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Revision as of 06:30, 14 May 2014 by Anupam (talk | contribs) (Added tags to the page using Page Curation (uncategorised))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Robert Lyn Nelson | |
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| Born | Robert Lyn Nelson 1 February 1955 Upland, CA |
| Known for | Painting |
| Notable work | "Two Worlds" 1980 |
Robert Lyn Nelson is widely regarded as the originator of the Modern Marine Art Movement, characterized by his ‘Two Worlds’ style of painting, which simultaneously shows life above and below the surface of the sea. An ardent scuba diver, raconteur, conservationist, and renowned fine artist, Robert has used his talents and passion to educate the world about the importance of preserving the marine environment and its creatures.
Robert Lyn Nelson has secured a place in history among such art legends as illustrator John James Audubon and photographer Ansel Adams as an historically significant visual archivist of his country’s natural treasures. High praise has come from has come several members of the U.S. House and Senate, Governors, Cabinet Members, numerous U.S. presidents, conservationists, fellow artists, celebrities, and the Vice-President of the United States Al Gore, who named him among the nation’s first "Environmental Heroes" in 1997.
Early Life
Born February 1, 1955 in Upland, CA. Robert Lyn Nelson’s remarkable talent was evident by the age of three, when he began drawing with charcoal and pencil. By the time he was seven years of age, he painted and drew everyday, creating an impressive collection of art, astonishing everyone who saw his work. He created numerous illustrations, drawing straight from the pages of our past, depicting stunning images of famous battles in American history. Evidence of his early love for the environment and his respect for the earth, came in the form of countless awards for conservation started at the age of seven. Always perfecting his skills, he continued to study art, drawing and painting everyday throughout his childhood, all the while learning to work with new mediums and adding new genre to his growing collection of artwork. He began creating impressive murals, sculptures, landscapes, seascapes, and experimenting with still life. He was heavily influenced by some of the greatest and well-known artists of all time, including Rembrandt, Monet, and Dali. Other great influences include two incredible American artists of the twentieth century, Maxfield Parrish and Andrew Wyeth. However, he discovered a great love for cubism while studying the work of its creators, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque—an influence that is evident in Nelson’s work to this day. He won a scholarship and attended classes at Chaffey College at age thirteen when he began exhibiting at a series of one-man shows and group shows in Southern California.
Hawaii
The real turning point in his life and his career occurred when he moved to Hawaii when he was eighteen years old. It was there that he began painting the beautiful Hawaiian landscapes and seascapes. When he was twenty-two years old, he moved from Oahu to Maui, all the while, continuing his journey as a perpetual student of art history. He spent a great deal of time surfing, kayaking and scuba diving in Maui, while continuing to paint and study the breath-taking beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. It was while diving in the tropical waters of Maui that he was inspired by the sense of being in two worlds at one time, that he desired to capture that sensation on canvas.
“TWO WORLDS”
Robert Lyn Nelson's love of the ocean and surfing was part of the reason he became a permanent resident of the beautiful island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. In 1979, while out surfing during Humpback Whale season off the shores of Maui, a group of whales swam up to Nelson and his friends. This was his first close encounter with a whale and it was a most AMAZING experience! He had been painting whales based on his studies of Hawaiiana, the history of Hawaii, and seeing one up close inspired the artist to paint more whales and underwater scenes. However, Nelson felt that people weren't able to relate to just the underwater scenes and life. His idea to add land to his ocean painting came while SCUBA diving. This vision of life both above and below the surface of the ocean helped to give everyone that connection, it gave them something to hold on to. It was in late 1979 and early 1980 when Nelson created the painting that changed things for him and his art, this painting was called "Two Worlds".
Art Career
Robert Lyn Nelson’s masterpiece "From Sea to Shining Sea" was chosen as Official Painting for the U.S. Pavilion at the 1998 World Expo in Lisbon, Portugal. Throughout most of 2002, "From Sea to Shining Sea" was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History as part of an exhibition in support of the National Marine Sanctuary System. Contributions and influence Two World’s was the preeminent masterpiece that launched an artistic movement. Copied by many, mastered by few, none embody the spirit and pure intentions of the movement in a way Nelson understood from that moment in 1976, to which he remains true to this day.
Robert Lyn Nelson’s position as ``Father of the Modern Marine Movement’’ is undisputed. From his 2001 one-man show in the Smithsonian to his post on the Board of Directors for the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, Nelson is world-famous within the art, conservation and environmental communities
Awards And Special Recognition The United Nations has also reproduced his paintings for its International Year of the Reef and International Year of the Ocean. His accomplishments have long been recognized by the art world, but beyond that critical community, the artist’s attention, time and money are directed to such worthwhile causes as Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society, The National Geographic Society, the Pacific Whale Foundation and the World Wildlife Federation. United States Vice President, Al Gore, cited him an ‘’Environmental Hero.’’ And the director of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has called him a ``National Treasure;’’ Nelson’s monumental epic, From Sea to Shining Sea, was hung in the American Pavilion at the Lisbon World’s Fair. In the first year of the new millennium the painting took up residence, along with several other Nelson originals, in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Notable Works And Talent
Clearly, Nelson’s marine work takes center stage among the world’s grandest galleries, but his artistic merit, like nature itself, expands well beyond the confines of the oceans and his aquatic masterpieces. Indeed, his advanced abstracts, his moving impressionistic opuses, as well as his landscapes, florals and portraits similarly impress knowing collectors. Nelson’s techniques, highly regarded by critiques the globe over, know no bounds: their common thread detail and painstaking accuracy, which may take months for Nelson to execute to his own demanding satisfaction.
References
- http://nmsfocean.org/about-us/person/robert-lyn-nelson/ National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJd1qed_zSk Smithsonian/Jean Michel Cousteau Interview with Robert Lyn Nelson
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUsHXOz1KhQ RLN Video interview
External links
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