A talented sculptor, a gifted artist and poet, Robert De Niro Sr. significantly influenced the post-war art of America. His paintings were distinguished by vitality and originality of representations.
While the tribesmen followed the traditions of the old school masters, he reveled in his work, using the reality depicted by expressive brush strokes. A bright innovator in the field of painting, Robert De Niro Sr. is a unique and extraordinary figure of abstract expressionism.
Childhood and youth
Robert De Niro was born in Syracuse (New York) in 1922. A talented child at the age of 5 showed outstanding abilities. When he was twelve, he so impressed his art teachers that he got his own studio in the school museum.
The mother of the child tried in every possible way to encourage the desire to draw, but the father was strongly against the boy’s hobby.
In 1939, De Niro studied art all summer with the famous master and teacher Hans Hoffman, and then went to continue his studies in North Carolina. But very soon he realized that he was far from the rigorous color theory inherent in this school, and in 1941 returned to Hoffman. It was the teacher’s love for abstract expressionism and cubism that had a huge impact on the development of Robert De Niro Sr. as an artist.
The appearance of the heir
A year later, he fell in love with the artist Virginia Admiral, and soon they became spouses. In 1943, the couple had an heir - the future great actor, Robert Jr. The godfather of the baby was his beloved teacher and friend, who was highly appreciated by Robert De Niro Sr. The biography of the outstanding experimental artist is rich in ups and downs, public recognition and oblivion. After the birth of a son, a golden couple, as they called Virginia and Robert, divorced.
Maturity
After an unexpected divorce of the spouses, to this day there are rumors that De Niro’s unconventional orientation became the reason for the separation. But anyway, they parted, and Robert went headlong into work.
In the mid-40s and 50s, he exhibited his work in the Guggenheim Gallery and won the status of a rising star in the world of American painting. Some critics have compared De Niro to Matisse and Van Gogh. But its uniqueness is that the famous fascists only inspired the creator. He did not copy their ideas, but strove to create something of his own, special.
When Robert De Niro Sr. was only 24 years old, he held his first solo exhibition (1946). His work was highly appreciated by critics who noted their originality and temperament. The manner of this artist did not fit into the standard framework of expressionist contemporaries. He purposefully followed his own ideas, which made Robert a kind of outsider of the New York art community. But by 1950, he had completely decided what his final artistic style would be: a modern pictorial representation.
Unfortunately, some of the artist's early works did not reach us. In 1949, a fire broke out in the creative studio, destroying most of his early works.
The tragedy of oblivion
“Recognition is luck that you have no power over,” says Robert De Niro, Jr. This is the result of the actor’s own experience, which can be confidently applied to the work of his father. What caused oblivion? Many contemporaries of the artist noted a sharp temper and inability to accept the mistakes of other people, some believed that his paintings are too gravitating to European art. Still others say that the creator’s inclination towards homosexuality and the unexpected fire occurred are the main reason for the cooling of the public.
Despite all the speculation and statements, the son always remembers his father with deep tenderness and appreciates the outstanding talent that Robert De Niro Sr. possessed. The photo of father and son is a confirmation not only of their external similarity, but also of the spiritual closeness of their relatives.
On the walls of restaurants owned by the younger De Niro, paintings by his gifted father hang.
End of life
In the late 60s, De Niro received a grant from the Guggenheim, but continued to write and create his work. He enthusiastically engaged in teaching at various visual arts schools in New York: Buffalo and Cooper Union. In the mid-70s, he wrote two successful series of lithographs in New Mexico. In addition to creating paintings and sculptures, Robert De Niro Sr., an artist, was a writer and poet, and in 1976 published a volume of his poems.
In 1977, he briefly moved to San Francisco, but again returned to his hometown, where he remained until the end of his days.
In 1993, De Niro Sr. died of an incurable disease, leaving behind beautiful paintings full of bold decisions and a synthesis of reality and abstraction.
His unique style, creative use of light brush strokes and unique color schemes can cause hostility or delight of the viewer, but they will not leave anyone indifferent. Today, his work adorns the collections of the Hirschhorn Museum and the sculpture garden, the Corcoran Art Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum.