John E. Dowell Jr. facts for kids

John Edward Dowell Jr. is an American artist born in 1941. He is known for his amazing prints and paintings. He also taught art at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Early Life and Art Education

John Dowell Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 25, 1941. He grew up in a housing project there. As a child, he loved art. He and his brother would copy drawings from Lone Ranger comics.

When he was young, he took art classes. These classes were at the Art Students' League of Philadelphia. Later, Dowell studied at the Tyler School of Art. This school is part of Temple University. There, he learned a lot from a ceramist named Rudolf Staffel. Dowell finished his studies at Tyler School of Art in 1963.

He became very skilled at making prints. He improved his printmaking at the Tamarind Institute. This institute is in Los Angeles, California. He even worked there as a senior printer.

Artistic Career and Influences

John Dowell's art is special. It shows influences from many different areas.

Art Inspired by Music

Dowell is famous for art that connects to music. He often creates abstract pictures. These pictures show what poetry and music, especially jazz, might look like. He gets ideas from jazz musicians. Some of these include Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor.

Influences from Other Artists

His work also shows ideas from other artists. These artists are called abstract expressionists. They include Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, and Jackson Pollock. They used colors and shapes to show feelings.

Exploring New Ideas

In 1988, Dowell visited Bahia, Brazil. There, he became interested in traditional African religions. These beliefs later inspired some of his artworks. These pieces were about spirits and forces from these traditions.

Exhibitions and Collections

John Dowell's art has been shown all over the world. His very first solo art show was in 1968. It took place at the Swope Art Museum.

His paintings, ceramics, and prints are in over 70 museums. He has had more than 50 solo exhibitions. This means his art was the only art shown. He has also been part of many group shows. One such show was "Philadelphia Teaches Printmaking" in 1978. It was at Print Club in Philadelphia.

Dowell's art is part of many important collections. These include:

• The Minneapolis Institute of Art
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art
• The Smithsonian American Art Museum

In 2015, his work was in a special exhibition. It was called We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s. This show was at the Woodmere Art Museum. Dowell also took photographic images of the President's House archaeological site.

John Dowell has received many awards for his art. He got the James Van Der Zee award. This was from the Brandywine Workshop. He also received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.