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<TITLE>Stevan Dohanos Biography</TITLE>
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<FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE="2" FACE="HELVETICA,ARIAL"> <font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif">The
work that propelled <b>STEVAN DOHANOS (1907-1994)</b> to household name
status was the long series of <i>Saturday Evening Post</i> covers he painted
during the 1940s and 50s, showing slices of American life. This body of
work invites comparison with Norman Rockwell, but this should be resisted;
that his characterizations weren't as sympathetic as Rockwell's is missing
the point.<BR>
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Dohanos focused on the location and trappings of the American Dream, not
those who populated it. His cooler, more objective view of society places
his work closer in spirit to Edward Hopper than Norman Rockwell.<BR>
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Whether the setting is an ice-cream stand, a newly suped-up motorcycle
in the driveway, a gas station attendant inflating a goofy toy, or in
this picture, a mobile home complete with pink flamingo, Dohanos glorified
the magnificent and absurd rituals and fetish-objects of post-war American
life.<BR>
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As the most widely followed exponent of American popular culture (before
television shows took over that function), <i>The Saturday Evening Post</i>
had great power. Their regular publication of Dohanos images on its covers
was equivalent to his appointment as a cultural spokesman.<BR>
<BR>
In the 1960s, after the Post ceased to show art on its covers, Dohanos
moved to a comparable position: chairman of the National Stamp Advisory
Committee to select art for postage stamps. He also began to paint still-lifes
- not so much apples or peppers, but decoys, weathervanes, and hydrants
- his beloved, culturally resonant American objects. -Roger
T. Reed<BR>
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<font color="#000000" size="2" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><B><I>Saturday
Evening Post</I> cover, February 2, 1952, oil on panel, 36 x 28"</B></font><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE="2" FACE="HELVETICA,ARIAL"><BR>
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