Continuing a Legacy of Classical Painting: Frank Vincent DuMond, Frank Mason, James Sulkowski

Opening reception Friday, October 3 | 6-8 pm


DuMond, Mason, and Sulkowski span three generations of artists who hold in common the love of nature, life, and beauty. Frank Vincent DuMond was an American impressionist with a profound knowledge of tonal value painting and an influential arts educator. He passed the baton to Frank Mason within Studio 7 of the Arts Students League in New York City in 1951. Mason, a respected educator in his own right, encouraged aspiring artists to embrace the arduous skill of mastering technique and to observe and capture the importance of light wrapped in atmosphere to conjure the life force within a subject. It was here that James Sulkowski learned how to see. Expressing a strong skill for painting at age 12, James Sulkowski searched for over a decade before he stepped within the halls of the Art Students League to find the mentor who would inspire him to carry the torch forward for future generations of artists. It was with Mason at the League that Sulkowski learned how to see. This presentation is the first time that the work of three generations of classical painters will be shown together. 

About the Artists:

Frank Vincent DuMond (Rochester, NY 1865-1941) was a highly influential teacher-painter during the late 20th-century. He was an illustrator and American impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teacher who instructed thousands of art students throughout his career spanning over fifty years. 

Frank Mason (Cleveland, OH 1921-2009) was a prominent classical painter who worked and taught at the Art Students League in New York City for nearly five decades. Mason was fascinated with the technical aspects of Renaissance painting and was a passionate arts educator. He would travel to Italy many times throughout his life, though New York City was his home. Still life’s, landscapes, religious scenes, and portraits were Mason’s favored subject matter. Mason received many esteemed commissions during his lifetime including commissioned portraits for Bishop John Cardinal Wright of the Vatican and Price Giocomo Colonna of Venice. He was worked for the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta who ordered a commission of eight paintings depicting the life of Saint Anthony of Padua. 

James Sulkowski (Western PA, 1951) received his education from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, and - most notably- the Art Students League of New York with Frank Mason and Robert Beverly Hale. His timeless works have been displayed in the White House, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, and historical museums abroad. Since first offering classes in 1981, Sulkowski has instructed hundreds of students - first in his studio, and then at the university level and workshops across the country. 

Special thanks to the Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT for their collaboration on this exhibition. 



Installation images courtesy of Chris Uhren