HOMER DIMAN
He was born in New York, N. Y., July 31, 1914 from a distinguished family of New York and New England artists and creative people. He is a grand nephew of Winslow Homer (our greatest American painter, past or present). He is also a grand nephew of Madam Louise Homer (our most famous contralto from the Golden Age of the Metropolitan Opera). He is a descendent of Augustus St. Gaudens (our greatest sculptor) and of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the writer, poet, and philosopher.
His art studies were extensive including the famous Parsons School of Fine Art, N.Y., The Franklin Academy of Art, N.Y., The Art Students League, N.Y., where he studied with the great George Bridgeman in figure and anatomy, The Newark School of Fine Art, N.J. and the Ecole des Beaux Artes, Paris, France.
During the Great Depression he struggled for his art education often doing without meals to pay for art lessons. His friends and associates were many of the “greats”—John Sloan, Thomas Hart Benton, Reginald Marsh to mention but a few. He was a member of the Surrealist Club famous in the 1930’s, and befriended and aided Salvador Dali when Dali first came to this country from Spain, however the influence of the old & Ashcan School and is most often seen in his work. His versatility and technical ability is a source of constant surprise for he was versed in any area and in any and all mediums from line engraving to oil on fresco done in the classical tracli- tion of the “Old Masters.” He has even indulged in sculpture and wood carving. His subjects are as varied and many faceted as his personality. Fundamentally he is a marine artist and he loves the New England coast and countryside but he also loves his native cities—New York and Paris—as he was brought up more or less jointly in both. But in his work anything can happen except compromise with his own standards. Not for him is the cover up of the unidentifiable blob although he is quite capable of getting “way out” if he wishes. His own statement says it best. “I was brought up believing that it is rude and unkind to inflict upset on others,” says Diman, “so I’ll stick to my guns as I know the fads will die as they always have in the past—believe me, my friends, they most assuredly will die. As I see it my sole function is not to deliver messages, I’ll leave that to Western Union, but to interpret beauty as it was created by THE Great Artist using whatever talents He has given me. My own problems and hang-ups belong to me and are mine alone to combat. They should not be inflicted on others in my work. However, I shall always concede to my fellow artists their absolute right to paint what and how they please for, as the old lady said when she kissed the pig—Every man to his own taste.”
In the ‘30’s and ‘40’s his work was exhibited extensively. He was associated with the famous Macbeth Galleries and the Anderson Gallery in N.Y. He was twice winner of the International Art Directors Award held in conjunction with the 1939/40 New York World’s Fair with his painting ‘The Open Ocean” now in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Boutell. Winner of numerous awards in the Metropolitan area among them “Best of Show” at the Newark Institute in 1938. More recently his work was shown nationally at the Big Bend National held at Tallahassee, Fla. in November 1968. He submitted three works in this show in competition with over 1200 submitted and all three were juried in and hung. His works are in many important private collections throughout the country.
The outbreak of WW II brought an abrupt halt to his art career in 1940 and not one piece was produced until 1967 when circumstances permitted a resumption of the only work he loved. He was not a prolific artist as his own perfectionism prevented production. A resident of St. Petersburg, Fla. from 1953 until his death in 1974 and with much WW II service in this area, he considered himself a native Floridian despite his N.Y. background.
NATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
While only a few of his works are shown here, his portfolio contains many works and are prodominantly held in private collections.
This work was sketched out in white charcoal on blue paper as the preliminary sketch for the final work in oil. This work was detailed specifically for the artist’s wife, Loy Diman in 1968.
Biography of Homer DIMAN (1914-1974) from Artprice.com
Birth place: New York, NY
Address: St. Petersburg, FL
Profession: Painter
Studied: Ecole Beaux Artes; Parsons School of Fine Art, New York, ASL New York; Franklin Academy Art, New York; Newark School of Fine Art; Also with John Sloan, George Bridgeman, Salvador Dali and others.
Exhibited: Masters Invitational, Boston, Mass, 1935; World’s Fair, New York, 1939 -40; Big Bend Nat, Tallahassee, Fla, 1968; De Bary Hall, Hq Fla Federation of Art, 1970-71; Latin Quarter Gallery, Tampa, Fla, 1970-171. Awards: Int Art Dirs Award, Advert Arts, New York, 1939; W Shore Exhibition Awards, Tampa Realistic Artists, 1969-70; Arts International, Belleair Bluffs, FL.
Member: Art Club St Petersburg; Latin Quarter Gallery; Sarasota Art Asn; Soc N Am Artists.
Work: Am Univ Mus, Beirut, Lebanon; Arch Fla Art, Ringling Mus, Sarasota, Fla.
Comments: Preferred Media: Oils, Watercolors. Positions: V pres & mem exec bd, Fla Fedn Art, De Bary, 1970-71.