On occasion the works of Irene Friedman resurface, after spending a lifetime within an existing estate. Upon resurfacing, they get a chance to be catalogued and rediscovered. Kate Marshall Dole wrote a celebration of life article about Friedman for the Chicago Tribune (Mar. 15, 2017), where she outlined Friedman's triumphs over adversity and her compelling desire to create art.
Friedman lived for more than 100 years and was driven by her love of art. She was an immigrant child of a widowed mother. Born Irene Hochfelder, April 26, 1915, the only daughter of Fannie and Armin Hockfelder, in an area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that became Czechoslovakia. She never met her father who was killed during World War I. Concerns about growing anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe following the war, Fannie Hochfelder and her daughter moved to the United States when Friedman was five.
Arriving in New York City, they joined her extended family in the Bronx. There they pooled resources sharing a home on Fox Street. They lived in the Bronx until Friedman's 13th birthday, when her mother remarried, settling in Perth Amboy, NJ. When her cousin was interviewed for the Chicago Times article, she concluded: As a young girl, Friedman enjoyed drawing and watercolors, as she was always drawing and sketching; it appears she was always interested in art.
Parts of her family reported that Friedman was an avid consumer of the arts and culture in New York City, she introduced her family to some of the city's cultural institutions including museums and Broadway; she was aware of all of the cultural and sophisticated things that New York City had to offer.
In 1941, Friedman earned a diploma from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, specializing in fashion design and then set out to find a job. Once again, her cousin reminisced, "I remember her coming to the city with this big portfolio that was larger than she was... she headed to the fashion houses" - looking for work in 1941was difficult as the country's unemployment rate was 25% and the U.S. was still coming out of the Great Depression.
Friedman found various jobs during the 1940s: doing underglaze painting for the Gort China Co., working for the Defense Department during the war, and eventually, taking a job as a dental assistant in Perth Amboy.
In 1947, she returned to Czechoslovakia to meet George Friedman, an acquaintance of her cousin's. They were married there June 28, 1947, and returned to the United States shortly thereafter. George Friedman's family had been in the lumber business in Czechoslovakia, and he returned to the trade in the U.S. The business moved the couple to Memphis, Tenn., and then in 1951 to Chicago, and then moved to the north shore suburbs of Wilmette in 1956.
Around age 45, Friedman earned her certification as an occupational therapy assistant and she got a job at the Presence Maryhaven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Glenview. She became the activities director, where she tutored residents and patients with arts and crafts; she would continue working at Maryhaven until she retired at age 80.
When Friedman's husband died in 1979, and with her children grown, Friedman re-immersed herself into painting after a decades long hiatus. In these later years, she continued to enhance her painting skills through intensive watercolor courses, and studying at the art studios on the North Shore. She painted until age 91.
Some of her most interesting works have resurfaced including two sculptural works that have captured art collectors attention. The two individual works reappeared at Wright: Auctions of Art and Design, and on 1stDibs. Both are high end venues for the sophisticated collector (shown under references below). These two sculptures have a mid-century modern style that appear if they might have been influenced by the noted English artist - Henry Moore.
Friedman found various jobs during the 1940s: doing underglaze painting for the Gort China Co., working for the Defense Department during the war, and eventually, taking a job as a dental assistant in Perth Amboy.
In 1947, she returned to Czechoslovakia to meet George Friedman, an acquaintance of her cousin's. They were married there June 28, 1947, and returned to the United States shortly thereafter. George Friedman's family had been in the lumber business in Czechoslovakia, and he returned to the trade in the U.S. The business moved the couple to Memphis, Tenn., and then in 1951 to Chicago, and then moved to the north shore suburbs of Wilmette in 1956.
Around age 45, Friedman earned her certification as an occupational therapy assistant and she got a job at the Presence Maryhaven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Glenview. She became the activities director, where she tutored residents and patients with arts and crafts; she would continue working at Maryhaven until she retired at age 80.
When Friedman's husband died in 1979, and with her children grown, Friedman re-immersed herself into painting after a decades long hiatus. In these later years, she continued to enhance her painting skills through intensive watercolor courses, and studying at the art studios on the North Shore. She painted until age 91.
Some of her most interesting works have resurfaced including two sculptural works that have captured art collectors attention. The two individual works reappeared at Wright: Auctions of Art and Design, and on 1stDibs. Both are high end venues for the sophisticated collector (shown under references below). These two sculptures have a mid-century modern style that appear if they might have been influenced by the noted English artist - Henry Moore.
Her oil on canvas works have a clean graphic-design feel as in the examples below.
"Red Rituals"
Oil on Canvas
Sign on the front with script: I F
Title and Name on Reverse
"Red Ritual" is filled with flat images of an African Mask, Rabbit, Birds, and North Eskimo Mask, with Meandering Lines. She uses contrasting colors of reds and greens, with yellow highlights. These colors provide a sense of gyration putting the green next to the red, creating intensity of the red. Combining yellow and black becomes shades of green, allowing the yellow to serve as the base of the green colors used throughout the composition. Friedman is using color theory with graphic delineations to produce an interesting painting that causes the viewer to find all the elements within the composition. Other examples of her graphic style paintings are provided below:
No doubt, there may be other unknown art examples hanging on the walls of homes and businesses on the North Shore, that have not been included in her catalogue of works.
References and Documentation:
Kate Marshall Dole, Chicago Times, March 15, 2017
Irene Friedman Obituary, Anello Funeral Services
MutualArt
Sculpture Examples Below:
Signage example: Script Signature for Irene Friedman - on "Red Ritual" Painting:
__________________________________________
©2023. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos and blog was created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #walleryoblonskyblogspot #IreneFriedman #irenehfriedmanchicago #irenefriedmanartist
Comments
Post a Comment