Revington Arthur

Revington Jessup Arthur (April 2, 1907 – September 11, 1986), was an American artist and educator. He is known for abstract oil paintings, watercolors, and graphic design. He taught at the Chautauqua Art Summer School from 1956 until 1986.

Early life and education Revington Arthur was born in 1907 in the Glenbrook neighborhood of Stamford, Connecticut, where he was also raised. His father was an engineer. He began painting from an early age.

Arthur studied at the Art Students League of New York, the Eastport Summer School of Art, and the Grand Central School of Art; George Luks, and George Pearse Ennis.

Career Originally relying on more traditional themes, Arthur's art became significantly more abstract by the early 1950s, with many pieces being influenced by space travel, technology, and the Cold War. By 1932 he was professionally displaying his work in New York City; His artwork and exhibitions were reviewed in ARTnews in 1946 and 1953; and by Art Digest (now Arts Magazine) in 1984. In the 1946 review, Arthur was working in a "semi-Cubism" painting style. It has been one of the nation's preeminent art competitions on the East Coast, with many of the awardees reaching high levels of success in their art careers.

From 1956 until his death in 1986, Arthur was head of the Chautauqua Art Summer School in Chautauqua, New York, where he frequently taught painting and drawing classes and gave lectures. He also taught art appreciation classes, and he taught at New York University. His students included psychiatrist Karl Menninger, Joan Seiler, Clifford Davis, Vadim Filimonov, Thorton W. Whipple, Herb Jackson, and Anthony H. Horan. He had an eccentric teaching wardrobe of bermuda shorts, sandals, and bucket hat. The Chautauqua Art Centre (now known as Chautauqua Art Association Gallery) was founded in 1956 by Arthur; which since 1958 hosts the Chautauqua National Annual Exhibition After his death, the "Revington Arthur Award for Excellence in Painting" was given to artists.

Arthur's work is in museum collections including the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Walker Art Center, and the Brooklyn Museum. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Archives holds his artist files, and the New-York Historical Society holds "atalogs, brochures and invitations for exhibitions held at the Babcock Galleries" by Arthur among many other artists. The Chautauqua Institution archives has photographs of Arthur with his students.