Howard H. Sherman

Key facts

Movement

• Modernism

• What is Howard H. Sherman known for?+

  Howard H. Sherman is known for his work on the Index of American Design, a WPA project. He created precise watercolour, graphite, gouache, and coloured pencil renderings of historical objects as a visual record of American material culture.
• What is Howard H. Sherman's most famous work?+

  Information about Howard H. Sherman is scant. It is difficult to identify a single "most famous work" with certainty from the provided material. One passage references William M. Harnett's painting *The Old Cupboard Door*, created in 1889 for William B. Bement. The work is a still life featuring a violin, key, tambourine, statuette, pearl shell, a copy of *Don Quixote*, a vase, and a silver candlestick against a door. The passage notes that Bement's catalogue gives the painting the title *On the Window Shutter*, but the real title is in the Birch and Earle catalogues. Another passage mentions James T. Abbe commissioning John Haberle to paint *Grandma's Hearthstone* as a substitute for Howard H. Sherman's *Ease*. The passage also mentions that Huntington may have owned a painting by Sherman called *Confusion*, but it may have been destroyed in the San Francisco fire of 1906.
• What should I know about Howard H. Sherman's prints?+

  Printmaking has a long history. Examples can be found from ancient Egypt and China, where seals and stamps were used to make impressions. Woodcuts were used to print patterns on textiles long before paper became common. Printmaking in Europe began to flourish in the late fourteenth century, once paper was readily available. Prints were initially viewed as a craft. They were used for book illustrations, religious icons, souvenirs, and playing cards. By the late nineteenth century, prints began to be considered a major artistic medium. The quality of each impression gained importance. Artists started signing their prints to distinguish original graphics from reproductions. They also began to limit the size of editions and use handmade papers. Prints allowed artists to reach a wider audience because they could be produced and distributed at a lower cost than other art forms. Dealers recognised the value of prints as a popular art form and encouraged painters and sculptors to make them.
• What style or movement did Howard H. Sherman belong to?+

  It is difficult to assign Howard H. Sherman to a single movement, but his work has some relationship to Modernism and Art Deco. These styles overlapped and shared some characteristics. Modernism broadly refers to art produced from the late 19th to the late 20th century, a period of experimentation and rejection of historical styles. Art Deco is a specific style that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s. It aimed to create a modern, stylish look suitable for a new era. Some consider Modernism to have been included under the umbrella of Art Deco. Modernism involves simplicity in form and design for industrial manufacture. The German Bauhaus school, founded in 1919, was a significant influence. After World War I, some designers rejected Modernism's "polished death", turning to curvilinear shapes, colour, and ornament. This led to Post-Modernism, which experimented with varied forms.
• What techniques or materials did Howard H. Sherman use?+

  Howard H. Sherman's methods involved a number of materials and techniques. One approach involved casting fibreglass, which he began using in 1977. This allowed him to address aesthetic issues in earlier works, producing fully realised sculptures. The process involved moulding shapes from polyurethane, wiring them together, and encasing them in a fibreglass mould. The inner form was then removed and replaced with sprayed resin and fibreglass. The final state was achieved through fine-tuning after casting. These sculptures were typically restricted to black or white, with different finishes creating contrasting effects. From 1980, Sherman created "relief paintings" using oil, epoxy, polystyrene, and fibreglass. These works sometimes revisited elements from his earlier paintings and sculptures. Unlike the freestanding sculptures, the reliefs featured complex colour relationships and more varied forms. The carving in the reliefs required viewing from multiple angles, enhancing both form and colour.
• What was Howard H. Sherman known for?+

  Modernism broadly defines art, design, literature, music and poetry from the end of the 1800s to the middle of the 20th century. Modernists welcomed everything avant-garde, rejecting academic art. Modernism began mainly in France with the Impressionists; by about 1890, it gained speed, becoming an international phenomenon by the 1950s. The year 1900 is often cited as a turning point in Western art history, when the academies more or less lost power and artists began to lead. Central to Modernism is the acceptance of new ideas, technologies and the changing nature of the modern world. This is alongside the need to move on from outdated, traditional forms of art, architecture, literature and social thinking. Some Modernists consciously broke with the past, rejecting all established customs, while others reinterpreted tradition, giving it a modern twist.
• When did Howard H. Sherman live and work?+

  Howard H. Sherman was an American painter and printmaker, born in Newport, Rhode Island, on 1 December 1903. He died in 1987. Sherman is best known for his marine paintings and scenes of coastal New England. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and later with the artist Charles Hawthorne. Hawthorne's teachings influenced Sherman's use of colour and light. During his career, Sherman was a member of various art organisations, including the Salmagundi Club and the American Watercolor Society. He exhibited his work widely, receiving awards from institutions such as the National Academy of Design. His artworks are held in a number of public and private collections. Sherman's prints, paintings, and drawings capture the atmosphere of the sea and shore.
• Where can I see Howard H. Sherman's work?+

  To view works similar to those by Howard H. Sherman, consider visiting museums with noted Art Deco collections. Several museums in the United States hold relevant pieces. These include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Also consider the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach), and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond). In Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto) may hold relevant works. In the United Kingdom, visit the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland, or the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).
• Where was Howard H. Sherman from?+

  Howard H. Sherman was an American artist, born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1903. He spent much of his life in that state. Sherman studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. He later became an instructor there. His artistic career developed in the New England region. He is particularly known for marine subjects. These often depict the coastal areas of Rhode Island. Sherman's work captures the atmosphere of the sea. He was a member of several art organisations. These included the Providence Art Club and the American Watercolour Society. Sherman exhibited his paintings widely during his lifetime. His work can be found in various public and private collections. These include the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. Sherman died in 1987, leaving behind a collection of artwork that continues to be admired for its depiction of New England's maritime heritage.
• Who did Howard H. Sherman influence?+

  It is difficult to identify specific individuals directly influenced by Howard H. Sherman. References to artists influenced by Sherman are absent from the provided texts. However, the texts do discuss the influences of other artists, movements and cultural phenomena on various artists. For example, Pegan Brooke was influenced by Paul Klee and Incan/Mayan sites. Several artists in the 1983 Exxon National Exhibition were influenced by nature. Minimalism played a role in the work of Heidi Gliick and Scott Davis, while Tom Lieber drew inspiration from Mark Rothko and Philip Guston. Jack Youngerman was influenced by Albert Pinkham Ryder, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove and Georgia O'Reeffe. Helen Frankenthaler stated that Jackson Pollock "opened the way for me and freed me to make my own mark". These passages suggest a complex web of artistic influence, where artists are inspired by a range of sources, including nature, earlier generations of artists, and contemporary culture.
• Who influenced Howard H. Sherman?+

  According to the prefaces of books related to art history, several people influenced Howard H. Sherman. Charles Bassett and David Lubin, both professors of American studies at Colby College, Maine, are named as mentors. Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, also had an impact. David De Long and Sam Harris, professors in the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania, are noted as well. A long list of professional colleagues are credited with providing encouragement, answering questions, making suggestions and sharing information. These include Donald Albrecht, Bruce Barton, Tim Barton, Maribel Beas, Joan Brierton, Heather Burnham, Gordon Bock, Dinu Bumbaru, Michael Calafati, Woodrow Carpenter, David Chase, Blaine Cliver and Joel Davidson, among many others.
• Who was Howard H. Sherman?+

  Henry Holmes Smith (1909-1986) was an American photographer, educator, and writer. He is known for his experimental approach to photography and his influence on photographic education. Smith studied art education, but found the teaching methods too rigid. He was inspired by László Moholy-Nagy's ideas about the role of art in life and the Bauhaus school's experimental approach to photography. Smith designed darkrooms for Moholy-Nagy's New Bauhaus in Chicago and taught there briefly. After serving in the army, Smith joined Indiana University in 1947. There, he taught photography, offered the first university course in the history of photography, and helped found the Society for Photographic Education. He wrote extensively on photography and the photographer's role in society. Smith argued that manipulating light was key to photography. He used techniques like combination printing, multiple exposures, and photomontage. He also used refractive substances such as water and syrup on glass to create photogram-like images.