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John De Vincenzi draws on rich life experiences for his artwork
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
The Treasures of Life
John De Vincenzi has made good use of his 55 years in Willow Glen
By Suzanne Barnecut
When John and Lonnie De Vincenzi realized one December that they were allergic to their Christmas tree, they moved a fig tree from their backyard into their living room and decorated the branches with their collection of ornaments picked up on travels around the world. The fig tree was so stunning and became such a conversation piece that even now, 14 years later, it remains standing year-round in the De Vincenzi entryway as a sort of sculpture. When Lonnie passed away three years ago, John began to drape her jewelry amidst the ornaments, converting the tree into a memorial for his wife.
During a recent afternoon with John De Vincenzi, it dawns on me that the fig tree is also an accurate metaphor for his life as an artist, a WWII veteran, a teacher, a family man and an influential member of the San Jose community. Born in San Jose in 1921, De Vincenzi has moved only as far as Willow Glen in 78 years. During that time he has witnessed the community rise from cherry orchards and, like the fig tree, he is a man decorated by memories and accomplishments, proving to be one of Willow Glen's finest installation pieces.
Very soon into the interview I put down my list of questions and simply listen to De Vincenzi tell stories; because, when a man has made good use of each day of his 78 years, three hours in his living room can't help but be inadequate. We start with the war, move on to marriage and teaching, and end up in retirement, which leaves him more time to indulge in the community work he has always held dear.
War Stories
Since I hadn't noticed, De Vincenzi holds up his left hand to show that he is missing his middle finger. I'm not sure how to respond, but I imagine ugly wartime scenes of men wounded in the trenches.
"I may have lost my finger, but it may have saved my life," he begins. De Vincenzi was drafted into the Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) and stationed in Riverside only one year out of high school. He worked the graveyard shift on a garbage truck, clerking by day at the grocery story where Lonnie (his then-girlfriend) worked, and playing accordion gigs by night. De Vincenzi was not long in Riverside when the soldier in the cot next to him accused him of stealing his canteen.
"We got into a fistfight and I hit him in the mouth and his tooth got stuck in my finger," De Vincenzi explains. The wound became infected, and gangrene set in, hospitalizing De Vincenzi for four months and eventually causing the amputation of his finger. After his recovery, De Vincenzi returned to Riverside to find that his outfit had already been through basic training and left for Europe.
"They turned out to be infantry used on D-Day," De Vincenzi says with a somber sense of awe. "I found out later that two thirds of my company were killed." De Vincenzi remained to train in the States and wound up in Europe in time for the Battle of the Bulge as a member of the 1255th Combat Engineers.
"I worked with mines and bridges and used my art talent to be in charge of sign painting, making charts, maps, and even two murals," he says.
Branching Out: The fig tree in the entryway of John De Vincenzi's home is adorned year-round with ornaments, mementos and jewelry.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Settling Down
In 1943, on a two-week furlough, De Vincenzi came home to propose to Lonnie and have what he calls "one of those wartime marriages." During the first week, Lonnie planned a wedding complete with three bridesmaids, invitations and a reception for 345 guests. De Vincenzi still seems a bit amazed, and then pauses, remembering, and laughs.
"I wore my Army uniform for the wedding and my best friend was in the Navy, but we couldn't figure out how to get the tuxedo on him. We were half an hour late," he explains. "So we were speeding to the church and were stopped by a policeman, but after hearing the story he led us to the church with his sirens on."
In the second week, they went on their honeymoon.
It would be two years before De Vincenzi could return home to settle in Willow Glen with his new bride. They built their home on Keesling Avenue, where he still lives, from the foundation up, a feat in which he takes great pride, and he enrolled at San Jose State University on the GI Bill. His hopes of becoming a professional accordion player were dashed after the loss of his finger, and so he became an art major. After graduating in 1949, he earned an M.A. in art from Stanford the following year and was hired on as a professor at his alma mater, where he remained until his retirement in 1991.
"I had no idea of teaching at San Jose State--I had been looking for jobs down south in Pasadena," he says, "but when they offered me the job I was very grateful." With a home and a job, he and Lonnie began to raise their two daughters, Nancy, now 49, and Marcia, now 41.
An artist at work
During the 41 years De Vincenzi taught at San Jose State he was asked three times to assume the position of department chair. He declined all three offers. The fourth offer came with a petition signed by his fellow faculty demanding that he become their chair. Again, he declined.
"I was still fascinated with teaching and being my own artist," he explains. "It was a nice gesture though, and one of the greatest rewards I've gotten in my lifetime."
De Vincenzi has received 52 awards over the years for his artwork in competitive exhibitions. As a professional artist he has exhibited his paintings in Italy and Japan and at a variety of museums all over the country, including local shows at the De Young Museum and Legion of Honor in San Francisco, and the de Saisset Museum and Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. De Vincenzi is currently the artist-in-residence at the Triton.
"As you grow older and you have different experiences your artwork should be an honest interpretation of what you are," he says. His first yearlong sabbatical, to Italy in 1964, marked his shift from watercolor landscapes to a study of the human form in oils and acrylics. De Vincenzi returned to Italy on a second sabbatical in 1972 to study environmental artwork, including the art of festivals, sculpting fields and straw stacks, and the Italian practice of laying flowers, leaves, petals and seeds on the street to make designs.
"Spending that time in Italy was the best thing I ever did in my art career. I became a better artist and a better teacher because teaching had become predictable and the challenge was gone," he says. Those two years incited many return trips to Italy and around the world with Lonnie and friends.
In 1991, De Vincenzi turned 70 and was forced to retire, according to the terms of a contract he had previously signed. "I didn't read the fine print," he laughs ruefully.
"I didn't want to stop teaching. I love watching young people develop their minds to the point where they believe in themselves ... and even love themselves," he quietly concludes.
Talk Story: Detail from De Vincenzi's painting 'Women of Conversation'.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
A visionary in the community
De Vincenzi began to promote the idea of a fine arts center for San Jose as early as 1948. He served as chairman for the committee that eventually developed what is known today as the San Jose Museum of Art.
"I'm really quite proud of that," he says. "I still have all the old plans for it." He also started the Museum of Art Association in 1969 and in the following year managed to gather 40 works of art from well-known artists to begin the museum's permanent collection. De Vincenzi was a member of the San Jose Fine Arts Commission from 1966 through 1976, and served as president of the San Jose Art League for three years. He now is a member of the board.
Additionally, as one of the founding members and one-time president of the Italian American Heritage Foundation, De Vincenzi is the man behind the Italian Family Fiesta that takes place annually during the first weekend in October.
"I did some research, and during the second week of October there's a chance of rain, but it's never once rained the first week of October," he says. The festival is the first and largest Italian festival on the West Coast. It includes elaborate village façades, costumes, bocce ball games, a cheese-rolling court ("People really enjoy doing a nonsensical thing like rolling cheese down the street") and a prune-salami toss.
There is so much De Vincenzi can be proud of. His résumé lists dozens of committees and associations he has participated in, and he has been knighted twice by the Republic of Italy. His current undertakings include the Willow Glen Beautification Project, which aims to install a gazebo on Lincoln Avenue housing a permanent collection of photos showcasing Willow Glen's history, and a book combining these photos with his narration on significant families who helped to build San Jose.
"I'm beginning to do more art again," De Vincenzi adds. "I lost interest in a lot of things after my wife died, but I'm restoring old paintings that I don't like, and I'm finding in them something that's worthwhile." He shows me the paintings around his house, which is something of a collector's haven, and leads me to his studio. It is as cluttered as I imagine it should be, with paintings hung around the rough wooden walls and propped against drafting tables. He shows me through the yard, which houses his own bocce ball court, barbecue pit, bar, garden and hot tub, each structure a collage of materials collected over the years. The gazebo encasing the spa is made from an old Cathedral confessional and inside hangs a metal sign from his days in the 1255th Combat Engineers.
"People ask if I have any regrets spending so much time on the community and not on my own work," he says, "and the answer is no. There are no regrets. From that I got ideas for my own art and so you never lose, really."
The afternoon draws to a close and I feel as though I have spent three hours well. I reflect that a man who has given so much really can't ever lose. Just as I'm about to step out the front door, De Vincenzi holds out a snapshot for me to look at.
"This is the girl I'm seeing," he says. Indeed, it's a picture of him with a longtime friend, Elaine Figone, the widow of his best friend. Both are sporting big smiles, and as John De Vincenzi tells me what a wonderful companion she has been over the past year I see he is ready for life to bring him new adventures.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
