Diego Lasansky

Diego Lasansky (born December 6, 1994, Iowa City, Iowa[1]) is an American artist whose focus is on printmaking, painting, and drawing. He lives in Iowa City, Iowa.[2]

Diego Lasansky
Artist in his Iowa City studio
Born
Diego Bolivar Lasansky

(1994-12-06) December 6, 1994
Iowa City, Iowa
EducationB.F.A. Distinction and Honors, University of Iowa
Known forPrintmaking, drawing and painting
Spouse(s)
Katharine Marshall Lasansky
​
​
(m. 2019)​

Biography

Diego Lasansky is a painter and printmaker.[3] Prior to his formal college education, Diego Lasansky learned about artistic processes not only from his grandfather, Mauricio Lasansky, but also from his uncles, three of whom are professional artists, William, Leonardo, and Tomas Lasansky. Lasansky’s work is figurative, and, like his grandfather, tends to focus on subjects readily available to him—such as family members—and those of historical and personal significance. Early success came to Diego Lasansky in his series Portrait at Eighteen. This was a series of 50 intaglio self-portraits,[4] all of which were distinguishable from the others.[5][6] In 2015 the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art published a monograph on Lasansky.[6]

One of his more recent portraits is of Martin Luther as Junker Jörg. This image of Martin Luther was created in the medium of intaglio printmaking and commemorates the 500th year anniversary of the Reformation. This portrait considers the figurative and formal elements of a portrait of Martin Luther prior to him assuming the identity or persona of Junker Jörg as he went into hiding.

I am delighted to have Mr. Diego Lasansky's Junker Jörg 1521 (2015) to add to our holdings. It recalls the central role of the Arts in sixteenth century Reformation. From Albrecht Durer's promotion of the Luther's reforming insight through the medium of woodcut prints to Luther's own writings of hymns to teach the people through music, the arts were a vehicle for the Reformation movement. Mr. Lasansky's work represents the continuing contribution of arts to the semper reformanda reality of the Church, even as his image of Luther in 1521 commemorates a central movement in Reformation.

— Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), July 5, 2016.

Work

In 2014, Lasansky began work on an intaglio print depicting Martin Luther as Junker Jörg. The print depicts Luther as Junker Jörg (translated to Knight George), the persona he adopted during his stay at Wartburg Castle, where he translated the New Testament from Greek into German. In 2016, Lasansky gifted 40 original intaglio prints of Martin Luther to Wartburg College in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Each copy of Junker Jörg 1521 was created in Lasansky’s studio over a six-month period. The intaglio printmaking process involves etching and engraving on a flat piece of copper.[7]

I was honored by Diego’s gift, and I’m delighted to be in a position to share. Diego’s only request is that the receiving institutions find a home for this print in their permanent collection of art."

— Darrel D. Colson, Presiding of Wartburg College, Portrait of the Reformation, (Wartburg Magazine), November 22, 2016.[7]

The church, for centuries, was the main supporter of the arts. For me, the interest in drawing the pope or someone like Martin Luther is no different than me drawing Albert Einstein or a president,” he said. “They are significant figures in time who have more than just a religious meaning.

— Diego Lasansky, Artist, Portrait of the Reformation, (Wartburg Magazine), November 22, 2016.[7]

Personal life

On January 18, 2020 Diego's father Luis Phillip Lasansky son of Mauricio Lasansky, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 65. Phillip was the director of the Lasansky Corporation for more than forty years.[8]

Selected collections

Notes
  1. Diego Lasansky continues family artistic legacy in Iowa City
  2. "CV" (PDF). USA. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-26.
  3. "Martin Luther" (PDF). USA. 2016.
  4. "Castiglione to Warhol, The Art of Making Faces". January 11, 2016.
  5. "Diego Lasansky: Portrait of the Artist as a young man". USA. 2016.
  6. Ulmer, Sean M. (2015), Diego Lasansky: Paintings, Drawings, Prints, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, p. 17, ISBN 978-0-692-58865-9
  7. "Portrait of the Reformation". USA. 2016.
  8. "Remembering Phillip Lasansky his decades of dedication to art in the corridor". USA. 2020.

Bibliography

Ulmer, Sean M. Diego Lasansky: Paintings, Drawings, Prints. Iowa City, IA: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, (December 5, 2015). ISBN 978-0-692-58865-9

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