Sheldon “Shelly” Fink - Illustration History

Biography

Sheldon E. “Shelly” Fink (1925 – 2002) was an American realist artist and teacher skilled in drawing, painting, illustration, graphic design, and furniture design, among other talents. His art included paintings and drawings of portraits, cityscapes, country/rural scenes, as well as advertising and other commercial illustrations. Possessing an extraordinary intellectual curiosity that drove him to develop new skills, Fink even made his own paper and paints. He enthusiastically devoured the visual world surrounding him and was able to recreate it, immortalizing what he saw, in exquisite detail, through his art.

Born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Fink was the eldest of three brothers. Though his parents, Leo and Sarah, were not particularly artistically inclined, his father did exhibit a degree of raw talent in some of his personal family drawings.[1] Fink, however, showed a great deal of natural artistic genius and, at a very early age, was constantly honing his drawing skills. When he was just five years old, he won a Wanamaker first prize gold medal for a drawing he submitted.[2] Upon learning the age of the medal recipient, however, the judges revoked the award believing it was impossible for Fink to create what he did without the help of an adult. It was his schoolteacher who vouched for Fink’s drawing ability and prompted the judges to return the gold medal to him.

Fink continued to draw throughout his youth, gaining inspiration from the world around him and by observing the work of master artists displayed in the New York City museums which he visited frequently. He also spent a great deal of time with his aunt Jeanne and uncle Max Stoller who lived in Manhattan and owned an advertising agency. During Fink’s teenage years, the Stollers were influential in exposing Fink to classical culture and gave him part-time work at their advertising agency. It was during this time that Fink’s fascination with realist art and culture became a passion. In 1939, he was accepted, with scholarships, to the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan.[3]

As an idealistic youth during the war years, Fink wanted to do his part and in 1943 he managed to get a special dispensation to enlist at the age of 17. Though he was eager to serve as a U.S. Air Force pilot, his eyesight was not good enough, so he joined the Navy Seabees, serving in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands until 1946. Returning to New York City after his service, Fink found work in graphic design studios and agencies. He illustrated several books, some for Sports Illustrated. Of note during this time was his portrait painting of football great, Johnny Unitas, which became the October 1959 Sports Illustrated cover.

Fink joined a casual group of some of his fellow graduates of the High School of Music and Art who shared his passion for realism. They worked together, using the same studios and models; providing each other with inspiration and emotional and moral support. This group of artists included Harvey Dinnerstein, David Levine, Aaron Shikler, Daniel B. Schwartz, Burt Silverman, Herbert Steinberg, St. Julian Fishburne, and Stuart Kaufman, among others. Fink and his fellow realist artists were represented by Manhattan’s Davis Galleries in the 1950s. The last of the group shows featuring Fink and ten other artists occurred in 1961at The National Arts Club in New York City and was entitled: “A Realist View.”

In 1954 Fink married realist artist and sculptor Ieneke Willebeek Le Mair, an emigree from postwar Netherlands whom he met the previous year in a New York City diner. They had three children—Jennie, Tim, and Nellie. They bought a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and Fink supported the family with his art and by taking jobs in advertising to supplement their income. Both Fink and his wife were ardent supporters of civil rights and often participated in marches and demonstrations. During this time, Fink painted portraits of the period’s controversial activists. This time of turmoil and political activism also prompted Fink to seek out a more pure and natural existence. In 1962, therefore, Fink and his family moved to a farmhouse with five barns on 75 acres in the rural town of Alford, Massachusetts in the Berkshires.[4]

Living in the Berkshires, Fink commuted by train to New York City and continued to cultivate his New York City connections to gain illustration and ad work. He also showed in prestigious New York City galleries. At the same time, however, Fink quickly established himself in his new rural community; and his art reflected his new surroundings. He went from the cityscapes and bridges of his Brooklyn days to harvest scenes, barn doors, and apple trees. He created a studio in a barn and welcomed the community. In his early Berkshire years, he became fascinated by etching techniques dating back to medieval and renaissance times. He and a neighbor who was a local carpenter even collaborated on creating handmade linen paper. Together, they also made covers of deerskin suede and bound several volumes of Fink’s etchings. Some of these volumes were acquired in the 1960s by private collectors, but also by such museums as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Yale University Art Museum, and The Butler Art Institute.

In 1963 Fink had a one-man show at The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and an exhibition of his etchings at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts.[5] That same year, his art was exhibited in a UNICEF show at the United Nations Building. He continued to exhibit into the 1970s in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Fink opened his barn studio to teach small drawing classes. He also became an active member of the Alford community, serving as a volunteer fireman and a member of the Alford Planning Board. His outgoing personality made him a popular local figure. He remained actively engaged in his art and various local projects including opening a Framing, Art Supplies and Gallery, well into the end of the 20th century.

Fink won two Tiffany Foundation Awards—one in 1957 for his painting, “Coney Island Boardwalk;” another in 1963 for his nature etching, “Dragonfly.”

Fink and his wife Ieneke divorced in 1975. He lived independently until 2002, at the age of 77, when he died peacefully in his sleep.

This artist’s biography was written by Phyllis Geraghty, a writer with professional experience in the public relations, education, health, and non-profit sectors.

Footnotes:

[2] The website of RoGallery. “Sheldon ‘Shelly’ Fink.” Accessed February 14, 2024. https://www.rogallery.com/artists/sheldon-shelly-fink/

[3] The website of “The View from Here, The artists of A Realist View and their art 50 years later.” Accessed February 14, 2024. http://theviewfromheredoc.com/shelly.html

[5] The website of RoGallery. “Sheldon ‘Shelly’ Fink.” Accessed February 14, 2024. https://www.rogallery.com/artists/sheldon-shelly-fink/

Illustrations by Sheldon “Shelly” Fink

Additional Resources

Bibliography

The website of RoGallery. “Sheldon ‘Shelly’ Fink.” Accessed February 14, 2024. https://www.rogallery.com/artists/sheldon-shelly-fink/.

The website of “The View from Here, The artists of A Realist View and their art 50 years later.” Accessed February 14, 2024. http://theviewfromheredoc.com/shelly.html.