presidents

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. His portrait of Roosevelt hung in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...

and he received a personal letter of thanks from the late president. While at the shipyard, he was commissioned to paint the portraits of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

and Mrs. Paul Hendren,

USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

and Rear Admiral T. P. Wynkoop USN. He drew two sketches of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Douglas MacArthur in 1950; each accompanying editorials in the Long Beach Press Telegram. The latter sketch prompted an oil painting commissioned by a prominent businessman in the San Francisco Bay Area. Shortly after his death, the original sketch of General MacArthur was donated to

Fort MacArthur Fort MacArthur is a former United States Army installation in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California (now the port community of Los Angeles). A small section remains in military use by the United States Air Force as a housing and administrative annex ...

, San Pedro CA by his wife in 1964. In addition to his oil, water and

casein paint Casein paint, (or cassein) derived from milk casein (milk protein), is a fast-drying, water-soluble medium used by artists. Description It generally has a glue-like consistency, but can be thinned with water to the degree that fits a particular ar ...

colors, he also did many editorial cartoon sketches for newspapers.

Later work

By 1949, Meuser had devoted his life to painting full-time. Around 1950 he became interested in

abstraction Abstraction in its main sense is a conceptual process wherein general rules and concepts are derived from the usage and classification of specific examples, literal ("real" or " concrete") signifiers, first principles, or other methods. "An a ...

. Previously, his subjects were depicted in realistic terms. He wrote about his painting ''Mare Nostrum'', "It is far better to capture the glorious spirit of the sea than to paint all of its tiny ripples." The vast majority of his artwork was painted between 1949 and 1957. The variety and quality of his work, as well as the quantity, during this period was significant. As President of the San Pedro Art Association in 1953, he oversaw three galleries and designed, renovated and constructed plans for the group's first permanent gallery. In 1955 he was elected a member of the nationwide

California Water Color Society The National Watercolor Society is a non-profit society which is headed by artists. Its main goal is to improve watercolor painting through trainings and exhibitions. History The National Watercolor Society was established by Dana Bartlett in 192 ...

(currently known as the National Watercolor Society), where he was close friends with past presidents Arnold Franz Brasz and Leonard Edmondson. He participated and won awards in scores of art exhibitions across the country. His award winning painting ''Occultation'' went on tour in the traveling section of the California Water Color Society's Annual Exhibition of 1962. His abstract work ''Northward'' was requested by the

Long Beach Museum of Art The Long Beach Museum of Art is a museum located on Ocean Boulevard in the Bluff Park neighborhood of Long Beach, California, United States. The museum's permanent collection includes over 4,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, works on paper, an ...

in 1957 and remains in the museum's permanent collection as

Abstract Expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

Honors and recognition

* California Legislature, State Assembly Certificate of Recognition, July 7, 2011. * City of Los Angeles Certificate of Tribute, July 7, 2011. * County of Los Angeles Commendation, July 7, 2011. * Plaque Dedication by the San Pedro Art Association honoring Jay Meuser, mounted on an historical building in the heart of the San Pedro Art Walk, July 7, 2011. * Jay Meuser Memorial Award, presented by the National Watercolor Society for Abstract Art.

Purchase prizes

* San Pedro Art Patrons Purchase Award, 1953. * Top Recommendation for Purchase by Jury of Awards — Long Beach Museum of Art, 1957.

Exhibitions

* Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, California * California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California * Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, California * Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia * California State Fair, Sacramento, California * National Orange Show, San Bernardino, California * Pasadena Museum of Art, Pasadena, California * Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado * National Institute of Modern Art, Mexico City, Mexico * The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts * University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California * Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California * DeCordova Museum of Art, Lincoln Massachusetts * Santa Monica Art Gallery, Santa Monica, California * Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California * Palos Verdes Library/Gallery, Palos Verdes Estates, California * Richmond Art Center, Richmond, California * Benjamin Franklin Library, Mexico City, Mexico * North American Cultural Institute, Mexico City, Mexico * Newport Harbor Annual, Newport Beach, California * San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, California

Collections

* Marymount College, Palos Verdes, California * Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California * Richard Dana Junior High School, San Pedro, California * Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, California * John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, Massachusetts * Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, California

Affiliations

* Past President of the San Pedro Art Association (1953) * California Water Color Society * San Francisco Art Institute * Los Angeles Art Association * Artists Equity Association

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meuser, Jay Artists from San Francisco American cartoonists Abstract expressionist artists 1911 births 1963 deaths Sheet metal workers Painters from California People from San Pedro, Los Angeles