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472:. Shortly after, Mattison retired as dean at the age of 65 in 1970. But even after retirement, Mattison remained as member of the Herron School Committee, which governed in the absence of the dean from 1973 to 1974. Mattison died on July 28, 1975. Students and faculty dedicated a plaque to Mattison which still hangs outside the dean's office. It reads "under his thoughtful direction and counsel, this school grew and matured—yet was kept young responding to a changing world."
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visits to Herron, he decided to let go of a few of the students favorite professors and restructured classes and schedules. He also extended the hours that students must attend classes and required students to take studio-workshops on
Saturdays. Previously students only received pass or fail grades, and Mattison instituted letter-grades. Students responded by hanging an
62:, a scholarship for art students that provided the opportunity to study overseas. Because the Prix de Rome was only offered to single students due to funding restrictions, he and Catherine Lucille Morrison waited until July 17, 1928, after Mattison had already won the prize, to be married. Morrison, a watercolorist from New Haven, studied at the British Academy in
170:: using both color and light to highlight aspects of emotion and movement. While designing a piece, Mattison would focus on a single emotive state for his subjects. His chief concern when painting was to fully convey that emotion. "I like to think of the finished picture as an ideal blend of means and meaning, each inseparable from the other."
138:, depicts a scene based on a Roman legend. According to the myth, wood nymphs lured thrill seekers across the bogs of Rome to discover the origin of the mysterious fires that burned there. In Mattison's painting, a man is sinking in the bog, desperately reaching out at the fiery nymphs who had tricked him into his doom.
311:, former president of the New York Stock Exchange. Each portrait took Mattison approximately six weeks to complete. Reviews of Mattison's portrait work contain nothing but praise. His amazing accuracy of detail compliments his subjects without blatant flattery. As he said himself, "Our lilies do not require gilding."
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Though students and faculty might have been unhappy with
Mattison at first, they began to see that he was a dedicated artist, professor, and dean. Mattison taught Life Painting and Advanced Composition among a few other art courses over the years. Students remembered him for always leaving his office
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went without a dean for seven years until the school hired 27-year-old Donald
Mattison of New York. Mattison was quickly acknowledged as an "able manager, devoted and persevering in his work", although some of the students and faculty were not happy with him initially. During one of Mattison's first
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was also eventually formed and the school also began offering classes for children on the weekends and seminars for grade school art teachers. School expenditures were reduced more than $ 14,000 during
Mattison's first year as dean, but the school still charged $ 80 a semester for full-time tuition
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In his paintings, Mattison preferred to depict "life's pleasanter moments": beautiful landscapes, community celebrations, the innocent pastimes of children. Director of the John Herron Art Museum and colleague of
Mattison, W. D. Peat, claimed that Mattison's work was a graphic representation of his
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Throughout his career, Mattison's work was most frequently exhibited within general exhibits; only exhibiting his work in large collections on a few occasions throughout his life. One such occasion was the 25th anniversary celebration of his deanship, which included an exhibition at the Herron Art
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When working on a piece, Mattison progressed through a series of sketches, each one containing more detail than its predecessor. Once thoroughly satisfied with every detail of a sketch, Mattison would begin to paint. "Lucky is the painter who is able to rush to his canvas and with a few strokes of
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saw many changes even at Herron. The majority of the student body during WWII were women because "many ... students and graduates, new in the armed services, found art-related duty as draftsman, camefleurs, mapmakers, or illustrators." Professors were also drafted and
Mattison was forced to
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Mattison's wife
Catherine died of a stroke in May 1961. He later married Mary Gebhart Wheeler, who had three children from a previous marriage, Marrianne Williams Ullyot, Jane Williams Barr, and Russell Willams Jr. The two remained together until Mattison's death in 1975. He died at
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forms, Mattison was a realist painter. He strove to convey the everyday in a new and beautiful light. "There will always be a demand for styles that mean art to a majority of people" Mattison explained of his traditional style to reporters at the
Florida Artist Symposium in 1960.
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To put emphasis on the classes that he thought were important for all artists, Mattison made many changes to course offerings also. Mattison restructured the departments at Herron to include painting, sculpture, advertising art, and teacher training. A partnership with nearby
26:. His father, Magnus Wilhelm Mattison, invented machine tools, and his mother, Florence May Knickerbocker Mattison, taught school. Mattison also had two sisters, Dorothy M. Spaugh and Ruth M. Eaton. He spent his early youth in Wisconsin, but the family relocated to
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Mattison showed an interest in art from an early age. He had unwavering confidence in his decision to pursue a career in art, promising childhood friend, Robert Cooke, that he would paint his portrait one day when he was "a famous portrait painter".
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After his fellowship ended, Mattison moved his young family back to the United States where he found it necessary to take up three jobs to support their growing needs. At one point, he taught at three schools in one day, spending his mornings at
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door open; "when I needed help, he just seemed to understand without my having to give any explanation. He called me by name. That made me feel like a person. I know there is someone I can go to if I get into a spot" said one of his students.
42:, where he excelled as a draftsman and painter, and took an interest in boxing. After completing the usual five-year program in only four years, Mattison graduated marshal of his class with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
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take over teaching a still life painting course on top of his normal course load. At the June 1963 commencement, instead of reading the honor roll as usual, Mattison read the names of Herron students serving the country.
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was printed. The newspaper provided information about the school and news of past and present students and their work. Mattison encouraged his students to submit their works to competitions so
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was a perfect outlet to showcase student achievements. "Mattison ... intended that Herron students set their sights beyond
Indiana ... encourage his students to compete for the
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Even after accepting the deanship at Herron, Mattison maintained art as one of his highest priorities. He spent no less than two hours working in his studio each week. As he told
58:. Mattison went on to produce notable murals and easel paintings of figures and landscape subjects, but turned to portraiture later in his career. In 1928 Mattison won the
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222:. From the mid-1930s through the 1940s, Mattison produced numerous works in this style. In 1935, Mattison completed what is arguably the most prominent of all his pieces:
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As time progressed, Mattison also established himself as an accomplished portraitist, completing more than 150 portraits in his lifetime. His subjects included:
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journalist
Rosanna Hall, "When others are out playing golf, I am in my studio painting." He remained artist in residence at Herron even after his retirement.
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Mattison was also chosen among a select group of Indiana artists to participate in a New Deal art initiative. In 1937, he was commissioned by the Treasury
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cheerful outlook on life. He worked predominantly in oils and was universally praised for his use of color. Some of his better-known paintings include:
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119:, a Covington, Indiana, native and accomplished muralist. Throughout 1927 and 1928, he assisted Savage in his completion of the murals in the
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in 1933. Because of the profit that the school was making, visiting professors could be hired to teach courses that Herron did not offer.
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lists documents in the Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
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His mural training at Yale with Eugene Savage proved beneficial to him later on in his career. He was contracted to paint murals for the
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printed a story and a photograph showing a small gathering of smiling, rebellious students standing beneath the effigy.
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86:. In 1933, Mattison found a permanent full-time position when he was appointed the dean of John Herron Art School in
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in New York City and the Standard Life Insurance Building in Indianapolis, among other private and public projects.
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In 1928, Mattison won one of the two most coveted awards in the world of the student artist. He was awarded the
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Museum that featured more than 26 pieces. His work has also been exhibited in the following institutions:
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Mattison's style was reflective of the classical training he received. Though he had no opposition to
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230:'s International Lithography and Wood-Engraving Exhibition. This piece is currently part of the
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Morehouse, Lucille E. "New Herron Art School Director's One-Man Show Shows Skill in Handling".
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named "Matt" from a tree on campus grounds. Though Mattison was out of town at the time, the
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in Chicago while still keeping up with the demands of the rigorous Yale arts program.
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Adams, Joe (February 12, 1961). "Hoosier Personality: Famous Artist and Teacher".
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I believe that my career as an artist is the basis for my work as dean of Herron.
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66:. They spent the next three years in Europe, where Mattison was a fellow at the
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the brush put down quickly a complete and meaningful picture", Mattison told
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Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, September 12, 1975
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Paris Prize – for which no Herron student has previously tried."
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During Mattison's first few years at Herron, the first issue of
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and an annual stipend of $ 1500. His mythically inspired piece,
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in 1927 to work as an assistant for respected American muralist
22:(April 24, 1905 – July 28, 1975) was an American artist born in
186:(1937), Mattison's mural for the post office in Tipton, Indiana
609:. The Indianapolis Museum of Art. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
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for painting, which included a three-year scholarship to the
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Berry, S.L., Martin F. Krause, and Harriet G. Workel, eds.
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Howe, Jane M. "25th Anniversary Set for Donald Mattison".
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In 1967 the Herron School of Art became a department of
562:Hall, Rosanna. "Hoosier Artists: Donald Mattison".
696:Herron School of Art and Design Records, 1902–2004
676:Herron School of Art: The Mattison Years 1933–1970
593:Patrick, Corbin. "Mattison's Show is a Beauty".
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166:Mattison's style has been compared to that of
234:'s permanent collection. The IMA also houses
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642:. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 2003. 53–97.
528:. May 14, 1928. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
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620:"New Deal/WPA Art in Indiana. 2005"
163:reporter Ernest W. Watson in 1947.
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340:Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
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244:Three Girls at an Amusement Park
115:At Yale, Mattison studied under
121:Elks National Veterans Memorial
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607:"Collections: Donald Mattison"
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681:"Obituary: Donald Mattison".
28:Winston-Salem, North Carolina
654:Retrieved February 27, 2012.
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550:. September 1947: 20–24.
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568:. May 12, 1968: 56–58.
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581:. September 25, 1947.
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301:Harold W. Handley
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297:Paul McNutt
220:lithography
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476:References
335:, New York
328:, New York
315:Exhibition
274:Union City
182:Study for
152:modern art
303:, author
287:Justices
248:Excursion
197:Riverboat
193:Excursion
168:Rembrandt
34:Education
30:in 1920.
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246:(1939),
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199:(1945),
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236:Goodby
205:Parade
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