A. Alan Post (American, 1915 – present)
A. Alan Post’s paintings have an inescapable Mediterranean softness and warmth. He demonstrates the vigor of an experienced, colorful painter and a modernist, whose contemplative humanistic painting voice and inner power create a sense of direct physical entry onto his canvas. Like the postimpressionist masters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Post pays painstaking attention to composition, organizing blocks of color so that they balance, making sure the vertical and horizontal lines flow harmoniously—a left-brain endeavor, it would seem, to achieve mathematical ratios that are innately pleasing to the eye.
In addition to being an acclaimed artist, Post has dedicated himself to California politics for over 60 years. He was a wielder of significant power and influence during his 27 years as the state’s Legislative Analyst (1950-1977), a nonpartisan office created in the 1940s to provide fiscal and policy advice to the California Legislature. Post earned a reputation as a fiercely independent, unbiased voice for improving the state legislature. After his retirement in 1977, Post remained actively involved in government, eventually founding the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) in 1994. Throughout his career, he has also been a member of numerous other commissions, task forces, and boards in California and accepted consultancies on official United States government missions to Iran, Portugal, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Bolivia.
In 2000, the California Journal named Post one of California’s most influential figures of the 20th century, along with Governors Reagan, Johnson, Warrant, and Brown Sr. and Jr. In 2007, Post was honored with the League of California Cities Past Presidents’ Lifetime Achievement Award.