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Photo of John Wilde

John Wilde

Born: 1919

Died: 2006

John Wilde was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received his bachelor and masters degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where after serving in World War II he began a distinguished teaching career. In style, his art is a modern extension of traditional realist styles. His meticulous drawing and candid portrayals of the human figure are suggestive of fifteenth-century Flemish and Italian Renaissance art. The element of fantasy in his art also joins him to older northern European traditions. His renderings, however, of living forms that do not seem drawn from nature and his illogical juxtapositions of objects place him within the context of Surrealism and Magic Realism, whose incongruous dream worlds he admires. His art of improbable situations nonetheless explores the most traditional of themes in Western art: love and death. His work is held in the permanent collections of prestigious museums, including The Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center, and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Artworks

Still Life with Shells. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1950. Medium: oil on panel.

Still Life with Shells

1950

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The D.D. Series #1: Taking a Walk. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil with watercolor and ink.

The D.D. Series #1: Taking a Walk

1974

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Portrait of Warrington Colescott. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1971. Medium: charcoal on paper.

Portrait of Warrington Colescott

1971

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The D. D. Series #8:  Planting a Seedling. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil on paper.

The D. D. Series #8: Planting a Seedling

1974

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The D. D. Series #2:  Hoeing. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil on paper.

The D. D. Series #2: Hoeing

1974

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The D. D. Series #9:  The Artist with Books. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil and ink text on paper.

The D. D. Series #9: The Artist with Books

1974

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The D. D. Series #4: Grouse Hunting. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil on paper.

The D. D. Series #4: Grouse Hunting

1974

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A Red-breasted Nuthatch. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1982. Medium: oil on panel.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch

1982

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The D. D. series #10:  Picking Mushrooms. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil on paper.

The D. D. series #10: Picking Mushrooms

1974

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A Heron’s Skull, Thrice. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: lithograph.

A Heron’s Skull, Thrice

1974

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The D. D. Series #6: Fishing. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil on paper.

The D. D. Series #6: Fishing

1974

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The D. D. Series #5:  Clipping Snap Beans. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil on paper.

The D. D. Series #5: Clipping Snap Beans

1974

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The Sons of Worse than Bitches Have Put A Hole in My Head!!. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1944. Medium: graphite and ink on paper.

The Sons of Worse than Bitches Have Put A Hole in My Head!!

1944

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The D. D. Series #3: Picking Black Raspberries. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: graphite with watercolor.

The D. D. Series #3: Picking Black Raspberries

1974

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The D. D. Series #7:  Relaxing in Bed. Artist: John Wilde. Date: 1974. Medium: pencil and ink on paper.

The D. D. Series #7: Relaxing in Bed

1974

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list of plants. Artist: John Wilde. Date: no date. Medium: offset lithograph.

list of plants

no date

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