Mark Tobey
Painting, Visual Artist
1890 – 1976
Who was Mark Tobey?
Mark George Tobey was an American painter. His densely structured compositions, inspired by Asian calligraphy, resemble Abstract expressionism, although the motives for his compositions differ philosophically from most Abstract Expressionist painters. His work was widely recognized throughout the United States and Europe. Along with Guy Anderson, Kenneth Callahan, Morris Graves, and William Cumming, Tobey was a founder of the Northwest School. Senior in age and experience, he had a strong influence on the others; friend and mentor, Tobey shared their interest in philosophy and Eastern religions. Similar to others of the Northwest School, Tobey was mostly self-taught after early studies at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Tobey was an incessant traveler, visiting Mexico, Europe, Palestine, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, China and Japan. After converting to the Bahá'í Faith, it became an important part of his life. Whether Tobey's all-over paintings, marked by oriental brushwork and calligraphic strokes, were an influencer on Jackson Pollock's drip paintings has been left unanswered.
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- Born
- Dec 11, 1890
Centerville - Also known as
- Mark. Tobey
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Lived in
- Wisconsin
- Centerville
- Died
- Apr 24, 1976
Basel
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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