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TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND MR. GERARD TEMPEST, OF HORRY COUNTY, ON HIS SERVICE AS A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, INCLUDING THE INVASION OF NORMANDY ON D-DAY, AND ON HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AS AN INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN, CONTEMPORARY ARTIST.
Whereas, in 1918 Mr. Gerard Tempest was born Gerardo Francisco Tempesta in Italy, and spent his youth amidst the great culture of Italian art in which his ancestor, Antonio Tempesta, had been a renowned etcher and painter in the Baroque era; and
Whereas, at the age of eleven, Gerard moved with his family to the United States and settled in Quincy, Massachusetts, later changing his name from Tempesta to Tempest; and
Whereas, Mr. Tempest served his new nation in World War II as a member of the United States Army, where he participated in the D-Day landing at Normandy, later brilliantly recording images of the battle in his art. Fluent in French, Mr. Tempest was later assigned to United States Army intelligence in the Fourth Infantry Division General Staff, where he heroically skirted the German lines by wearing a German uniform to shuttle information between units of the Free French and the American command; and
Whereas, after ending his career as a solider and returning to the United States in 1945 following the war, Mr. Tempest declined a mathematics scholarship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to pursue a passion for art by studying in Boston with Max Beckmann and Oskar Kokoschka at the Museum School of Art, in Italy at the Accademia di Belle Arti, and privately under Giorgio de Chirico. His artistic talents and hard work led to international acclaim as the originator of the art form "Abstract Spiritualism", introduced by Gerard in 1957 and characterized as somewhat Modern Impressionistic in color and translucency, and engendering the Spirit through a resounding explosion of light that emanates from within each object; and
Whereas, one of the greatest American artists, Mr. Tempest is a three-time gold medal winner at the Cannes Art Festival in France, with work found in the Vatican Museum's permanent collection; and
Whereas, shortly after earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of North Carolina in 1951, Mr. Tempest began an association with the Palmetto State when his wife and he visited Myrtle Beach to attend a friend's wedding. The couple decided to move to the Grand Strand, where over the next two years, they built two homes in the area, utilizing a shipwreck found on the beach for one in the Dunes Club section. Tempest also opened the area's first art gallery, Tempest by the Sea, and painted approximately 50 portraits. In addition, he created the two abstract sculptures of a man and woman that still stand at the entrance to the Rivoli Theatre. While he did not teach formal art lessons, he did take the young Sigmund Abeles under his wing and became a profound influence on that artist's career; and
Whereas, after later living in Rome to enjoy the art and architecture of Italy, Boston to study architecture at Harvard University, and in Chapel Hill to live and make art for many years, Mr. Tempest has again made South Carolina and Myrtle Beach his home. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, recognize and commend Mr. Gerard Tempest, of Horry County, on his service as a member of the United States Army in World War II, including the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, and on his achievements as an internationally known, contemporary artist.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Gerard Tempest.
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