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Ivan Gregorovitch Olinsky

Portrait of Charles Ballard as a Boy, 1925

oil on canvas

40 x 30 in.

The Ballard Family Memorial Fund

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Ivan Olinsky was born in Southern Russia and moved to New York with his parents when he was twelve years old.  He studied at the National academy of Design and the Art Students League, eventually teaching at both schools.  He lived in Europe for several years where he worked in Italy and France. Upon his return to America, Olinsky established a studio in Greenwich Village.  Olinsky is best known for his portraits done in a palette of vivid colors with detailed modeling.

Although Olinsky painted murals and figure pieces, he was primarily in great demand for his portraits.  Portrait of Charles Ballard as a Boy is an outstanding example of the portrait work that was Olinsky’s livelihood.  Like most of his portraits, this canvas is a realistic but not photographic treatment of the sitter.  Typical, too, is the contrast between the vivid purple of the patterned background and the lighter colors of the sitter’s costume.  What is most compelling, however, is the face of the boy – at once a true likeness and an image that captures the beauty and innocence of youth.

Reference

Hildegard Cummings.  Faces of Change:  The Art of Ivan G. Olinsky, Old Lyme, CT: Florence Griswold Museum, 1995.  ISBN-13: 978-1880897058