The Search for Lenore R. Szesko

Posted by scott on Apr 21, 2013 in Art I See

Intro

 

On rare occasions habitually trolling eBay has its rewards. In February coming upon Lenore R. Szesko’s 1970s wood engraving Something for my Funeral, 14” x 9”, was one of the best. As a technical accomplishment it has few peers. But it was its complex and mysterious iconography that won me over. In the age of computer searches the question “Who is Lenora Szesko?” elicited an automatic response: “Let’s google her.”

 

The result was anything but informational. I found a Chicago address and a phone number. Disconnected. Then an obituary: Sept. 27, 2012 (born March 13, 1933). One image from a 2004 auction for a very similar wood engraving Dark of the Sun, which sold for $50. That’s was it except for one tidbit of information. An artist Angela Adele McElwain listed Lenore on her online CV as: Painter/Wood Engraver/Teacher/Mentor. Angela’s online site is: http://www.writeplanet.net/index.html

 

So I emailed her, and what follows is a series of email exchanges between Angela and myself. I was trying to discover who Lenore Szesko, this most accomplished printmaker, was and why she has disappeared of the art world’s radar screen. In the process I think I learned as much about Angela and the affection the two women shared.
 

By the way, I bought Something for my Funeral (above) for $55. No one bid against me.

 

Emails

 

Angela,

I’ve just purchased a wood engraving by your former teacher Lenore Szesko. On my website I run a blog on Art I See. Her work is quite accomplished, so I wanted to do a post about her. Unfortunately it seems that she died last [Septmeber]. Would you be so kind as to share some thoughts about her? And do you have any images of her work to share? Except for one auction record of a print by her, I can find no other print images of her work. The piece I bought on eBay is Something for my Funeral. I appreciate your help.

Yours,
Scott Ponemone

 

Scott,
I’ve been to your blog and it’s brilliant. I especially enjoyed learning about Sydney Lee; what beautiful work. Most of us (artists) go unsung. So Lee’s having been overlooked may not be that mysterious.
How lucky for you to find one of Lenore’s wood engravings. She was a master engraver, her work having been in a number of collections.
Lenore was my teacher, mentor and very good friend up until her passing last fall. I’d be interested to know how you found out that she had died. Her wish was that her passing go unheralded and declined that even an obituary be printed so I would appreciate if you could avoid mentioning that should you decide to write something about her.
I have all of her work, oil paintings, wood engravings, drawings etc. but do not have any documentation which I could send to you.
When she discovered that she was on the Internet, she was astonished and dismayed as she was wary of technology. So I’m not sure how Lenore would feel about all this but I think it would be good for the world to be made aware of her work.
Do you have specific questions?
Regards,
Angela McElwain

 

Dear Angela,

Thanks for your enthusiasm about my blog. I think a blog posting on Lenore Szesko would be a must. Just by seeing one work, I know her work should be shared by many.
Here is an image of the wood engraving I bought on eBay.

This is as skillful and emotionally powerful a wood engraving as any I’ve seen in the 30 odd years as a print collector.

As to knowledge of her death, it came up in a Google search.

Obviously you’re the person to discuss the life and work of Lenore. I’m especially intrigued by the statement: “I have all of her work, oil paintings, wood engravings, drawings etc. …”

But you may also be able to offer names of others who were colleagues with her, are related to her, or taught by her.

Are you willing to provide images of her work (naturally I’m particularly interested in her print work) and answer questions about her work and her life/

I hope so,
Scott

 

Scott,
You have a very nice piece of work by Lenore and are lucky to have found it as I would think her work rarely comes up for auction/sale. Something for my Funeral is a good example of her style and subject matter, but some of her other prints are even more accomplished in design and execution. As for getting more images to you it may take a while as my printer/scanner has defied my will by refusing to cooperate with me. Being tech un-savvy it may take a while to get another one hooked up and running, but I am not averse to sending some images to you.
One of the pleasures of knowing Lenore is that every year she would make a wood engraving and send it to friends as a Christmas card. She considered herself a surrealist and was featured in a French art magazine many years ago; you might be able to Google that(?). Lenore didn’t have colleagues, per se. Her work was her raison d’etre. She wasn’t represented by a gallery as far as I know. She was a student of SAIC [School of the Art Institute of Chicago] back in the sixties and was instrumental at getting my parents to send me there to the children’s classes on Saturdays. At SAIC she studied under Adrian Troy, who was a great influence on her sense of design. She graduated with a BFA then got her MFA from the University of Chicago, if I remember correctly. I can look into that for accuracy if you’d like.
One of her engravings won a Purchase Prize for the Kemper insurance Company art collection and is up for auction for next to nothing at Leslie Hindman if you’re interested. It is called Dark of the Sun (see image below), here’s the link: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/406605
I hope some of the above has been helpful. In any event, let’s stay in touch. If you have specific questions let me know.
Sincerely,
Angela
 

 
Angela first sent me images of Szesko paintings and drawings with only minimal info attached to the jpg files. Here are a few of them.
 

 
The King of the Beasts, a pencil (and perhaps charcoal) drawing, (above) and what’s only describes as a “Small pen & ink drawing” (below).

 

 

 
What Angela called a “small oil painting” (above) and “middle-sized oil painting” (below)
 

 
Scott,

I just remembered that Lenore had been listed in quite a few publications if you can get your hands on them they will give you some solid information about her background.
Who’s Who American Women, Who’s Who in American Art and I think American Artist. The time frame for these publications would have been 1972-1975. I know there is another one or two publications but can’t remember them at this time. Tax time and I’m crazy busy.
When I do remember or get a chance to locate the publications I’ll certainly let you know.
Just want you to know I haven’t forgotten about you and will get images to you when I can.
Hope you are well.
A
 
I went to the Baltimore Museum of Art’s library and photographed these entries:
 

 
From the 1982 version of Who’s Who in American Art (above), and from Artist U.S.A. 1972-73 (below)
 

 

Scott,

I was able to access Lenore’s prints and am sending some images; the titles include date and size.

I hope these are useful and the scans will work. You’ll notice a couple of the “simpler” engravings are the earliest but as she honed her skills her engraving and style became more complex and beautiful.
She bought a small press for $125 when she found a well-known downtown Chicago print shop was closing down. It’s a lovely little press; I’ll send the name of the press next time I’m in the studio.
I enjoy reading your blog and know you’ll do a fine job representing Lenore and her work once I have time to send you more information.

Did the “Who’s Who” lead help? Seems like they list her education and what collections her work is in.

Lenore was very ill for some time (this is a personal aspect of her life which she did not want made public, we can talk about how much of this you use if that is amenable to you). One of the tragedies of her illness is that her vision began to fail and, for the past few years she was legally blind. This resulted in her only producing art for about 15 years or so.

She had a national show record which I have yet to come accross but when I do will send details. I do recall one place she showed, mainly because I showed there also, was The Miniature Art Society of Nutley New Jersey. Again, when I have more real information I will forward to you.

Lenore was a very private yet generous person and loved good science fiction and was a scholar of Roman and Pre-Columbian history. Her memory was astonishing as she could quote from any book she’d ever read or any film in which she was interested.

I am not the executor of her estate, but she did leave me her work and contents of her studio.

I would love for people to discover Lenore’s work and that her work could one day be documented in book form so that others could discover its scope and scale. As you know from images I’d previously sent, she was a painter and also made collages.

She learned flat pattern design at SAIC and took to that stylized form which is evident in her work. I think the flat pattern appealed to her from her love of primitive works which tend to use flat pattern form.

Her appreciation of the Mayan culture is often reflected in her oil paintings which are both small and quite large.

I do hope the above is helpful and can get you started.

Regards,
Angela
 

 

Picnic, wood engraving, 1966, 8″ x 5.75″ (above), and Sineater, wood engraving, 1964, 5.25″ x 7″ (below)

 

 

 

Helen’s Life, wood engraving, 1967, 7.5″ x 7.25″ (above) and They Call me the Doctor (Morphia), wood engraving, 1968, 9.75″ x 6″ (below)

 

 

 
Songs My Daddy Taught Me, wood engraving, 1975, 8″ x 7″ (above), Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, wood engraving, 1969, 8″ x 7″ (below)
 

 
Scott,
Here’s a little more which you may find useful.
Lenore’s parents were classically trained musicians, her mother a pianist and her father a violinist. Lenore too was classically trained on piano and voice expecting to sing opera but a bout with pneumonia and a tonsillectomy took her voice away so she became an artist.
As a student at SAIC she would find “dive bars” (her words) in the Loop and sit in with other musicians on the piano or sing and play boogie-woogie.
She considered herself an analytical cubist and surrealist.
Her engraving “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep” won a national award. I’ll find out which one when I can.
That’s all I’ve got at the moment.
Have you started the blog?
A
 
And that’s where we stand as of April 21, 2013.

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7 comments on “The Search for Lenore R. Szesko”

1. Annina on April 30, 2013 at 1:22 pm said:

   This is fantastic! I’m hooked. The art is amazing and the story is equally so. I want to read and see more.

   Reply ↓
2. Neil Peck on May 31, 2013 at 3:00 am said:

   Scott, Thanks so much for bring some daylight back to this wonderful artist, Leonore Szesko. The most remarkable thing is her imagery – she was an artist with something to say! Her imagery translated well into her wood engravings which are spectacular.
   It’s sobering to think how quickly an artist of such talent can recede into obscurity, although her works are doubtless treasured by those collectors who were astute enough to acquire them while they were availble. I can only dream of being half the artist that Leonore Szesko was.
   — Neil

   Reply ↓
   • scott on June 2, 2013 at 1:56 pm said:

     Thanks for your comments, Neil. If you haven’t already, you might also like to read my blog post on Sydney Lee, another fine wood engraver who had become quite obscure until this year’s exhibition in London and catalog raisonne. Anyway, please past work of my blog to fellow relief printmakers. Scott

     Reply ↓
3. Diane Petrushkevich on July 2, 2015 at 4:52 pm said:

   Scott,
   I recently acquired a pastel painting by Lenore and I am in awe of it’s Beauty.. How can I find out about more of her art to purchase?
   Best,
   Diane Petrushkevich

   Reply ↓
4. Netta Schleden on October 16, 2015 at 2:17 pm said:

   I studied with Lenore from1973-1975. Everything day I would spend the morning in her Oak Park studio drawing. I would work on a drawing for weeks. When I thought I was finished she would say “well, this this and this is very good but I think you can do better.” Then she would take her hand and rub it out so only a few lines remained. “Do it again” she would say. See taught me so much besides just drawing. I have a nice collection of her prints. She never wanted to be famous although she deserves to be. She always kept her work reasonably priced. “Art is for the people” , she would say. She was to sick even back then to continue to teach me but because of her I am now starting to show my work on a national level. I did not know she had died till I read this. So very sad.

   Reply ↓
5. Theresa Costigan on July 10, 2017 at 2:33 am said:

   Hi there, I found this blog after visiting a vintage shop in Las Vegas where I saw Lenore Szesko’s work. I fell in love with a woodcut of hers and was planning on flying back to NY and purchasing the piece via phone because I had to have it shipped. Sadly the piece was sold in the meantime and I could kick myself for not jumping on it immediately. I cannot find anything about her or even locate any of her art online, save for this blog. Do you know if and where her work is still circulating?

   Reply ↓
   • scott on September 6, 2017 at 8:23 pm said:

     Theresa,

     You might try Angela McElwain, the woman who is mentioned in my Szesko post as the keeper of the estate. You can email her via: http://www.writeplanet.net/index.html

     Good luck. I hope she can help you.

     Sorry for the delayed response. My website hasn’t been alerting me to reader’s comments.

     scott

     Reply ↓