Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Philip Krevoruck
20th Century Surrealist Painting By Philip Krevoruck Wpa Era

1950s

About the Item

Philip Krevoruck 1919-1999 an accomplished WPA artist . Surrealist Oil on board painted during the 1950s . Dimensions: 30inch X 25.5inch including frame . 24 X 19.5 without frame . Many surrealist artists have used automatic drawing or writing to unlock ideas and images from their unconscious minds. Others have wanted to depict dream worlds or hidden psychological tensions. Surrealist artists have also drawn inspiration from mysticism, ancient cultures and Indigenous art and knowledges as a way of imagining alternative realities. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was an ambitious employment and infrastructure program created by President Roosevelt in 1935, during the bleakest years of the Great Depression. Over its eight years of existence, the WPA put roughly 8.5 million Americans to work Philip Krevoruck was born January 26, 1919 in Fitchburg, MA, the youngest of 4 children. His older siblings were Sarah, Florence, and Saul. Krevoruck’s father, Jacob Krevoruck, was born in Russia, spoke Yiddish, and emigrated to the US in 1903. Jacob ran a kosher butcher shop in Fitchburg which was located near the synagogue, but he died only one year after Philip was born. Philip’s mother, Sophie, was also born in Russia and lived until Krevoruck completed 4 years of college prior to WWII and taught art. In the late 1930’s, when he was only 20 years old, Krevoruck was employed by the WPA art program. During this time he lived with his sister Sarah’s family and brother-in-law, Benjamin Schweitzer. Krevoruck served in the army during WWII. After the war he attained a Masters of Arts in Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College, graduating in 1949. Immediately after graduation he taught art at Haldane central School in Cold Spring, NY, and also taught art at Long Island University. Krevoruck lived and taught in China for several years in the early 1950's, delivering reverent portraits of Chinese people and culture previously hidden from the West.”[2] After his return from China Philip moved back to Fitchburg. In 1954 he was teaching art at the Fitchburg Art Center, and in 1955 he was teaching art at Leominster High School. During the 50’s and 60’s he exhibited his art work on many occasions, including exhibits at the Fitchburg Art Museum. Krevoruck was “well versed in a variety of extraordinary styles. Particularly known for his WPA subjects, Krevoruck's work revealed a realistic portrayal of American life, exposing the true conditions of the urban city, industrial work environments and the everyday scenes of working class Americans.” Krevoruck’s late work shifted toward expressionism and abstraction. Krevoruck died on March 24, 1999 in Long Beach, New York.
  • Creator:
    Philip Krevoruck (1919 - 1999, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1950s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Minimal repair to the corner of the painting. Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Gallery Location:
    Hoddesdon, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2723214198162
More From This SellerView All
  • Surrealist Oil Painting By Fernand Carette, 20th Century
    Located in Hoddesdon, GB
    Fernand Carette 1921- 2005 Futuristic surrealist landscape . oil painting by Belgian artist Carette painted during the 1960s while he was working with the Phases group . 64cm x 49cm ...
    Category

    1960s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Art Deco Abstract Oil Painting by Burr Singer , 20th Century
    By Burr Singer
    Located in Hoddesdon, GB
    A beautifully painted Art Deco period oil painting by highly acclaimed American Artist Burr Singer 1912-1992 . Oil on canvas dating to the 1930s . Very good condition. Dimensions...
    Category

    1930s Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • 20th Century Cityscape Painting by Mel Fowler (1921-1987)
    By Mel Fowler
    Located in Hoddesdon, GB
    A lovely charismatic Water colour painting by Mel Fowler 1921-1987 . This busy London London street scene was painted by the artist during the late 1960s early 70s . Mel Fowler (19...
    Category

    1960s Abstract Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Watercolor

  • Neo-expressionist Painting by Kevin Samuel Murphy "Shadows in the Flag"
    Located in Hoddesdon, GB
    Abstract Painting , Shadows in the Flag , acrylic on canvas Contorted figures set against the back drop of a burning Stars and Stripes . Representing Lies & corruption within govern...
    Category

    1990s Neo-Expressionist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Acrylic

  • Large Abstract Batik Painting by Chuah Seow Keng , Malaysian , 20th Century
    Located in Hoddesdon, GB
    Chuah Seow Keng , born 1945 . Large abstract batik painting in excellent condition with bright vivid colours . Chuah Seow Keng was born in 1945 and is a renowned artist from Malays...
    Category

    Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Other Medium

  • 20th Century Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas
    Located in Hoddesdon, GB
    20th century modernist oil painting on canvas . Signed with artists monogram and Dated 1991. This large and impressive painting evokes a range of emotions and interpretations. With...
    Category

    1990s Surrealist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

You May Also Like
  • Surrealist School, Oil On Hardboard
    Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
    Surrealist school. Oil on hardboard panel. Corners a little cropped. 31.5 x 39.5cm.
    Category

    20th Century Surrealist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Oil

  • Butterfly, פַּרְפַּר, бабочка
    Located in Boston, MA
    Artist Commentary: Butterflies and imagination are the ingredients to start a well-rounded life. Keywords: Butterfly, aqueduct, beach, window
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Fences Make Good Neighbours
    Located in Boston, MA
    Artist Commentary: Exaggerated surreal landscape where a town is divided by fences. The left side is a town, the right side is 'other'. Keywords: Twist, Braid, rolling hills, desert...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Musical Tree
    Located in Boston, MA
    Artist Commentary: The dreamyness of music in a small format. Keywords: tree, water, eighth note
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • The Symphony, Original Surrealist Painting, 2021
    Located in Boston, MA
    Artist Commentary: A sampling of the art motifs of Samuel Leopold. Keywords: sampling, motifs, Samuel Leopold, moon, symphony
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • "Aswan IV, " Enrico Donati, Surrealist Biomorphic Abstraction, Mid-Century
    By Enrico Donati
    Located in New York, NY
    Enrico Donati Aswan IV, 1984 Signed, dated and inscribed as titled on the reverse Oil and sand on canvas 36 x 42 inches Provenance: Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer Gallery, New York Doyle, October 12, 2022 Enrico Donati, a surrealist and abstract expressionist painter, was born in Milan, Italy in 1909 and died in Manhattan on April 25, 2008. He was known for his association with the surrealist movement of the 1940's, but his artwork continued to transform itself through the many trends that have occurred during his long career. In Italy he attended the Universita degli Studi in Pavia where he studied economics. In 1934, he moved to the United States settling in New York where he studied at the New School for Social Research and the Art Students' League. Considered the surviving dean of the Surrealist Movement and a member of the New York School, Donati painted with Ernst, Matta and Tanguy in the thirties and forties, and in particular with Andre Breton, regarded by many to be the grand master of Surrealism. He helped organize the Exposition Internationale du Surrealisme in Paris in 1947 where he exhibited three of his pieces. The Surrealists were known to avoid presenting or representing reality, and put the emphasis on invention and creativity by uncovering the poetic aspect of life with its kaleidoscopic multidimensional images, using reality only to enhance imagination. Donati survived the decline of Surrealism in the late 1940's by adapting his style to current art trends as he worked with new materials and textures throughout the 1950's. One trend with which he became involved was Abstract Expressionism, which originated in the 1940s, and became popular in the 1950s. It was a movement in which artists typically applied paint, rapidly and with force, to large canvases, in an effort to show feelings and emotions. Paint might be applied with large brushes, sometimes dripping or even throwing it onto canvas. Abstract Expressionist work is characterized by a strong dependence on what appears to be accident and chance, although it is actually highly planned. Donati held a retrospective at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in 1961 and went on to exhibit at the Betty Parsons Gallery with other forerunners of American Abstract Expressionism: Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Jackson Pollock. It was at this time that Donati created some of his most inventive and extraordinary work, some of which was featured in a survey exhibition at the Alter & Gil Gallery, Beverly Hills, California, in January 2000. He has held many teaching positions and has been an active lecturer, while continuing to add to his artistic repertoire. From 1960 to 1962 he was a Visiting Lecturer at Yale University, and from 1962 to 1972 a Member of the Yale University Council for the Arts and Architecture. He has had seventy-five one-man shows, among them an exhibit of new paintings at the Maxwell Davidson Gallery (57th St., New York) in the fall of 1997. Donati's work is held in collections throughout the world, and his work has appeared in over 300 articles and publications, two hard cover books...
    Category

    1980s Surrealist Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All