Harry Carmean

Who is Harry Carmean?

Harry Carmean is an American painter known for his figurative paintings based on the work of the old masters. The ideas of the Renaissance, Baroque, Mannerist and Impressionist art can all be seen in his work to varying degrees. He is known for practicing a form of drawing known as “draughstmanship” in which specific art ideas are consistently applied throughout a drawing. He was an instructor at Art Center College of Design from 1952 through 1996 and has taught thousands of students.

Harry Carmean was first a singer before becoming an artist. After serving in World War II, he quit singing and began studying art at École des Beaux-Arts in France and later at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. It was there that he met the painter Lorser Feitelson who strongly influenced Carmean’s work. Carmean became involved with a circle of artists that including Feitelson, Helen Lundeberg, colorist Stanton MacDonald-Wright and Frederick Hammersley.

In the 1960s he began a series of paintings featuring a family theme. These were done in a simple manner with muted colors and showed the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque art. It was at this time that Carmean came into his own as a painter and his compositions became more involved. In the '60s, Carmean was featured regularly on Feitelson's award winning television show Feitelson on Art on KNBC in Los Angeles.