Anthony J. Vaiksnoras (1918 - 1973) Ohio A Dream of the Unknown, 1953 oil on canvas Signed lower right. Exhibited: Cleveland Museum of Art, 36th May show, 1954. Biography from EnamelArts.Org: An immensely versatile artist, Anthony Vaiksnoras worked throughout his life in a wide variety of media from painting, sculpture, and watercolor to lithography and enameling. Highly regarded by curators and collectors alike, he exhibited at prominent institutions throughout the country including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Corcoran Art Gallery, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Born in DuBois, Pennsylvania, Vaiksnoras moved with his family to northeastern Ohio when he was still a young child. After graduating from Cleveland’s East Technical High School he received a scholarship to study at the Cleveland School of Art, graduating in 1942. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, he returned to Cleveland and earned his living working at the influential PDA Advertising Agency in roles of increasing responsibility. Trained as a painter, Vaiksnoras first began enameling in 1947 and quickly gained prominence in the field. His work was featured in the Ohio Ceramic and Sculpture Show at the Butler Institute of American Art in 1948, where it won an award and was purchased for their permanent collection. He also exhibited his enamels in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual May Shows from 1948 to 1950 and again in 1952. One of his enamels Abstract African Theme received a purchase award in 1950. Vaiksnoras’s work of the 1950s and early 1960s reflects his interest in Surrealism, African art, and his increasing commitment to pure abstraction. In commenting on the meaning of his paintings, Vaiksnoras touched upon expansive issues that pertain to his work in all media. He said, “Time is the greatest invention of the mind. It is the mysterious that I love in painting. It is the stillness and the silence. I want my paintings to obsess and to haunt. Eternity and infinity are connotations that surpass the searching capacity of the mind. I believe in spiritual reality that reflects the entire personality of the artist, his mood, sensitivity and creative determination.” 15"H x 22 1/2"W (sight), 23 1/4"H x 31"W (frame)
