Russian Icon

James Todd

James Todd's interest in the sociopolitical history of the woodcut, its egalitarian nature and its accessibility to all class systems, provided inspiration for his subject matter throughout his career. In "Russian Icon" he molds a composition of symbols that touch on Byzantine frescoes and icons as well as 20th century Soviet poster art. Traditional folkloric beings, found widely in 17th and 18th century "lubok" woodcuts, appear throughout, such as the upside-down cat seen in the upper right. The early 20th century preoccupation with machine-like patterns in the graphic arts is seen in the marching soldiers, and the haloed man in the upper center recalls Old Believer inconography.

James Gilbert Todd, painter, printmaker, illustrator, and educator, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on October 12, 1937. Todd attended the College of Great Falls, Montana from 1956 to 1959, and then continued his studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago. Todd received his MFA in painting and printmaking in 1970 from the University of Montana. He taught in Western Germany between 1965 and 1968, but returned to Montana where was Professor of Humanities at the University of Montana from 1971-80, and then Professor of Art from 1980-2000 when he retired. He lived for over forty years in Missoula, Montana in the Northwest Rocky Mountains.

Todd was a member of the Association Jean Chieze in France, the Wood Engravers Network in the United States, the Society of Wood Engravers and the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in the United Kingdom. He illustrated the books, A Radiant Map of the World by Rick Newby, Still Another Day by Pablo Neruda, and Woman Who Lives in the Earth by Swain Wolfe. His work is in the collections of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture; the Montana Historical Society; the Jiangsu Provincial Fine Arts Museum in China; the Honolulu Academy of Fine Arts; the Oaxaca Museum in Mexico; the Regensburg Museum, Germany; and the Ashmolean Museum in England.

Todd died in Missoula on April 27, 2025.