Alfred L. Copley facts for kids
Alfred Lewin Copley (1910–1992) was a talented person who was both a scientist and an artist. He was born in Germany and later became an American citizen. As an artist, he used the name L. Alcopley. He is famous for his abstract expressionist paintings, which are a type of art where artists express feelings and ideas using colors and shapes instead of realistic images. As a scientist, he was known for his work in a field called hemorheology, which studies how blood flows. He was married to Nína Tryggvadóttir, an artist from Iceland.
Work as a Medical Scientist
Studying Blood Flow
As a scientist, Copley studied the way blood moves and flows. This field is called rheology, which is the study of how liquids and soft solids deform and flow.
In 1948, he came up with the word "biorheology". This word describes the study of how liquids and soft solids move in living things, like how sap flows in plants or how cells move in our bodies.
Later, in 1952, he created another important word: "hemorheology". This term specifically describes the study of how blood and blood vessels work together in a living body. It looks at how blood flows, how thick it is, and how blood vessels react to this flow.
In 1966, Copley helped start the International Society of Hemorheology. This group was for scientists who studied blood flow. In 1969, the group changed its name to the International Society of Biorheology (ISB) to include the study of all biological fluids. In 1972, the ISB honored him with a special award called the Poiseuille gold medal for his important work.
Work as an Artist
Exploring Abstract Art
In 1949, Alfred Copley was one of twenty artists who started a group called the Eighth Street Club. This club was a place where artists could meet, share ideas, and discuss their work. Other famous artists in this group included Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning. Copley was also close friends with the composer Edgard Varèse.
Copley showed his art in the famous Ninth Street Show in 1952. This was an important event for abstract artists in New York City. He also had his own art show at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1962. His paintings are now part of the collection at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
