Winter in Manayunk

Giovanni Martino

Oil on canvas, 28 x 40 inches

Signed "Giovanni Martino" lower left

Framed, Exhibited at the National Academy of Design, 1946

The following is from Babette Martino, daughter of the artist:
Giovanni Martino, National Academy of Design* member, was born on May 1, 1908 in Philadelphia PA where all seven brothers and one sister, Filomina, Frank, Antonio, Albert, Ernest, Giovanni, Edmond, and William became painters.  They were under the tutelage of their eldest brother, Frank, who in the late 1920s, founded the first commercial art* studio, Martino Studios, at 27 South 18th Street.
Besides studying with his two eldest brothers, Giovanni also studied with Albert Jean Adolph at La France Institute, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts*, The Graphic Sketch Club, and Spring Garden Institute in Philadelphia.  In his mid teens he accompanied his two eldest brothers to New Hope searching for subjects to paint.  In the 1930s, he also started to paint in Manayunk, a hilly mill town along the Schuylkill River.  At this time he signed his paintings M. Giovanni.
These colorful impressionistic* works proceeded more thinly painted dramatically poetic street scenes of the mill town.  These images developed into impasto* laden oils in the 1960's with some of the paintings worked with a palette knife*.
In Manayunk, he was a common sight on the streets and sidewalks, painting on-the-spot with his wife, Eva Marinelli and his two daughters, Nina & Babette.  In the 1980's and 90's he also painted in Conshohocken and Norristown with his
youngest daughter, Babette.  His paintings became more sharply executed like his earlier work but were more colorful.  In the late '90's he worked in his studio to enlarge paintings.
He is the recipient of over 100 awards and honors.  He received the Benjamin Altman Prize in Landscape Painting in 1975 at the National Academy of Design, NYC where he was elected an Academician (NA) in 1944.  He mentored not only his wife and two daughters but also taught at Lehigh University and the Graphic Sketch Club, Philadelphia.
He died at his home in Blue Bell on February 1, 1997.

Additional work by this artist

Manayunk LR

Manayunk

Giovanni Martino
Manayunk Houses LR

Manayunk Houses

Giovanni Martino

Other works in Recent Acquisitions

Stuempfig Collegeville LR

Collegeville Farm

Walter Stuempfig
No Trespassing Molly Luce LR

No Trespassing

Molly Luce
Manayunk LR

Manayunk

Giovanni Martino

Other works in Traditional

Plowing the Fields

Plowing the Fields

Henry McCarter
No Trespassing Molly Luce LR

No Trespassing

Molly Luce
Autumn on the Canal

Autumn on the Canal

Albert Van Nesse Greene
Old Swedes Church Winter

Old Swede's Church, Winter

Albert Van Nesse Greene

Other works in American Impressionism

Plowing the Fields

Plowing the Fields

Henry McCarter
Tamaqua

Tamaqua

Walter Emerson Baum
Sunlight and Shadow

Sunlight and Shadow

Albert Van Nesse Greene
Manayunk LR

Manayunk

Giovanni Martino

Other works in Pennsylvania Impressionism

Spring Path

Spring Path

Albert Van Nesse Greene
Winter Fishermen

Winter Fishermen

Albert Van Nesse Greene
Winter Quarry River House

Winter - Quarry River House

Albert Van Nesse Greene
Joy of Spring

Joy of Spring

Albert Van Nesse Greene