Gertrude Bleiberg facts for kids

Gertrude Bleiberg (1921-2001) was an American artist who created paintings and prints. She started her art career when she was 50 years old, after artist Jay DeFeo saw her talent. Gertrude studied art at the San Francisco Art Institute. She developed a special style called "expressionism," where artists show feelings and ideas rather than just what things look like. Gertrude's art often showed details from her everyday life, like her family, home, and friends. Fred Martin, a former leader at the San Francisco Art Institute, once said that Gertrude's art showed how "seeing may itself be alive, vivid, and recreated to amuse, to baffle, to give-yes-joy."

Early Life and Art Training

Gertrude Bleiberg was born in New York City in 1921. Her family moved to Los Angeles in 1937. In 1942, she married Donald J. Bleiberg, a doctor. They moved to Quincy, California, where Gertrude worked as a teacher. Donald was a doctor who treated families and ran a hospital there. They raised four daughters in Quincy.

In 1965, the Bleibergs moved to Palo Alto, California. Donald worked as an emergency medicine doctor, helping people in urgent situations. Gertrude and Donald started traveling a lot. During their trips, Gertrude kept journals and drew sketches.

In 1969, Gertrude took an art class for adults, taught by artist Jay DeFeo. Jay DeFeo quickly saw that Gertrude had a natural gift for art. She strongly encouraged Gertrude to get professional art training. So, Gertrude went to the San Francisco Art Institute. She earned two degrees there, a BFA in 1975 and an MFA in 1977. She was the oldest student among the younger, artistic students. Her teachers included famous artists like Manuel Neri, Elizabeth Murray, and Robert Colescott.

Art Career and Style

Gertrude Bleiberg's art, including her prints and paintings, has been shown in many important places. These include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Oakland Museum of California, and the Brooklyn Museum. In 1996, several galleries in the Bay Area held a special show of her work. This show looked back at 25 years of her art. In 1992, she received an award for her lifetime achievements from the Women's Caucus for Art.

Gertrude's drawings, prints, and paintings sometimes looked like they were made by an artist who taught themselves. She used unique lines, active surfaces, and figures that looked a bit stretched or changed. This gave her art a playful feeling, like "naïve" or "primitive" styles. However, Gertrude's special style was actually developed over many years of professional training and hard work in her studio. Her art style is often compared to that of another American artist, Alice Neel, who also painted people in a unique way.