Artist known for his portraits, historical paintings, murals, and illustrations. He said he led a double artistic life that alternated between classical realism and aesthetic exploration.
He attended the Yale University School of Fine Arts on a scholarship he received in 1934. He served in the military before obtaining his Master's degree.
His humorous painting, "Thatcher's Thatch," which shows Margaret Thatcher's famous hairdo (and only her hairdo), is an example of his more experimental work.
He married musician Roslyn Tobey, with whom he fathered a son.
He painted a portrait of Pope John Paul II.