Typically for these artist blog posts / features, we write about the artists; however “James A. Fox” yielded many results. After consulting with Indiana University’s Assistant Director of Public Art and Cultural Heritage (a position often and affectionately called the Campus Art Curator), I was provided with only a single source of information about the father of James A. Fox–Charles J. “CJ” Fox. It’s a stretch to write a blog post about the father of an artist, but the source shared with me was unique in that CJ Fox was… sort of a painter, but his work really was attributed to a different artist.
CJ Fox, ostensibly James A. Fox’s father, was praised as the artist of realistic and debonair portraits at 10 Capitol Hill unveilings, as well as a smattering of other excellent portraits beyond Capitol Hill. However, CJ Fox wasn’t the artist behind the paintings, despite his signature on these great works. Rather, Irving Resnikoff, a Russian emigre who fled in 1917, toiled away on these paintings while CJ Fox (actually named Leo Fox) attended the unveilings. Resnikoff was a skilled New York City artist and was employed by Fox to create these portraits of important government individuals / prominent Americans.
Irving Resnikoff was trained in Russia and Europe as a Cubist, but when he fled to America and became employed by CJ Fox, he began a switch towards American portrait formalism (really showcasing his skill in different styles). Resnikoff was such an excellent portraitist that each formal portrait was typically based off a small headshot and he rendered the shoulders, arms, hands, and background details. Despite his hundreds of formal portraits of very significant people, Resnikoff never met or received praise from unveilings or receptions. Instead, this praise went to the person whose name appeared on the portraits in small red letters: CJ Fox.
The CJ Fox / Irving Resnikoff situation came to light thirty years later as the result of a tax problem–Fox was presented with a bill for back taxes and he disagreed since he acted as a corporation, not an individual artist (more details are in the source that was provided to me, which I will link at the end of this blog post). Resnikoff was paid at a cut-rate for the portraits, but eventually was able to save up enough money to purchase a home. It’s noted that Resnikoff continued painting throughout his entire life in his studio, one “oated in a patina of tobacco and linseed oil.”
This artist blog post gives no information about James A. Fox, but does document the only detail that I was able to find. It might also present a bigger picture in visual art production–one of provenance research and knowing each and every key player that’s involved in the creation of a work. In a school that educates students on public and environmental affairs, are we being absolutely transparent and fair to every individual that we encounter? Are we being totally honest? I should hope so. Here, we have James A. Fox (b. 1939), CJ (Leo) Fox, and Irving Resnikoff all involved in a unique situation that I haven’t entirely figured out, especially when it comes to the Paul H. O’Neill portrait which my individual school is named after.
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