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.
Vincent and Girard Rossi
Sculpture
1891 – 1951
Stone mason brothers the Rossis completed WPA art from 1937 to 1940, including projects in Hartford.
- Biography/Description of Work
Vincent and Girard (1895-1962) were stone masons who both worked for the Kelly Brothers Co. in the 1930s making headstones. During the Federal Art Project, the worked on several projects between 1937 and 1940, including restoration of the headstones at the First Church cemetery in Hartford, and the plaster castings and stone walls for the Nativity Set that was first displayed in front of the Old State House in 1938 (and which Walter Korder worked on). In 1940, they again contributed to the redesign of the set and repainting figures and walls. Other work included commemorative plaques made by Vincent and places in schools.
- Sources view
- WPA Art Inventory [ http://wpa.cslib.org/?s=rossi ] Sources: FAP work cards for each brother; Hartford Courant articles: “Ancient Epitaphs Reappear Clear Cut on Headstones behind Center Church,” May 7, 1937; “Striking Nativity Scene To Be Displayed Here,” December 15, 1938; “Holy Family Pictured in Park Scene,” December 21, 1938; Obituary of Vincent P. Rossi,” August 11, 1951; Pasquale Rossi Dies at Age 66,” December 8, 1959; WPA/FAP newsletters, 1937-1938; Social Security Death Index.
- Associated Resource(s)
- n/a