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Charles Ragland BunnellGeorgetown, Colorado, 1938 WPA Era Ink Drawing of Rocky Mountain Landscape1938
1938
About the Item
This vintage 1938 ink drawing by Charles Bunnell (1897–1968) captures a stunning scene of a church nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountains of Georgetown, Colorado. Executed in bold black ink on creamy white paper, the piece is signed and dated by the artist in the lower right and titled in the lower left. The image size is 7 ¾ x 5 ¾ inches, and it is framed with archival materials, with outer dimensions measuring 16 ¼ x 14 ½ x 1 ¼ inches.
Condition:
The drawing is in good vintage condition, with no notable flaws. For a detailed condition report, please contact us directly.
Provenance:
This artwork comes from the estate of Charles Ragland Bunnell, ensuring its authenticity.
About Charles Bunnell:
Charles Bunnell was a prominent American artist whose career spanned multiple styles and influences. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, he moved to Colorado Springs around 1915, where he developed a love for art. After serving in World War I, Bunnell studied at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center), where he met his wife, Laura Palmer. He went on to teach and paint in Colorado, creating works that reflected his diverse artistic journey.
Bunnell was influenced by both realism and abstraction. Although he initially studied under Boardman Robinson, mastering the American Scene style, Bunnell's artistic vision evolved toward abstraction. By the late 1930s, his work began to depart from his early Modernist style, embracing more abstract forms. His experiences during World War II and the personal loss of his son deeply impacted his work, leading him to explore Transcendental and Surrealist themes in the early 1940s.
In the late 1940s, Bunnell was instrumental in introducing Abstract Expressionism to Colorado Springs, despite resistance from the art community. His groundbreaking work continues to be celebrated for its emotional depth, political commentary, and stylistic innovation.
- Creator:Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968, American)
- Creation Year:1938
- Dimensions:Height: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)Width: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Frame IncludedFraming Options Available
- Condition:Very good vintage condition, custom frame with all archival materials has recently been added. Detailed condition report available upon request.
- Gallery Location:Denver, CO
- Reference Number:Seller: DCG-236051stDibs: LU2738037562
Charles Ragland Bunnell
Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer. He studied with Ernest Lawson in 1927-1928 and, in the winter of 1928-1929, he served as Lawson’s assistant. In the late 1920’s, the Bunnell’s settled just west of Colorado Springs and 1928, they welcomed the first of their three children. Their one-acre homesite, which they referred to as “Old Home Place”, was situated between two sets of railroad tracks at the foot of Pike’s Peak. Charlie converted an old railroad boxcar into his studio, where he later gave lessons. Beginning in 1931, Bunnell spent a year and a half studying under Boardman Robinson. The two men clashed constantly due to a generation gap and markedly different philosophies. Robinson encouraged his students not to stray from realism and though Bunnell mastered Robinson’s preferred style of American Scene painting, he regularly irritated his professor with his abstract sketches. Bunnell taught at the Kansas City Art Institute during the summers of 1929, 1930, 1940, and 1941. Between 1934 and 1941, he painted and taught under federal projects which included assisting Frank Mechau on murals for the Colorado Springs Post Office. However, he did not take to mural making and, after criticism from Boardman Robinson about his use of “heavy daubs which have no place in mural work,” he abandoned mural-making altogether. By the late 1930’s, Bunnell’s work departed from the American Scene/Modernist style he was trained in towards abstraction. This is marked by his “Black and Blue” series, consisting of 83 abstracted ink and watercolors. Affected by the Second World War and the loss of his 10-year old son, Bunnell’s work of the early 1940’s took on a Transcendental and Surrealist tone. The works from this period are moody and readily reflect the political and personal turmoil experienced by the artist. In the late 1940’s, Bunnell began experimenting with Abstract Expressionism. He alone is credited with introducing Colorado Springs to the new style as it was excluded from the Fine Art Center’s curriculum by Boardman Robinson. Bunnell excelled in Abstract Expressionism and continued to evolve in the style through the 1950’s continuing to his death in 1968. He was recently recognized as a premier American Abstract Expressionist by his inclusion in the book American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950’s: An Illustrated Survey. © David Cook Galleries, LLC
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