Today’s Google Doodle honours Altina Schinasi who was an American artist born on August 4, 1907. Apart from being an amazing artist she was also a filmmaker, entrepreneur and inventor. This year marks her 116th birthday.
Altina was born in Manhattan, New York to Morris Schinasi and Laurette Schinasi who were immigrants. Google Doodle mentions: “Schinasi was born on this day in 1907 in Manhattan, New York to immigrant parents. Her mother was a native of Salonica (then in the Ottoman Empire) and her father was a Sephardic Jewish Turk.”
Her passion for art ignited when she moved to Paris after her high school graduation. She studied painting for a short time with her cousin Renē Bensussan and later she joined an art school in New York.
Altina began her career as a window display designer along with Salvador Dali for Fifth Avenue stores. She also worked with George Grosz who was a famous German artist.
Google Doodle mentions: “After graduating high school, Schinasi studied painting in Paris, which sparked her appreciation for the arts. Once back in the US, she studied art at The Art Students League in New York and took a position as a window dresser for multiple stores on Fifth Avenue. During this time, she found herself working with and learning from prominent artists she admired such as Salvador Dalí and George Grosz.”
Source; Google
Her Most Famous Creation: Harlequin Eyeglass Frame
While working as a window display designer, Altina overlooked through an optician’s window and noticed that there is just one frame design for women’s glasses which is round frames that lacked the charm.
That is when she decided to create a new frame design and after many brainstorming sessions, she chose Harlequin masks as an inspiration. She saw people wearing these masks in Venice Italy for the Carnevale festival.
Google Doodle states: “Schinasi’s time working as a window display designer inspired the creation of her now-famous “cat-eye” frames. At the window display of a nearby optician’s office, she noticed that the only option for women’s glasses tended to be round frames with mundane designs.”
“This observation inspired Schinasi to create a different option for women, mimicking the shape of the Harlequin masks she saw people wearing in Venice, Italy during the Carnevale festival. She found the pointed edges flattering to the face and started by cutting paper demos of her innovative frame design,” it adds.
After designing the glasses, Altina approached many manufacturers and all of them rejected the design. But, she didn’t give up and her hard work paid off when a local store recognised her efforts and spirit and helped her.
Soon after her design launched, it became an instant success. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Harlequin glasses were an important accessory for women all across the United States.
She was awarded the Lord & Taylor American Design Award in 1939 followed by recognition from popular magazines such as Vogue and Life.
“Schinasi was awarded the Lord & Taylor American Design Award in 1939 for her invention, and was recognized by major magazines including Vogue and Life,” mentions Google Doodle.
Altina’s Appreciation for George Grosz
Later in her career, Altina stepped into the world of cinema and dedicated a short film to George Grosz in 1960. It was titled as ‘George Grosz’ Interregnum’ and the masterpiece won the first prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award.
She later went on to publish a memoir titled ‘The Road I Have Traveled’ in 1995. She also served as an art therapist.
Altina was quite quirky and she went on to invent unique portrait chairs and benches which she named as ‘Chairacters’.
Google Doodle mentions: “In her later years, Schinasi did not slow down. She wrote and published her memoir The Road I Have Traveled (1995), volunteered as an art therapist, and even invented unique portrait chairs and benches which she called Chairacters.”
Altina Schinasi was a talented artist, filmmaker, and designer who made a significant impact on the world. The famous ‘cat-eyed’ glasses are still a trend statement. Her work continues to inspire and influence people around the world. Google’s celebration of her birthday is a fitting tribute to her legacy.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education