With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Aaron Kurzen
Education/Curation, Painting/Drawing
1920 – Living
Although he is not nationally well-known, Aaron Kurzen’s contributions to the art field have been through his influence with students, providing the foundation for many careers, such as that of Susan Weil. As a teacher in New York City, many of his students , such as Susan Weil, developed artistic careers.
- Biography/Description of Work
Aaron Kurzen grew up in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul area. While serving in the army in World War II, he drew portraits of his fellow soldiers as the unit was holed up for months at a time in caves. The soldiers then sent these portraits back home to their families. After the war, in 1947, Kurzen began teaching art at Dalton High School in New York City. During his tenure at Dalton, he introduced life drawing classes which allowed young students to draw models, sometimes nude. In the 1950s, through his association with Susan Weil and her family, he began to explore the Stony Creek area of Branford, and acquired land where over many years he re-purposed a Quonset hut into a seasonal and weekend retreat, and ultimately his retirement home.
- Sources view
- Interview with Aaron Kurzen - 3/11/2014, 35 Buena Vista Road, Branford; Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002; accessed 5/14/2015; Beach, Randall. 2013. “Stony Creek Artist has spent a lifetime creating his home and his artwork,” New Haven Register, December 7. Accessed September 29, 2015. http://www.nhregister.com/opinion/20131207/randall-beach-stony-creek-artist-has-spent-a-lifetime-creating-his-home-and-his-artwork.
- Associated Resource(s)