"Mauve and Blue"

Abstract oil on canvas painting titled “Mauve and Blue” by the American artist, Frank A. Goodnow. Signed lower right. Titled verso with artist name. Condition is excellent. Circa 1985. The artwork is housed in it’s original floating frame with gold leaf edge. Overall measurements framed are 11.5 by 13.25 inches.

Frank Goodnow Biography
Frank Goodnow was an American artist and professor at Syracuse University.
Frank A. Goodnow was born on December 14, 1923, in Evanston, Illinois. In 1941, he attended the Frederic Mizen Academy of Art in Chicago. After the United States entered World War II, in 1942 Goodnow postponed his education and joined the United States Army Medical Corps, serving until 1946. After his military service he enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago, studying under Boris Israëlevich Anisfeld, a Russian-American painter and theater designer. Goodnow graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1948. That same year he married Helen Domsella and was awarded a traveling fellowship to study art in Europe.
From 1948 to 1950, Goodnow and his wife traveled across Europe. They primarily lived in the South of France but also traveled through Italy, Belgium, and Holland. While he was in Paris he studied at École de Beaux-Arts, a highly influential art school. During his downtime he often attended the classes of Fernand Léger at Académie Montmartre, located on the famous Boulevard de Clichy. The art that Goodnow painted in Europe became a growing success. Several of his pieces were exhibited at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Jeunes Peintres.
Goodnow returned to the United States and was appointed as a professor at Syracuse University in 1950. He taught at the School of Art and Design, part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, for 38 years. He instructed classes in painting, drawing, watercolor, and the study of color. Later in his career he taught for the Division of International Programs Abroad. Goodnow was more than enthusiastic to return to Europe to teach summer sessions. In 1974 and 1978, he taught in Florence, Italy, and in 1985 he taught classes in London, England. He retired from teaching as Professor Emeritus in 1988.
Teaching art was just a portion of Goodnow’s life, he was also a successful painter in his own right. His style was that of a traditional color field painter, creating insightful paintings with solid bold colors spread across canvas. He excelled as a colorist, achieving excitement in his flashing, dancing abstracts. Goodnow’s paintings were influenced by his environment, from breathtaking landscapes to stimulating music. The Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, August L. Freundlich, called his paintings “harmonious music set to color.”
Goodnow’s work was featured in 34 one-person shows and numerous group exhibitions. Several of the places he exhibited in include the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum of American Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Pennsylvania Academy, and the Library of Congress.
His work can also be found in various permanent collections, including at the University of Rochester, Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York State University, Everson Museum of Art, and Syracuse University. Additionally, examples of his work are represented in 23 business and corporate collections including IBM, General Electric, Bausch and Lomb, Gannett Company, Discus Electronics Corporation, Canandaigua Wine Corporation, and Howe & Rusting, Inc.
Goodnow’s work was well-recognized within the United States. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art and was a recipient of two Ford Foundation Grants in 1977 and 1978.
Frank Goodnow died on October 1, 2004.