original_query: Who was William Scharf?
query: Who was William Scharf?
answer: William Scharf (1927-2018) was an American abstract artist from New York City, associated with the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, and taught at several prominent art schools. His work is characterized by organic and geometric shapes and draws on influences such as Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Hans Hofmann.