Skip to main content

Venus At Her Mirror, Chastity Looking On. Allegorical Mid Century Oil On Canvas

Venus At Her Mirror, Chastity Looking On. Allegorical Mid Century Oil On Canvas

View Similar Items

Mercedes Matter - "Reclining Nude" Mercedes Matter, Abstracted Nude, Early American Modernism

"Reclining Nude" Mercedes Matter, Abstracted Nude, Early American Modernism

Hans Burkhardt - The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt

The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt

Leon Kelly - Bathers, Modernist Nudes, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Titled

Bathers, Modernist Nudes, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Titled

Audrey Anastasi - Queen of the Night, narrative, partial nude figure, red colors, ethnic fabrics

Queen of the Night, narrative, partial nude figure, red colors, ethnic fabrics

Nahum Tschacbasov - “Woman with Birds”

“Woman with Birds”

Francis Chapin - A 1940s Painting of a Seated Female Nude in Summer Landscape, Ox-Bow School

A 1940s Painting of a Seated Female Nude in Summer Landscape, Ox-Bow School

Rudolph Pen - Wonderfully Stylized, 60s Mid-Century Modern Oil of Standing Male Ballet Dancers

Wonderfully Stylized, 60s Mid-Century Modern Oil of Standing Male Ballet Dancers

Louis Stettner - Rare Modernist Oil Painting Line Drawing Nude Man Louis Stettner

Rare Modernist Oil Painting Line Drawing Nude Man Louis Stettner

Byron Richard Rodarmel - "Morning" Nude Couple in Bed - Figurative Composition in Oil on Canvas

"Morning" Nude Couple in Bed - Figurative Composition in Oil on Canvas

Rudolph Pen - A Captivating, Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Standing Female Nude Model

A Captivating, Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Standing Female Nude Model

Rudolph Pen - A Fabulous, Abstract 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Sleeping Female Nude

A Fabulous, Abstract 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Sleeping Female Nude

Patricia Gren Hayes - Nude Woman in Bed with Mirror - Figurative Portrait in Oil on Canvas

Nude Woman in Bed with Mirror - Figurative Portrait in Oil on Canvas

Video Loading

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 15

Eugene McCown
Venus At Her Mirror, Chastity Looking On. Allegorical Mid Century Oil On Canvas
1941

$10,505.25List Price

About the Item

American Mid 20th Century large scale allegorical oil on canvas of Venus at her mirror with Cupid, signed MacCown and dated 1941. A modern interpretation of the painting by Velázquez from the 17th Century more famously known as The Rokeby Venus. In that painting Velázquez created an oil painting that depicts the Goddess of Love staring into a mirror held by her son Cupid, God of both romantic and erotic love, as well as beauty. Although her gaze into the mirror is one of self-admiration, it is also eerily directed at the viewer, a possible indication that Velázquez intended this painting to signify reflection. Our painting also reflects erotic and romantic love but with even more symbolism, the unicorn in the background which normally represents chastity and the seashell representing love and fertility. William Eugene McCown was born in El Dorado Springs (Mo, Cedar county), and from an early age was taught how to sketch and play the piano with great success. At the Central High school of Kansas City, he met Virgil Thomson (the future composer and critic) who was to become a life-long friend. When he had completed two years of journalism at the University of Missouri, McCown went to New York to paint at the Art Students League and at Woodstock, where he studied with Andrew Dasburg and Eugene Speicher. For six months, in 1920, he traveled through the West Indies as a painter. In May 1920, his first productions (landscapes and portraits) were exhibited in Caracas. On his return to New York, McCown mingled in the local artistic circles. His fearless temper and homosexuality as well as the rise of puritanism and Prohibition may explain why McCown worked his way to France on a freighter in 1921. McCown's ability to play the popular jazz of the age on the piano, his talent as a painter and his unabashed charm soon made him very popular in Paris. After only a couple of months in France, he was engaged as a jazz pianist at Le Boeuf sur le Toit, the most famous nightclub of the roaring twenties in Paris. There he mingled with the most elegant bohemian crowd, such as André Gide, Cole Porter, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Winnaretta Singer, Isadora Duncan. He also met with French poet Jean Cocteau, whom, it was rumoured, he had an affair with, and British heiress and political activist Nancy Cunard. Thanks to Cunard's money, he was never penniless and travelled extensively. It is unclear whether McCown and Cunard were lovers, but he was certainly her protégé for many years and painted about seven portraits of her. During the winter of 1923, he began a love affair with the French journalist René Crevel. Along with Cocteau and Raymond Mortimer, Crevel did a lot to help McCown in his new career as a painter. In 1925, McCown's first Parisian show at the Effort Moderne, Léonce Rosenberg's gallery, was a success. Within a week all the paintings and drawings were sold and many reviews in French, American and British newspapers praised his “highly poetic work” as well as "the cleanness of line and the delicacy of detail". Clive Bell, Waldemar George and Maurice Raynal would promote his art. In the early 1920s, McCown's paintings depict men in various stages of intimacy. His style is mainly influenced by Picasso, Henri Rousseau and the Quattrocento Italians. After this exhibition, McCown became the toast of the town. He was known for his wit and promiscuity. McCown indulged himself in pleasures such as drugs and alcohol. Crevel would distance himself and write a cruel portrait of his former lover in his novel La Mort difficile, where one can easily recognize McCown in Arthur Bruggle. Several exhibitions were yet to be organized in Paris and New York between 1929 and 1932. But now his name was mostly known for the wild parties he gave in his brand-new Art Deco studio designed by André Lurçat (a student of Robert Mallet-Stevens) and his many lovers (including Glenway Wescott, Hart Crane whom he helped get out of prison in July 1929, Raymond Mortimer, Paul Mooney, Richard Wyndham, Patrick Balfour…). After the 1929 stock market crash, many rich Americans sailed back to the US and McCown lost important supporters. In 1933 he had no choice but to return to New York City. On his return to New York, McCown was only 35 years old. He tried to return to his beloved Europe. In 1943, his love for France made him join the American intelligence services. He was assigned a position of translator in London. Unfortunately, his physical and moral condition caused him to be discharged a few months after. In 1950, Doubleday published his roman à clef The Siege of Innocence, in which he describes the path of a young American artist of great beauty victim of the concupiscence of his companions. His works are represented in major collections in the USA and worldwide.

Creator:
Eugene McCown (1898 - 1966, American)
Creation Year:
1941
Dimensions:
Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 43 in (109.22 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
American Modern
Period:
Mid-20th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Cotignac, FR
Reference Number:
Seller: LG/MacCown1stDibs: LU1430210321852

More From This Seller

Hello Hen ! Large Surrealist Contemporary Oil on Canvas.

By Frank Docherty

Located in Cotignac, FR

Large surrealist contemporary oil on canvas by Scottish artist Frank McLean Docherty R.S.W. This piece whilst wonderfully colourful, playful and erotic is typical of the witty sense of humour this artist displays in all his work. The title 'Hello Hen !' ( Hen being the scottish slang for 'girl' ) is used playfully as a double-entendre. In the image we see the artist has before him a beautiful naked woman and yet chooses to paint the real hen. Also we notice that the plant's flower heads under the woman are wilting and the artist pictured (a self portrait of Docherty), an older man, suggest that the artist's desires are on the wane. Docherty likes to tease us visually and asks questions and presents conundrums to the viewer. Frank McLean Docherty was born in Glasgow , Scotland in 1942. He became a student at Glasgow School of Art in 1960 and graduated from the Department of Printed Textiles in 1964. He taught in a secondary school in the East End of Glasgow for two years, thereafter departing to work in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland as a textile designer (Marks & Spencer, Heals and Liberty of London). He was also an illustrator for a range of newspapers and an Art Director of magazines. In 1973, he was appointed Principal Teacher of Art in a Scottish High School and in 1978 was honoured by the Queen when he was appointed Member of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours (R.S.W.) He left education in 1994. Since that time he has developed a vision which is quite unique in Scottish Art. Bank Managers, toucans, lighthouses, penguins, bowler hats, Frank Docherty...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hello Hen ! Large Surrealist Contemporary Oil on Canvas.

Frank Docherty
Hello Hen ! Large Surrealist Contemporary Oil on Canvas., 2015

$11,937

Leda and the Swan, an early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Allegorical Painting

By Fernand Allard L'Olivier

Located in Cotignac, FR

An early 20th century aesthetic movement allegorical oil on canvas painting of Leda and the Swan by Fernand Allard l'Olivier. Presented in plain wood frame. Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek...

Category

Early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Leda and the Swan, an early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Allegorical Painting

Fernand Allard L'Olivier
Leda and the Swan, an early 20th Century Aesthetic Movement Allegorical Painting, 1900's

$1,838 Sale Price

44% Off

Nude Female Figure Reclining, Mixed Media, Femme Allongée

Located in Cotignac, FR

Nude female portrait in paint and sgraffito technique on board by Peter Szabo. The work is signed to the back and with a dedication. presented with a plain baton wood surround. This...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Nude Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache

Nude Female Figure Reclining, Mixed Media, Femme Allongée

Peter Szabo
Nude Female Figure Reclining, Mixed Media, Femme Allongée, 2003

$1,886

"La Cagole", "The Extrovert", French Abstract Expressionist Oil on Board.

Located in Cotignac, FR

Late 20th century abstract Expressionist oil on board by French artist Emmanuelle Bardet. Signed bottom right and dated 1995 and titled "La Cagole" to the re...

Category

Late 20th Century Nude Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

"La Cagole", "The Extrovert", French Abstract Expressionist Oil on Board.

Emmanuelle Bardet
"La Cagole", "The Extrovert", French Abstract Expressionist Oil on Board., 1995

$668 Sale Price

28% Off

Expressionist Female Nude Portrait, 'The Green Curtain' Oil on Canvas.

Located in Cotignac, FR

Expressionist female nude portrait by noted Scottish artist Douglas Thomson. The painting is signed bottom left and signed and titled to the back of the canvas. There is an original exhibition title and price label to the frame. Presented in original plain wood frame. A colourful and striking portrait of a female nude. Her rich red hair falling over her shoulders, her pose calm as she stares out from the canvas in a wistful way, her mouth set. Thomson has created flesh tones, wonderful contrast of colours between the sitter and the background curtain and wall and a texture to the canvas to create added interest. A really interesting and engaging portrait. Douglas Thomson was born in Greenock in 1955 and after studying at the Glasgow School of Art 1974...

Category

Late 20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Expressionist Female Nude Portrait, 'The Green Curtain' Oil on Canvas.

Douglas Thomson
Expressionist Female Nude Portrait, 'The Green Curtain' Oil on Canvas., 1980s

$2,101 Sale Price

20% Off

Collection of Three French Oils on Board. "La Cagole, Redoutable & La Corrida".

Located in Cotignac, FR

Late 20th century collection of three abstract expressionist oils on board by French artist Emmanuelle Bardet. All signed to the front and each dated 1995 and titled to the reverse. The three paintings are titled; La Cagole...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Collection of Three French Oils on Board. "La Cagole, Redoutable & La Corrida".

Emmanuelle Bardet
Collection of Three French Oils on Board. "La Cagole, Redoutable & La Corrida"., 1995

$1,069 Sale Price

50% Off

You May Also Like

"Reclining Nude" Mercedes Matter, Abstracted Nude, Early American Modernism

By Mercedes Matter

Located in New York, NY

Mercedes Matter Reclining Nude, circa 1920 Signed "Mercedes Matter" on the overlap Oil on canvas 32 x 51 inches Born in New York in 1913 to famed Philadelphia Modernist, Arthur B. ...

Category

1920s American Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Reclining Nude" Mercedes Matter, Abstracted Nude, Early American Modernism

Mercedes Matter
"Reclining Nude" Mercedes Matter, Abstracted Nude, Early American Modernism, circa 1920

$70,000

The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt

By Hans Burkhardt

Located in Hudson, NY

Hans Burkhardt The Artist's Wife (1930) Oil on canvas, 20" x 16" 24" x 20 ½" x 1 ½" framed Dated 1930 lower right recto. Annotated "To Elsa HB Louise Burkhardt 1930. HB" verso. ...

Category

1930s American Modern Nude Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt

Hans Burkhardt
The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt, 1930

$2,800

Bathers, Modernist Nudes, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Titled

By Leon Kelly

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Bathers" by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a fantasy nude scene of two female figures, one with towel in hand, one only depicted as a portrait within the paintin...

Category

20th Century American Modern Nude Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bathers, Modernist Nudes, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Titled

Leon Kelly
Bathers, Modernist Nudes, Oil on Canvas, Signed and Titled

$4,125 Sale Price

44% Off

Queen of the Night, narrative, partial nude figure, red colors, ethnic fabrics

By Audrey Anastasi

Located in Brooklyn, NY

ABOUT the artist: Audrey Frank Anastasi is a prolific feminist artist, working in painting, drawing, collage, mixed media, & printmaking. She is also curator, gallerist, educator and arts advocate. Most of Ms. Anastasi's figurative works are painted with her non-dominant left hand. She has created large bodies of works of birds, animals and birch trees. She has had 20 solo & 200 group shows. Her "ref-u-gee" series will be shown in 2020 at Medgar Evers College in collaboration with the Valentine Museum of Art, Brooklyn. Accompanying the show will be a limited-edition monograph w/ over 180 images and a foreword by Phyllis Braff. Ms. Anastasi's collage series was exhibited at Welancora Gallery, Brooklyn, in May, 2019. In 2018, ten paintings were exhibited in "Painting to Survive," curated by Yale critic Jonathan Weinberg. Book and catalog publications include "Stations of the Cross", SPQR press, BREUCKELEN magazine, “Audrey Frank Anastasi”, catalog essay Cindy Nemser, and "Collage," essay by Giancarlo T. Roma. Public art includes a portrait of Jo Davidson...

Category

2010s American Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Queen of the Night, narrative, partial nude figure, red colors, ethnic fabrics

Audrey Anastasi
Queen of the Night, narrative, partial nude figure, red colors, ethnic fabrics, 2012

$2,600

“Woman with Birds”

By Nahum Tschacbasov

Located in Southampton, NY

Original mid-century modern oil on canvas board painting of a woman with birds by the well known Russian/American artist Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed and ...

Category

1950s American Modern Nude Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

“Woman with Birds”

Nahum Tschacbasov
“Woman with Birds”, 1956

$4,200

A 1940s Painting of a Seated Female Nude in Summer Landscape, Ox-Bow School

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A beautiful 1940s painting of a seated female nude in a summer landscape by renowned Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Painted at the Oxbow School in Saugatuck, Michig...

Category

1940s American Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A 1940s Painting of a Seated Female Nude in Summer Landscape, Ox-Bow School

Francis Chapin
A 1940s Painting of a Seated Female Nude in Summer Landscape, Ox-Bow School

$1,800

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Self Playing Piano

Cupid Oil On Canvas

Scott Fitzgerald

Arthur Weeks Painting

F Scott Fitzgerald

Vintage Seashell Mirror

Art Deco Jazz Painting

Jean Cocteau Lovers

George Cole Oil Painting

View All Popular Nude Paintings Searches