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Henry Casselli

Henry Calvin Casselli Jr. (born October 25, 1946) is a contemporary American artist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He primarily paints watercolors of figures and settings from his native New Orleans.

Life and career edit

Henry Casselli was born and raised in the ethnically diverse Ninth Ward of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Casselli received a scholarship to study at the McCrady School of Fine and Applied Arts in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where he enrolled in 1964 after graduating from high school. He was tutored by John McCrady, and joined the faculty as an assistant instructor during his second year at the school.

 
Young Men Growing Old, by Henry Casselli

In 1967, as the American involvement in the war in Vietnam escalated, Casselli voluntarily enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was assigned the position of combat artist, and upon his deployment found himself immersed in the Tet Offensive of 1968. As Casselli later recalled, "[W]ithin three days of my arrival, I was knee-deep in war. I had to be a Marine first just to survive."[1] Despite the hardship of war, Casselli was able to depict soldiers and scenes of war in pencil sketches and paintings during his combat tour, artwork that is now part of the collection of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, in Washington, DC.

 
Casselli photographs Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1988 in preparation for his portrait.

After being discharged from the Marine Corps in 1970, Casselli returned to New Orleans to learn that his mentor, John McCrady, was very ill. McCrady died within days of Casselli's return. Losing his mentor was a very difficult experience for Casselli, but it also signaled his coming of age as an artist.[1]

After his return from combat, Casselli chose watercolor as his medium to reconnect with his native city, particularly focusing his attention on the life of African Americans in New Orleans. His work soon began to draw national attention, and in 1971

 
John Glenn, STS-95, by Henry Casselli

Casselli was awarded by the prestigious American Watercolor Society for his first submission. Over the next fifteen years, Casselli solidified his position as a master of the American watercolor, culminating in 1987 when he was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor by the American Watercolor Society, for the painting Echo. In 1988, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full member in 1994.

In addition to his work depicting the African Americans of New Orleans, Casselli has been commissioned for many portraits throughout his career. In 1980 and 1981, NASA commissioned him to serve as an official artist leading up to America's first Space Shuttle launch. Again, in 1998, NASA commissioned Casselli to portray John Glenn as he prepared for his historic final mission. Many of these works are part of the official collection of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Casselli was also commissioned for the official portrait of President Ronald Reagan, which he completed in 1988. The piece now hangs in the Hall of Presidents at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.[2] His 1981 portrait of Muhammad Ali (called Cat's Cradle) also hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.[3]

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ a b Henry Casselli Biography
  2. ^ "Henry Casselli Biography". henrycasselli.com.
  3. ^ , National Portrait Gallery blog, January 15, 2010. Retrieved 2013-05-29.

External links edit

  • Henry Casselli's website

henry, casselli, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, from, article, t. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Henry Casselli news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Henry Calvin Casselli Jr born October 25 1946 is a contemporary American artist from New Orleans Louisiana He primarily paints watercolors of figures and settings from his native New Orleans Life and career editHenry Casselli was born and raised in the ethnically diverse Ninth Ward of New Orleans New Orleans Louisiana Casselli received a scholarship to study at the McCrady School of Fine and Applied Arts in the French Quarter of New Orleans where he enrolled in 1964 after graduating from high school He was tutored by John McCrady and joined the faculty as an assistant instructor during his second year at the school nbsp Young Men Growing Old by Henry CasselliIn 1967 as the American involvement in the war in Vietnam escalated Casselli voluntarily enlisted in the United States Marine Corps He was assigned the position of combat artist and upon his deployment found himself immersed in the Tet Offensive of 1968 As Casselli later recalled W ithin three days of my arrival I was knee deep in war I had to be a Marine first just to survive 1 Despite the hardship of war Casselli was able to depict soldiers and scenes of war in pencil sketches and paintings during his combat tour artwork that is now part of the collection of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Washington DC nbsp Casselli photographs Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office in 1988 in preparation for his portrait After being discharged from the Marine Corps in 1970 Casselli returned to New Orleans to learn that his mentor John McCrady was very ill McCrady died within days of Casselli s return Losing his mentor was a very difficult experience for Casselli but it also signaled his coming of age as an artist 1 After his return from combat Casselli chose watercolor as his medium to reconnect with his native city particularly focusing his attention on the life of African Americans in New Orleans His work soon began to draw national attention and in 1971 nbsp John Glenn STS 95 by Henry CasselliCasselli was awarded by the prestigious American Watercolor Society for his first submission Over the next fifteen years Casselli solidified his position as a master of the American watercolor culminating in 1987 when he was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor by the American Watercolor Society for the painting Echo In 1988 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full member in 1994 In addition to his work depicting the African Americans of New Orleans Casselli has been commissioned for many portraits throughout his career In 1980 and 1981 NASA commissioned him to serve as an official artist leading up to America s first Space Shuttle launch Again in 1998 NASA commissioned Casselli to portray John Glenn as he prepared for his historic final mission Many of these works are part of the official collection of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC Casselli was also commissioned for the official portrait of President Ronald Reagan which he completed in 1988 The piece now hangs in the Hall of Presidents at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC 2 His 1981 portrait of Muhammad Ali called Cat s Cradle also hangs in the National Portrait Gallery 3 Notes and references edit a b Henry Casselli Biography Henry Casselli Biography henrycasselli com Portrait of Muhammad Ali by Henry Casselli National Portrait Gallery blog January 15 2010 Retrieved 2013 05 29 External links editHenry Casselli s website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Henry Casselli amp oldid 1141717603, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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