William Dole (artist)

William Dole
Born1917
Angola, Indiana
Died1983
Santa Barbara
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Known forWatercolor and Collage


William Dole (1917-1983) was an American collagist and teacher.

Early life

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Dole was born in Angola, Indiana in 1917.[1][2] Dole studied English literature at Olivet College and later finished a degree in art history, apprenticing with George Rickey.[2] Dole moved to Oakland, California in 1941 to study at Mills College and joined the United States Army Air Corps the following year, where he served until 1945.[3]

Career

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Dole worked briefly in the advertising industry before beginning graduate studies in art at University of California, Berkeley in 1946[2] and lecturing there in 1947.[1] In 1949, Dole became an assistant professor at University of California, Santa Barbara;[2] he would become department chair in 1958 and full professor in 1962.[1] He was named to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.[4]

Work

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Dole's art was largely watercolor-based until he took a sabbatical in Florence, Italy in 1955, at which point he began to work in collage by incorporating Italian landscape elements.[2] Dole was inspired by the collages and assemblages of Georges Braque, Kurt Schwitters and Joseph Cornell.[2] Dole was also Mary Heebner's mentor.[5]

Dole's collages were described as Cubist and Dadaist,[6] and as geometrical in form.[3] His work often featured words, letters, and other textual elements.[7] His work was considered influential in the Santa Barbara collage scene,[8] and was highly regarded by New York Times art critic John Russell.[9][10][11]

Dole's work was shown in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art beginning in 1976 and was exhibited in other major cities.[2] His work was also shown in Felix Landau's art gallery.[12] A portion of his collection resides at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[3]

Personal life

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Dole married Kathryn Dole in 1941.[2] They lived in Santa Barbara and Hollister Ranch for some time.[13][14] They had seven children and many grandchildren.[1] Dole died in 1983 in Santa Barbara.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d John Russell (January 15, 1983). "WILLIAM DOLE, 65, AN ARTIST WHO WAS KNOWN FOR COLLAGES". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "William Dole (1917-1983)". Sullivan Goss.
  3. ^ a b c "Dole (William) papers". Online Archive of California. September 13, 2014.
  4. ^ "William Earl Dole, Jr., Art: Santa Barbara". Online Archive of California. 1985.
  5. ^ "Cut and Paste: Collage in Santa Barbara". Kolaj Magazine.
  6. ^ a b Josef Woodard (April 9, 1992). "EXHIBIT : The Essence of Dole : A display of collage works by the famous Santa Barbara artist chronicles the evolution of his unique talent". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ Ronny Cohen (February 1985). "William Dole". Artforum.
  8. ^ Charles Donelan (January 1, 2019). "'Cut and Paste' at The Arts Fund". Santa Barbara Independent.
  9. ^ John Russell (December 14, 1974). "Art: Fragments of Language That Delight the Eyes". New York Times.
  10. ^ John Russell (November 12, 1976). "Art: New Collages By William Dole". New York Times.
  11. ^ John Russell (December 5, 1982). "CRITICS' CHOICES; ART". New York Times.
  12. ^ Muchnic, Suzanne (March 5, 2003). "Felix Landau, 78; His L.A. Art Gallery Was Showcase in 1960s". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ Ward, Cynthia Carbone (February 26, 2024). "When Khrushchev Came to Gaviota". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  14. ^ ""Kathryn Lee Holcomb Dole"". Santa Barbara Independent. January 6, 2012.