Early Life and Artistic Beginnings in Akron Raphael Gleitsmann, born in Dayton, Ohio in 1910, was a distinctly American artist whose life story is as compelling as the evocative imagery he created. He spent the vast majority of his years in Akron, Ohio, a city that would become both the backdrop and often the subject of his work. Unlike many artists of his generation, Gleitsmann was largely self-taught; his formal training was limited…