Frank Dininno oil on poster board Settlers

Lot description

Dininno, Frank (American/Western PA, 1919-1983), Settlers, 1941, oil on poster board, 20 x 44 inches, signed Dininno 41 lower right, inscribed on reverse Settlers, Dininno 1941, This painting has the appearance of a study for a larger mural or another public works project, Frank Dininno, who attended high school in Ambridge, was inspired to pursue his art by a teacher there who recognized his talent and took him to the 1930 Carnegie International. In 1939, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago. After two years, World War II disrupted his career as an artist; he enlisted in the Navy and spent the next four years as an aviation radioman. Returning to Ambridge after the war, he went to work for H. H. Robertson as a draftsman. In 1956, he married Helen Kruss, and in 1960 the couple moved with their family to Sewickley. Working by day to support his family, he spent all of his free time at his art and soon amassed an impressive body of work. He was a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and received its Distinguished Painting Award in 1970. Among his many exhibits throughout the country, major one-man shows included two in 1980; at the Entrance Gallery, of The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, and at the Gillman Gallery, Chicago. His work is included in numerous corporate and private collections. He taught at Old Economy and at Sweetwater Center for the Arts (formerly Sweetwater Art Center).