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Anton RefregierWPA Mural Study Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Workersc. 1940s
c. 1940s
$15,000
£11,348.53
€13,097.96
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A$23,293.32
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NOK 155,243.22
SEK 146,568
DKK 97,741.30
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About the Item
WPA Mural Study Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Workers
Anton Refregier (1905-1979)
Mural Study, Untitled
7 ¾ x 22 inches (sight)
Gouache, pencil, and charcoal on board, c. 1940s
Unsigned
Provenance: Estate of Seymour Fogel, noted verso
Thomas McCormick Gallery label verso
BIO
Anton Refregier was born March 20, 1905 in Moscow, Russia. He immigrated to the United States in 1920. He received his artistic training from the Rhode Island School of Design*, Providence, Rhode Island, 1921-1925; studied abroad with the sculptor Nicolai Vassilief in Paris in 1920; and with Hans Hofmann in Munich, 1927.
From 1934 to 1940, Refregier, living in New York City, worked on various WPA Federal Art Projects* as a teacher, supervising artist, and mural supervisor. His most famous work is arguably the mural project at San Francisco's Rincon Center, the costliest and one of the most controversial of all the WPA commissions. It is a multi-scene panorama* that sparked national debate because of its inclusion of controversial events in California history.
Refregier found inspiration in tragic events, which is reflected in his Depression Era-WPA work. He was quoted as saying that "the richer we [were] in possessions, the poorer we became in their enjoyment." [2] He said the amazing part of that period was the "human quality, the humanist attitude that [everyone] had" and the discovery that "the artist was not apart from the people."[2]
Aside from his mural work, Anton Refregier was an easel painter, decorator, set designer, author, and teacher (professor of painting, Bard College, Annandale-on-the-Hudson, NY, 1962-64). He also was a faculty member of the American Artists School*, a progressive and socialist oriented school in New York City.
Refregier died in Moscow in October 1979.
- Creator:Anton Refregier (1905 - 1979, American)
- Creation Year:c. 1940s
- Dimensions:Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1156215034352
Anton Refregier
Anton Refregier was a painter and muralist active in Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project commissions, and in teaching art. He was a Russian immigrant to the United States. He is known, among other works, for his mural The History of California located in the Rincon Center, in downtown San Francisco, California. It depicts the state's history across 27 panels that he painted from 1940–48. The style of this historic mural had many of Refregier's key characteristics. The palette was composed of yellows, browns, and grays, punctuated by red in certain areas to evoke emotion. Earthy tones and the lack of bright colors remind viewers of the struggles and hardships he is depicting. Refregier also uses white to represent virtue in those inspired by a cause. His style is very flat and one-dimensional. Refregier uses solid blocks of color to denote shadows, along with depth and shade. His painting style appears to be very rudimentary and simple, but complex because of the way he uses color to evoke emotion and powerful images to tell a story. Refregier died in 1979 while in Moscow. Refregier was working on a mural for a medical center in his home city. The same year, his Rincon Mural was placed under the protection of the National Register of Historic Places.
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