Leo Politi -Two Native American Indian Girls-1960s Painting

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Leo Politi -Two Native American Indian Girls-1960s Painting
California Post Expressionist - Watercolor & Mix Media on Paper - Signed … Read more Leo Politi -Two Native American Indian Girls-1960s Painting
California Post Expressionist - Watercolor & Mix Media on Paper - Signed - circa 1960s
Paper size: 22x18" Frame size: 32x28x1"


Artist Biography
Leo Politi (1908 - 1996) was active/lived in California. He is known for Illustrator-children's books, painter.
Politi was born November 21st, 1908 in Fresno California.While he was an American born author, he lived internationally for a brief period in time. His family spent a year in London, and at the early age of seven, they moved to Italy to live in his mother’s hometown. He lived here until his early 20s. It can be said that his interest in art was triggered and fostered by his environment growing up. As a child his mother encouraged his interest in sidewalk chalk artists and drawing. She said that as a child he used to visit St. Martin’s Lane to watch the artists who wrote on the sidewalks. She later encouraged him to compete for an art scholarship. It was in 1923 that he earned a scholarship to study at the Art Institute at the Royal Palace of Monza, in Italy. Politi studied at the institute for six years. When he graduated he was qualified to be an art teacher but he decided to follow a different path when he worked on textile and tapestry designs as well as book illustrations with a friend.It was in 1938 that Politi married his wife, Helen Fontes. Together they had two children, a son named Paul and a daughter named Suzanne. 1938 was coincidentally also the year in which he wrote his first self-illustrated children’s book, Little Pancho. While he was working on starting his career, he took care of his family by working as a sidewalk artist and muralist.Juanita, was the third book that he had published. As his career progressed he both self-illustrated his own children’s and adult books, but also books for others.After some time Politi left Italy and returned to California. He traveled via the Panama Canal where he explored and visited many Latin American countries.It was during this trip that his interest in Latin American cultures peaked. When he had married his wife and moved back to California, they settled into a Latino section of the community. They chose to live on Olvera Street, and Politi gathered much of his inspiration from this experience as well for his future writings. Politi's illustrations and stories brought him appreciation from others in his awareness of different ethnic groups. He has been known to focus mainly on the Latino culture but also took interest in Asian-American culture and along the way encountered some lash back of stereotyping cultures, but also praise for creating awareness. It was in Los Angeles, California that Politi illustrated for the magazine Script. This initially launched his career as it was when his work was recognized by an editor at Scribner, another magazine, that he began to work on other author’s children’s books illustrations. He was then an illustrator for Charles Scribner's Sons, the same publisher who would later publish his book, Juanita.Not only did Politi write his own children’s books, but also wrote and illustrated a few books for adults. He was most well known for producing illustrations in the medium of watercolors.His most successful works could be considered the three books, Song of the Swallow, Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street, and Juanita. He won the Caldecott Medal in 1950 for Song of the Swallow. He also received Caldecott Award nominations for Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street in 1946 and Juanita in 1949.Much like these stories, he focused his characters on individuals he had encountered on his travels and in the areas he lived in. It was common for him to include phrases in Italian and Spanish in his books, as his upbringing exposed him to both languages.Unfortunately the great artist and author died on March 24, 1996 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 87. He is often described as a gentle man who captured the environment of Los Angeles and the cultures inhabiting it. There is a library in Fresno, California now named the Politi branch, honoring his memory as well. There are many other traces of the impact that Politi had on Los Angeles during his efforts to bring the culture alive. One example of this is displayed on Olvera Street. Politi created a mural inspired by the book Juanita that remains on display to this day. The Leo Politi 2008 Centennial celebration website contains a detailed list of events and displays as well as locations devoted to honoring the famous illustrator. See less