Patrick Corso

Painting in a realist manner, Corso's prime interest were things which surrounded his life, past and present. He employed vivid colors, showing exact textures of subject matters.Born in New York City on June 1, 1926, on the Lower East Side, he ran away to sea at age 15, joining the Merchant Marines as an ordinary seaman. He survived three torpedo attacks, and was recommended for Officer's Candidate School in 1945. Corso received his third mate license for merchant ships at age 16, making him the youngest candidate ever to receive and officer's license.When he wasn't working as a deck officer in the Merchant Marine between 1946 and 1949, he studied at the Arts Students League with Frank Dumond. Corso subsequently resigned his Naval Commission, and volunteered as an enlisted man with the U.S. Marine Corps. While serving in Korea, he became a war artist, painting battle scenes, which are now at the USMC Gallery in Washington, D.C. He returned to school, and proceeded on voyages around the world as Navigator and Cargo Officer, studying with Leon Kroll, Robert Phillips, Abraham Belskie, and others between travel assignments. After getting injured in 1968, Corso retired from his naval career, becoming a full-time painter.