Dana Levin (artist)

For other people named Dana Levin, see Dana Levin (disambiguation).

Dana Levin
Birth name	Dana Elizabeth Levin
Born	June 26, 1969(1969-06-26) Alexandria, Virginia
Nationality	American
Field	Painting, Drawing
Training	School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Florence Academy of Art
Movement	Classical Realism, Contemporary Realism

Dana Levin (born Dana Elizabeth Levin June 26, 1969, Alexandria, Virginia) is an American Classical Realism painter. Trained in Florence, Levin is established as a portrait, landscape, still life, figurative, and interior painter.

Life and work

Levin was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1969, and soon moved with her family to Miami, Florida. By the age of 11 she wanted to be a painter,^[1] and at the age of 14 she attended the fine arts summer program Belvoir Terrace in Lenox, Massachusetts. She graduated from the prestigious Miami highschool New World School of the Arts,^[2] and in 1990 graduated early with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.^[3]

She moved to Italy to train under Classical Realism maestro Daniel Graves at the Florence Academy of Art.^[4] For three years she learned the techniques of European masters, and upon graduating joined the faculty to teach drawing and oil painting. She stayed at the academy for eight years. In 2005 she founded The New School of Classical Art (NSCA) in Providence, Rhode Island.^[5][6]

In search of subjects for her paintings, Levin's travels have taken her throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and South America.Her work is in the permanent collection of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York and The New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut. She's been featured in Who's Who in American Art.^[2] She is represented by Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in New York City, the Bert Gallery in Providence, Rhode Island, and Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. She has professional relationships with John Pence Gallery in San Francisco and Saks Galleries in Colorado.^[7]

Style

Levin's works are mainly in the revival of the Classical Realism and representational painting tradition.^[3] However, she works in a range of genres and takes commissions for portraits and still life paintings.^[8] She works in still life, portrait painting, interiors, florals, and figure painting utilizing oil paint, charcoals, and graphite pencils.

For inspiration, Levin has cited Rembrandt, Jean-François Millet, Jean-Jacques Henner, Pieter Bruegel, Ilya Yefimovich Repin, Valentin Serov, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Johannes Vermeer. She has stated that the symbolism she uses and the emotional impact she strives for is in part inspired by the writings of Carl Jung, the story the Epic of Gilgamesh, and especially the poetry of thirteenth century Jelaluddin Rumi.^[1][9]

Professional organizations

• American Artist Professional League - Fellow
• Copley Society of Art
• Susan K. Black Foundation
• Oil Painters of America
• The International Society of Realist Painters^[8]

Awards and honors

1996

• Merit Award – Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco

2001

• Art Renewal Center International Scholarship Competition

2002

• John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Fund
• Art Renewal Center International Scholarship Competition

2006

• Katharine A. Lovell Memorial Award – Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club
• Finalist in four categories – 23rd Annual Artist's Magazine

2007

• First Place, "24th Annual Showcase Portrait Category" – The Artist's Magazine^[2][10]
• Finalist, International Art Renewal Center Salon
• Ridgewood Art Association Award, Excellence in Art – American Artist Professional League

2008

• Raymond Chow Memorial Award – American Artist Professional League
• First Place, "39th Annual Juried Exhibition" – New Britain Museum of American Art
• Finalist, International Art Renewal Center Salon
• Finalist, 25th Annual Artist's Magazine
• Living Artist, Art Renewal Center

2009

• Finalist, "People and Figures" Competition – International Artist Magazine
• Dianne Rudy Memorial Award – American Artists Professional League for "Heaven"^[11]
• Fellow Status - American Artist Professional League

Selected works

• Portrait of a Young Man (2007) – won portrait category of The Artist's Magazine,^[7] 2008 cover of Who's Who Visual Art 100 Artists, U.S. Edition
• Orchids and Apples (2007) – featured in 2008 edition of Who's Who in Visual Art 100 Artists
• Silent Still Life (2006) – featured on cover of 2008 German edition of Who's Who in Visual Art 100 Artists^[8]

External links

• Official website
• Official blog
• Levin Painting on Twitter
• Dana Levin Art at slideshare.net
• Dana Levin on LinkedIn
• Dana Levin at Florence Academy of Art
• Bert Gallery Interview Video
• The Painter's Keys Biography
• Artquotes.net interview
• Providence Journal biography
• The Artists Magazine 2007 Portrait Category
• Levin at Hirsch and Adler Galleries in NYC
• Dana at Eleanor Ettinger Galleries
• Art Quotations by Dana Levin
• Dana Levin on Youtube 1
• Dana Levin on Youtube 2

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Dana Levin Interview – Classical Realist Artist". ArtQuotes.net. May 2007. http://www.artquotes.net/artists/levin/artist-interview.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Fourth Alumni Exhibition". Florence Academy of Art. February 21, 2009. http://www.florenceacademyexhibition.com/Levin.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Dana Levin at Artworld". Art Gallery Worldwide. 2008. http://www.gallery-worldwide.com/artist/Dana_Levin.html. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
4. ^ "Realism Revisited - The Florence Academy of Art". Panorama Museum. February 2003. http://www.panorama-museum.de/html/body_realism_revisited1.html. Retrieved July 18, 2010. 
5. ^ Ross, Sherry. "An Interview with Artist/Teacher Dana Levin". Art Renewal Center. http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/2007/Levin/Levin.php. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
6. ^ Sanford, Eve (June 8, 2010). "Alum Dana Levin (BFA 1991) Eyes Reality at the Wistariahurst Museum". School of the Art Institute of Chicago. http://my.saic.edu/news/43465/Alum-Dana-Levin-BFA-1991-works-of-Eye-Reality-exhibition-in-Mass.-praised-on-VandM-blog-by-Tara-M..htm. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Dana Levin Craft Interview". The Providence Journal. 2007. http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/art/display/artist_view.cgi?id=646. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
8. ^ ^{a b c} "Dana Levin – Premium Artist". The Painter's Keys. http://painterskeys.com/pal/dana_levin/. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
9. ^ Volpe, Christopher (2007). "A Legacy of Beauty: Paintings in the Boston School Tradition". Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc.. http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/7aa/7aa740b.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
10. ^ Gilltrap, Angela (December 2007). "First Place – Dana Levin". The Artist's Magazine. http://www.theartistsmagazine-digital.com/theartistsmagazine/200712/?pg=52. Retrieved June 3, 2010. 
11. ^ Russell, Melissa (December 17, 2009). "Finding 'Heaven': Artist is inspired by local news". The Reading Advocate. http://www.wickedlocal.com/reading/fun/entertainment/arts/x1535675518/Finding-Heaven-Artist-is-inspired-by-local-views. Retrieved June 18, 2010. 

Persondata
Name	Levin, Dana Elizabeth
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 26, 1969
Place of birth	Alexandria, Virginia
Date of death
Place of death