Robert Somerton

Abstract Expressionist British Original Watercolor Painting Shapes Patterns

c. 2022

Abstract Composition (c.2022) by Robert Somerton, British, born 1972. ink/ watercolor on art paper, unframed size: 9.5 x 12.5 inches condition: excellent

Abstract Composition (c.2022) by Robert Somerton, British, born 1972. ink/ watercolor on art paper, unframed size: 9.5 x 12.5 inches condition: excellent

Abstract Composition (c.2022) by Robert Somerton, British, born 1972. ink/ watercolor on art paper, unframed size: 12.5 x 9.5 inches condition: excellent

Abstract Composition (c.2022) by Robert Somerton, British, born 1972. ink/ watercolor on art paper, unframed size: 9.5 x 12.5 inches condition: excellent

French watercolor abstract in soothing hues of light yellow, blue and black by Eric Brault, circa 1990. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Archiv...

A striking large-scale abstract watercolor painting by contemporary American artist Virginia Maitland (b. 1947), created in 1980. Known for her expressive use of color and dynamic co...

Abstract multicolor watercolor with softly blended color fields by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009). From the estate of Les Anderson in Monterey, California. Signe...

Untitled (Abstraction) Ink on textured paper, c. 1958 Signed lower right "Scarlett" (see photo) Condition: Excellent Archival framing with OP3 Acrylic Sheet size: 21 3/4 x 30 inches Frame size: 28 1/2 x 36 1/2 inches Note: A rare mid to late 1950s example of the artist's abstract expressionist style. Provenance: estate of the artist Private Collection, Hudson River Valley, New York Rolph Scarlett B. 1889, GUELPH, ONTARIO; D. 1984, WOODSTOCK, NEW YORK Born on June 13, 1889 in Guelph, Canada, and into an artistic family, Rolph Scarlett spent his teenage years as an apprentice in his uncle’s jewelry firm and briefly studied at the Art Students League, New York. While working in the jewelry industry, Scarlett found time to paint and design theatrical sets in his free time, including one for the 1928 world premiere of Eugene O’Neill’s drama Lazarus Laughed (1926). In 1923, while on a business trip to Switzerland, Scarlett had met the artist Paul Klee and soon after abandoned his figurative painting style in favor of an abstract language that suggested more universal, cosmic truths. In 1937, after permanently settling in New York, Scarlett became acquainted with the artist and curator Hilla Rebay, the first director of the Museum of Non-Objective Painting (renamed the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1952). Rebay provided Scarlett with a Guggenheim Foundation scholarship to paint full-time and obtained several of his paintings for the museum’s collection. From 1940 to 1946, Scarlett served as the museum’s chief lecturer, giving Sunday afternoon talks on art. Through Rebay, Scarlett became acquainted with the nonobjective works of Rudolf Bauer and Vasily Kandinsky and further refined his abstract style. Works from this era such as Yellow Bar (1942) are defined by overlapping geometric planes of bright, primary colors set against mute backgrounds. Scarlett avoided any reference to the outside world and believed that nonobjective painting was an act, in his words, of “pure creation.” During his lifetime, solo shows of his work were held at the Jacques Seligmann Gallery, New York (1949); Sioux City Art Center, Iowa (1951); and Washburn Gallery...