Sam

Feinstein

Samuel Feinstein was born in Russia in 1915, and came through Ellis Island with his family at the age of five. He was raised in Philadelphia and graduated with honors from the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art, where he would later go on to teach. At 19, Feinstein was granted a solo show at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and was invited that same year to include work in the American Masters exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In addition to a prolific studio practice, his early career included work as an illustrator and instructor. He served as an illustrator in the Army during World War II, and upon his return he added filmmaking to his list of creative efforts. Beginning in 1949, Feinstein studied with Hans Hofmann, which led to his production of a documentary film on the painter. Feinstein’s own painting progressed through periods of academic realism, expressionism, and interpretations of Fauvism and Cubism, ultimately shaping a personal style the artist called Luminist Abstraction.