Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

Joseph Solman
Studio Interior Mid 20th Century American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism

c. 1930s

About the Item

Studio Interior Scene Mid 20th Century American Modern WPA Still Life Realism The painting measures 10 x 12 inches. Framed, the work is 13 1/4 x 15 1/2 inches. c. 1930s BIO Brought to America from Russia as a child in 1912, Joseph Solman was a prodigious draftsman and knew, in his earliest teens, that he would be an artist. He went straight from high school to the National Academy of Design, though he says he learned more by sketching in the subway on the way back from school late at night: people “pose perfectly when they’re asleep.” In 1929, Solman saw the inaugural show at the Museum of Modern Art featuring Seurat, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. It changed his life – and his art. Joseph Solman was, with Mark Rothko, the unofficial co-leader of The Ten, a group of expressionist painters who exhibited as the “Whitney Dissenters” at the Mercury Galleries in New York in 1938. A champion of modernism, Solman was elected an editor of Art Front Magazine when its other editors, art historian Meyer Shapiro and critic Harold Rosenberg, were still partial to Social Realism In 1964, The Times, discussing his well-known subway gouaches (done while commuting to his some-time job as a racetrack pari-mutuel clerk), called him a “Pari-Mutuel Picasso.” In 1985, on the occasion of a 50-year retrospective, The Washington Post wrote: “It appears to have dawned, at last, on many collectors that this is art that has already stood the acid test of time.” We had the pleasure of the meeting the artist a few times at his home which was over the original Second Avenue Deli in the East Village.
  • Creator:
    Joseph Solman (1909-2008, American)
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1930s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13.25 in (33.66 cm)Width: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1156212698612
More From This SellerView All
  • Still Life American Scene Social Realism 20th Century Woodstock Modern Dudensing
    By Konrad Cramer
    Located in New York, NY
    Still Life American Scene Social Realism 20th Century Woodstock Modern Dudensing Konrad Cramer (1888 – 1963) "Black Glass Bowl and Napkin" 16 ½ x 14 inches Oil on Board Singed lower...
    Category

    1920s American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Board, Oil

  • "Two Bottles" American Scene Realism Mid 20th Century Female Artist WPA 1940's
    By Helen Clark Oldfield
    Located in New York, NY
    "Two Bottles" American Scene Realism Mid 20th Century Female Artist WPA 1940's Helen Clark Oldfield "Two Bottles," 1943. Signed “Helen Oldfield” lower right. Oil on canvas board, 18 x 14 inches. Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Helen Clark Oldfield was born in Santa Rosa. Her father, James E. Clark, invested in local hops farms. He was a director of the first Santa Rosa Bank. Oldfield lived at 547 Mendocino Avenue, in one of the finest custom-built homes in town. She was the oldest child of the family. They spent summers in their beach cabin at Jenner-by-the-Sea. She was a good student and graduated from DeWitt Montgomery High in Santa Rosa with college standard grades. Unfortunately, this idyllic situation tumbled down suddenly. due to a fraud scandal at the Bank, her father forfeited most of his assets in order to make good on his client's losses. At the time when her high school friends were going east to college, Oldfield followed her family to a new life of farming. She found this life frustrating as there was little time for her interests after conclusion of her daily duties. Here she developed her natural gift for sophisticated needle work. At the time she also took a correspondence course in industrial design and became an expert tailor. Her family was not happy with the farming arrangement. They decided to move to Oakland. In 1921 they purchased a home at 318...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

  • Art Deco Movie Set 20th Century American Modernism Hollywood WPA Social Realism
    Located in New York, NY
    Art Deco Movie Set 20th Century American Modernism Hollywood WPA Social Realism Arthur Rosenman Ross (1913 - 1981) Art Deco Movie Set, Probably MGM Studios, 1937 17 x 27 inches Gouache on illustration Board Signed Art Ross, ‘37 lower right Provenance: Estate of the artist. BIO Arthur Rosenman Ross was a key figure in automotive design at General Motors during America's "Golden Age" of auto design, the 1930's through the 1950s. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago from age 17, exhibiting a special interest for automotive renderings and the female figure. In 1934, he changed his name from Rosenman to Ross, fearing his Jewish ancestry could prejudice his career prospects. At age 20, he turned down job offers from MGM Studios in Hollywood and Duesenberg to work at General Motors alongside the Legendary Harley Earl in 1935. He was hand picked by Mr. Earl and assigned to GM's War and Camouflage Division in 1937 through WW2. It was during this pivotal period in which he executed some extraordinary military aircraft artworks, likely used between GM and America's military aeronautics companies in design preparation for WW2. General Motors played an important role in helping America's aircraft manufacturers preceding and during the war. Just after the war in 1945, Mr. Ross was rewarded by GM, being made Chief Designer of Cadillac, then two years later becoming Chief at Oldsmobile until his retirement in 1959. He was in large part responsible for some of GM's classic Cadillac designs such as the Cadillac Sixty Special, Fleetwood, LaSalle and GM's first concept car, the extraordinary Buick Y-Job. Mr. Ross was an exceptionally charismatic and vivacious man who quite by chance, befriended His idol, Salvador Dali at GM in 1955. They talked about art, cars and girls late into the evening, according to his son, Carter Ross. He had a gift in rendering the erotic arts...
    Category

    1930s Art Deco Interior Paintings

    Materials

    Gouache, Board

  • Men Working Mural Study American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern
    By Jo Cain
    Located in New York, NY
    Men Working Mural Study American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern Jo Cain (1904 – 2003) Men Working: WPA Mural Study 17 ½ x 10 ½ inches Oil on ...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

  • "A Marro" WPA Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Modernism Ashcan
    By Daniel Ralph Celentano
    Located in New York, NY
    "A Marro" WPA Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Modernism Ashcan. Signed lower right. Verso, label of Walker Galleries New York and signed in pencil and titled, A Marro....
    Category

    1930s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Board, Oil

  • Chess Players WPA Depression Era Mid-20th Century American Scene Realism Modern
    By Mervin Jules
    Located in New York, NY
    Chess Players WPA Depression Era Mid-20th Century American Scene Realism Modern. Signed upper right and verso 8 x 10 inches oil on board. BIO The son of a men's haberdasher, Mervin ...
    Category

    1930s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

You May Also Like
  • An American Still Life of an Apple, Pear and Grapes circa 1880s
    Located in SANTA FE, NM
    An American Still Life of an Apple, Pear and Grapes Oil on canvas on board Signed illegibly circa late 1800s 9 3/4 x 5 7/8 (16 x 12 3/4 frame) inches This is an example of late 19...
    Category

    Late 19th Century American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil, Board

  • Art Shipping and Receiving, Photorealist Oil Painting on Board by Harry Lane
    By Harry Lane
    Located in Long Island City, NY
    Artist: Harry Lane Title: Art Shipping and Receiving Year: Circa 1950 Medium: Oil on Board, signed lower right Size: 30 in. x 24 in. (76.2 cm x 60.96 cm) ...
    Category

    1950s American Realist Interior Paintings

    Materials

    Board, Oil

  • "Kolbasa" contemporary oil painting of charcuterie meats, scallions, tablecloth
    By Rachel Personett
    Located in Sag Harbor, NY
    An oil painting of a plate of a selection Kolbasa and accoutrements. On a plain plate is a spread of cut cured meat, including Russian sausage. Diagonally across the plate are three ...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Panel

  • Spatula on Blue - Oil painting by trompe l'oeil american realist painter Morfis
    By John Morfis
    Located in Sag Harbor, NY
    A dark, yet crisp tromp-l'oeil depiction of a spatula. Morfis makes beauty out of the ordinary objects that we use everyday. ARTIST BIO John Morfis was born in Glen Cove, Long Island in 1976. His humble beginnings made pursuing a career in art difficult and paradoxically necessary. Fixated on making things aesthetically pleasing, John made an extreme departure from his family life when he chose to base his life on art. Surrounded by mechanics, welders, and otherwise trade workers John had a tough time expressing his interest in a world much more utilitarian and much less expressive and impractical. With an extraordinary desire to be an artist and a grant awarded, John was able to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the University of Hartford in 1998. While there John studied oil painting under American realist Stephen Brown...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Ushanka
    By Rachel Personett
    Located in Sag Harbor, NY
    A still life of an ushanka, a type of hat with ear covers. Personett's textured fur and wood table invites the viewers to feel as if they are in the painting. The frayed edges of the strings of the hat suggests this is a well-worn garment, loved for many years. Signed "Personett" lower right corner. Framed in a traditional black frame w gold trim. Framed dimensions: 17 x 15 inches Rachel Personett was born in Hawaii, but raised in Colorado. Being the daughter of a pilot she has always traveled extensively. She has studied part time at the Savannah College of Art and Design, The Angel Academy of Art, and finally settled on the Florence Academy of Art, graduating in 2015. In January 2016 she apprenticed the painter Odd Nerdrum in Norway for eight months. Rachel Personett works strictly from life, and enjoys the challenged of painting the ephemeral. Working from life provides the opportunity to travel around the world painting the ever changing people and landscapes. Artist Statement My mother had studied advertising in college, so she knew a lot about arts and good craftsmanship. She did talks at my elementary school each week and on a different artist. I remember being very moved by the images of Van Gogh and Andrew Wyeth. At the Florence Academy I really liked Sargent, Sorolla, Willard Metcalf, Henri Fantin-Latour and Velazquez. At Odd Nerdrums I gained new respect for Rembrandt and was introduced to other Scandinavian painters like Edward Munch...
    Category

    2010s American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Panel

  • Sweet and Sour
    By Mark Schiff
    Located in Boca Raton, FL
    Sweet and Sour by Mark Schiff We guarantee that you will love this painting. If not, you can return it for a complete refund, no questions asked.
    Category

    Early 2000s American Realist Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All