Herbert J. Appelson (1934-)
"The Last of the Just"
Woodcut, 1961
LFAC #158
Biography
Herbert J. Appelson was born December 31, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. He studied at Brooklyn College, where he received his BA in 1959. After doing graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he received an MS in 1960 followed by an MFA in 1961. In 1972, he earned an Ed.D at Columbia University in New York.
Appelson has been a professor of Art at Rowan College in Glassboro, New Jersey. He has had art works shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout his career. His art is in the public collections of such institutions as Columbia University, Auburn University, Kansas State University, and Edgewood College in Madison.
The woodcut by Appelson in the Fine Arts Collection, The Last of the Just, was purchased after the Fine Arts Festival of April 16-22, 1961. It was created at the University of Wisconsin while he studied with Alfred Sessler in the MFA program. Appelson has stated that he became focused on printmaking after studying with Sessler and noted “Because of his influence, I stopped painting and started printmaking, which I guess illustrates the importance of faculty upon students.”
Appelson has been especially known for the pitch black ink he uses on stark white paper exemplified by the woodcut in the Fine Arts Collection.
Ref: Who’s Who in American Art; Courier-Post (New Jersey), February 2, 1986.
Fine Arts Collection files
