Anthony Velonis

Anthony Velonis
Anthony Velonis working on a poster matrix in Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado.
Born(1911-10-23)October 23, 1911[1]
New York
DiedOctober 29, 1997(1997-10-29) (aged 86)[2]
Glen Rock, New Jersey[3]
NationalityAmerican
Known forSilkscreen Printing
SpouseElizabeth Amidon[4]

Anthony Velonis (23 October 1911 – 29 October 1997) was an American painter and designer born in New York City who helped introduce the public to silkscreen printing in the early 20th century.[1] He married Elizabeth Amidon,[4] with whom he had four children.

While employed under the federal Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, Velonis brought the use of silkscreen printing as a fine art form, referred to as the "serigraph," into the mainstream.[5] By his own request, he was not publicly credited for coining the term.[6]

He experimented and mastered techniques to print on a wide variety of materials, such as glass, plastics, and metal, thereby expanding the field. In the mid to late 20th century, the silkscreen technique became popular among other artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Anthony Velonis Biography." Annex Galleries Fine Prints. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Genealogy References Sorted by Name." Genealogy References Sorted by Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Velonis, Anthony, 1911-1997." Library of Congress Name Authority File, Library of Congress, 20 Mar. 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Anthony Velonis in the 1940 Census." Anthony Velonis in the 1940 Census | Ancestry. US Census 1940, n.d. Web. 25 June 2015.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference University was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Collection Posters: WPA Posters." Interview with Tony Velonis -- Posters: WPA Posters. The Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.
  7. ^ "WPA Poster History." Posters for the People. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 June 2015.