Art & Art History ETDs

Publication Date

7-4-1968

Abstract

One of the most outstanding painters of the second generation of artists to live and work in Taos, New Mexico, was Thomas Duncan Benrimo (1887-1958). A remarkable feature of his career was the fact that he resigned from a long and successful career in the New York advertising world to become a successful exponent of modern trends in serious painting, chiefly developing the ideas of official Surrealism and Cubism. This was in contrast to most of the painting produced in the Taos area, in that it eschews regionalism or picturesque values in favor of experimentation.

From 1939 until his death in 1958, Tom Benrimo was a permanent resident in Taos, seldom traveling; his work, however, found acceptance and awards in exhibitions throughout the United States, e.g.; at the Chicago Art Institute, 1951; The University of Illinois, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957; The Whitney Museum of American Art, 1951, 1952; etc. Unaffected by critical praise, Benrimo continued to experiment in watercolor, oil, pencil and pen and ink. These experiments culminated in a remarkable series of line drawings during 1957, the last year in which the artist was active. These can be considered his most truly original works.

In addition to his skill as a “fine” and “commercial” artist, Benrimo was a successful teacher; his pedagogical notebooks compiled while teaching at Pratt Institute are excerpted and partly reproduced in this thesis. Also illustrated are significant examples of the artist’s chief works from each period of his career, and photographs of the artist and his Taos environment.

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Art History

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

UNM Department of Art and Art History

First Committee Member (Chair)

Van Deren Coke

Second Committee Member

Douglas Roland George

Third Committee Member

Clinton Adams

Fourth Committee Member

Bainbridge Bunting

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