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

Jo Cain
Industrial Working Man WPA Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene

c. 1930s

About the Item

Industrial Working Man WPA Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Man with a Tool 39 ¾ x 38 ¼ inches Gouache on paper c. 1930s Signed lower left and lower right Unframed Our gallery is pleased to present the exhibition, "Jo Cain: Echoes of an Era," a tribute to the enduring legacy of Joseph Lambert Cain and a celebration of his art that transcends time and remains relevant today. The exhibition features mural studies, works on paper and paintings from the 1930s and 40s, all are available on 1stDibs. BIO JOSEPH LAMBERT CAIN (1904–2003) A painter, muralist, and art educator, Joseph Cain's work was consistently infused by the color and vibrancy of his native New Orleans, even as he pursued a career that took him far from home. Beginning at the age of sixteen, his educational journey led him first to the Art Institute of Chicago and then to the Art Students League in New York, where he was instructed by Kenneth Hayes Miller, Kimon Nicolaides and Vaclav Vytlacil. He later studied under the Abstract Expressionist Hans Hoffman. A 1929 Carnegie Fellowship funded a year's enrollment at the Sorbonne in Paris and travel throughout Europe; Cain also received multiple Tiffany Foundation Fellowships. Using thickly applied paint, layered color planes, and multiple perspectives, Cain created paintings, including streetscapes, marine scenes, and landscapes, which were sometimes categorized as "decorative expressionism" beginning in the late 1930s. In 1932, Cain's entry to the First Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting at the Whitney Museum of American Art hung in the exhibition's entry way; other works were shown at such prestigious venues as the Museum of Modern Art, American Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, National Academy of Design, and Carnegie Institute. He also executed a monumental mural at New York State Training School where he was employed as a teacher. While living in New York during this period, Cain was an integral member of a contemporary art collective known as "The Group," whose participants included Milton Avery, George Biddle, Robert Gwathmey, Marsden Hartley, John Marin, and many other important modernists. Jo’s work evolved continuously. Moving from realism in the ‘20’s, he developed a highly personal, cubism based, abstract style similar in spirit to that of Stuart Davis and clearly influenced by Leger, Matisse and Picasso. In 1944, Cain joined the faculty at the University of Rhode Island, establishing and chairing the art department for over two decades. He continued creating art until his death.
  • Creator:
    Jo Cain (1904)
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1930s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 40 in (101.6 cm)Width: 39 in (99.06 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
    soft creases.
  • Gallery Location:
    New York, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1156213256312
More From This SellerView All
  • Judy Garland Hollywood Film 1963 Costume Design Mid 20th Century Gay Icon Oscars
    Located in New York, NY
    Judy Garland Hollywood Film 1963 Costume Design Mid 20th Century Gay Icon Oscars EDITH HEAD (1897-1981) Original costume design for the red dress worn by J...
    Category

    1960s Performance Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

  • Art Deco Girl with Car Mid-20th Century American Modernism Pin-Up Illustration
    Located in New York, NY
    Art Deco Girl with Car Mid-20th Century American Modernism Pin-Up Illustration Arthur Rosenman Ross (1913 - 1981) Deco Girl with Car, 1936 30 x 20 inches Oil on Canvas Board Signed Arthur ‘36 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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Oil, Board

  • Original TV Guide Illustration Caricature Esther Williams John Raitt Dinah Shore
    By Albert Al Hirschfeld
    Located in New York, NY
    Original TV Guide Illustration Caricature Esther Williams John Raitt Dinah Shore. Published December 25, 1957 in TV Guide as an editorial to promote the Di...
    Category

    1950s Performance Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Ink, Board

  • Bette Midler Legendary Film and Recording Star. Gay Icon. 20th Century Litho
    By Albert Al Hirschfeld
    Located in New York, NY
    Bette Midler Legendary Film and Recording Star. Gay Icon. 20th Century Litho Al Hirschfeld (1903 - 2003) Bette Midler 15 x 11 inches (sight) Etching 22 x 18 inches Framed Signed an...
    Category

    1980s Performance Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Board, Ink

  • "Judy Garland" Legendary Film and Recording Star. Gay Icon. 20th Century Litho
    By Albert Al Hirschfeld
    Located in New York, NY
    "Judy Garland" Legendary Film and Recording Star. Gay Icon. 20th Century Litho Al Hirschfeld (1903 - 2003) Judy Garland 20 x 15 inches (sight) Etching 26 1/2 x 14 3/4 inches Framed...
    Category

    1970s Performance Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Board, Ink

  • "Marc Chagall" Original Drawing Illustration Caricature William Saroyan book
    By Albert Al Hirschfeld
    Located in New York, NY
    "Marc Chagall" Original Drawing Illustration Caricature William Saroyan book This drawing was published in the 1976 edition of William Saroyan's SONS ...
    Category

    1970s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Ink, Board

You May Also Like
  • Man looking into Window
    By Everett Shinn
    Located in Miami, FL
    Original Magazine Illustration for a magazine like Harper's, Vanity Fair, Life, Look, and Judge Shinn was an American realist painter and member of the Ashcan School. He also exhibited with the short-lived group known as "The Eight," Work is framed in an attractive gilt frame Morris Weiss collection...
    Category

    1910s American Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Acrylic Polymer, Gouache, Pencil, Watercolor

  • Monolith Rock - Mid Century Monterey, California Seascape
    By Joseph Yeager
    Located in Soquel, CA
    Seascape of waves crashing against a large rock by Joseph Yeager (early-mid 20th Century) on heavy bond watercolor paper with ragged edges. Signed "Joe Yeager" in the lower right cor...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • Mid-Century Cottage in the Woods Landscape Watercolor
    By Joseph Yeager
    Located in Soquel, CA
    Charming mid century watercolor landscape of a cottage in the woods, executed with phenomenal attention to detail, by Joseph Yeager (early-mid 20th Century) on heavy bond watercolor ...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • Stone Monument to a Forest Cabin, Mid-Century Landscape
    By Joseph Yeager
    Located in Soquel, CA
    Stone Monument, a mid-century landscape by Joseph Yeager (early-mid 20th Century) on heavy bond watercolor paper with ragged edges. No frame. Unfinished, unsigned work. Estate of Joseph Yeager on Verso. Joseph "Joe" Yeager (American, 20th Century) was raised in Cleveland Ohio, where he went to art school at night and started his art career at 19. He was a commercial artist for the Cleveland Press...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Watercolor

  • Mid Century Seated Nude Figure, Female Figure Study Watercolor
    By Joseph Yeager
    Located in Soquel, CA
    Graceful depiction of seated nude female figure by Joseph Yeager (American, 20th Century). Unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of Joseph Yeager works directly from the estate. This piece is on heavy bond paper with ragged edges. No frame. Joseph "Joe" Yeager (American, 20th Century) was raised in Cleveland Ohio, where he went to art school at night and started his art career at 19. He was a commercial artist for the Cleveland Press...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Pencil, Paper, Watercolor

  • Frolic Club IV - New York City in the 1960's - Strip Club Gritty Social Realism
    By Philip Reisman
    Located in Miami, FL
    Philip Reisman paints the raw street life of New York City. Whether he's painting a barmaid or a street hobo, Reisman is a people painter. He studied at the Art Students League with ...
    Category

    1960s American Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Watercolor

Recently Viewed

View All