Zipin Art Collection
Title
Zipin Art Collection
Subject
Acrylic paintings
Oil paintings
Watercolors
Woodcuts
Wood cutouts
Description
Martin Zipin (1920-1991) was an American artist and educator who was a faculty member at Harcum for 38 years. Zipin studied art at Temple University's Tyler School. While at Harcum College, Zipin taught fine arts classes and served as faculty advisor for the student newspaper. Harcum College has a collection of Zipin's work, many are on permanent display in the Trout Library's Strauss Family Rotunda. You can read through the Zipin Finding Aid or browse the collection below.
Zipin worked in a number of mediums --watercolor, oil, acrylic-- and created his own style called "positive image". Positive image was accomplished by painting images on masonite covered in burlap and cutting out the images. This technique creates a three-dimensional effect. Excellent examples of positive image can be seen in pieces such as Manayunk, Fishing on the Rocks, and Still Life with Tina's Scarf.
A favorite subject was the waterfront. He frequently captured waterfront scenes in watercolor at Long Beach Island, New Jersey (see MZipin16, MZpin10, MZpin11, and MZipin12), and one positive image called Fishing on the Rocks (MZipin02). During his tenure at Harcum College, he organized annual sketching field trips to Long Beach Island. The yearbook, Harlequin, 1965 notes the sketching trip that year included stops at Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars, Love Ladies, and Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island. The day included sketching “on the docks of Independent Fishing Company, which has a group of commercial fishing boats of various ages and descriptions. Most of these boats were highly picturesque and lent themselves to colorful treatment.” Zipin owned a summer home at Love Ladies, Long Beach Island, NJ. Part of the field trip included a lunchtime stop at his home where the students ate box lunches prepared by Edward Reed.
In Klein Hall, the murals in the cafeteria were created by Harcum students, under Zipin's supervision from 1968 to the late 1980s. The murals covered topics of social, cultural, and political importance of the time, such as, the war in Vietnam and the 1985 Move bombing to lighter topics such as the Philadelphia Flyers winning the Stanley Cup. In 1988, Harcum College published a book detailing the history of the murals from 1967 to 1987; this book is available for viewing in the Trout Library Archives.
Many of the pieces in the collection are on permanent display in the first-floor rotunda of the Charles H. Trout Library.
In May 2018, 28 additional pieces of Zipin art were donated to the College by Heather Rodale. You can browse through images of the entire Zipin Art Collection below.
Zipin worked in a number of mediums --watercolor, oil, acrylic-- and created his own style called "positive image". Positive image was accomplished by painting images on masonite covered in burlap and cutting out the images. This technique creates a three-dimensional effect. Excellent examples of positive image can be seen in pieces such as Manayunk, Fishing on the Rocks, and Still Life with Tina's Scarf.
A favorite subject was the waterfront. He frequently captured waterfront scenes in watercolor at Long Beach Island, New Jersey (see MZipin16, MZpin10, MZpin11, and MZipin12), and one positive image called Fishing on the Rocks (MZipin02). During his tenure at Harcum College, he organized annual sketching field trips to Long Beach Island. The yearbook, Harlequin, 1965 notes the sketching trip that year included stops at Ship Bottom, Harvey Cedars, Love Ladies, and Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island. The day included sketching “on the docks of Independent Fishing Company, which has a group of commercial fishing boats of various ages and descriptions. Most of these boats were highly picturesque and lent themselves to colorful treatment.” Zipin owned a summer home at Love Ladies, Long Beach Island, NJ. Part of the field trip included a lunchtime stop at his home where the students ate box lunches prepared by Edward Reed.
In Klein Hall, the murals in the cafeteria were created by Harcum students, under Zipin's supervision from 1968 to the late 1980s. The murals covered topics of social, cultural, and political importance of the time, such as, the war in Vietnam and the 1985 Move bombing to lighter topics such as the Philadelphia Flyers winning the Stanley Cup. In 1988, Harcum College published a book detailing the history of the murals from 1967 to 1987; this book is available for viewing in the Trout Library Archives.
Many of the pieces in the collection are on permanent display in the first-floor rotunda of the Charles H. Trout Library.
In May 2018, 28 additional pieces of Zipin art were donated to the College by Heather Rodale. You can browse through images of the entire Zipin Art Collection below.
Creator
Zipin, Martin
Date
1920-1991
Rights
In copyright
Format
Oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors and woodcuts
Coverage
Harcum College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania;
Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Collection Items
Candid photo of Martin Zipin in studio
Martin Jack Zipin was an American artist and educator who was a faculty member at Harcum for 38 years (1953-1991). Zipin studied art at Temple University Tyler School. While at Harcum, Zipin taught art, sculpture and advised on the student newspaper…
Sketching trip to Long Beach Island
Martin Jack Zipin was an American artist and educator who was a faculty member at Harcum for 38 years (1953-1991). A favorite subject was the waterfront. The 1965 yearbook, Harlequin, notes that Zipin organized an annual field trip for his students…
Mr. M. Zipin, Art
Mr. Martin Zipin was a faculty member at Harcum College from 1953 to 1991. His portrait often appeared in the Faculty section of Harlequin, the yearbook. This is his faculty portrait from Harlequin, 1965.
Unknown
Five birds in sillhouette, sitting on posts or in flight with a swirlling yellow-hued background.
Unknown
Image of several men sitting on a bench or wall. Some are reading newspapers. Printed on December 7, 1968 Philadelphia Evening Bulletin newspaper. 19/50 signed print.
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