Henry Elinson

Modernist Avant-Gard Figurative Abstract, Large-Scale Primary Colors Pastel

1996

Dynamic and colorful abstract expressionist figural pastel drawing by Ojai, California artist Gayel Childress (American, 20th/21st Century). Figures in various gestural poses are layered in vivid pastel, which pops brightly from the half-tone paper. The central female figure emerges from linear figurative abstraction with the addition of shading in greens and blues. Some age toning to paper. Signed "G. Childress" lower left, and on verso. Displayed in a new white mat and rustic white painted wood frame. Image size: 24"H x 18"W. Award-winning Ojai, California based artist Gayel Childress works in watercolors as well as oils and monoprints. She is best known for her fluid interpretations of landscapes and figures that capture the essence of the moment with a superb touch of humor. Childress, who has studied with William Wright, Jan Kuntz, Robert E. Wood and Don Andrews, has shown her work in many one-artist shows and art exhibitions. Her paintings can be found in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the United States and Europe. Her contributions to the art community within the Ojai Valley have been monumental. She, along with Marta Nelson and Bert Collins...

Street art style figurative abstract of blue face by Bay Area artist, Kelvin Curry (American, 20th Century). Signed "Kelvin Curry" lower right. Unframed. Ima...

Two Faces (Purple and Magenta) in Pastel on Paper Brightly colored faces by Bay Area artist, Kelvin Curry (American, 20th Century). Two faces are shown in profile, looking to the le...

Colorful abstract work by Bay Area artist Kelvin Curry (American, 20th Century). Signed "Kelvin Curry" lower left. Unframed. Image size, 15"H x 11.25"W. Born in Oakland, California ...

Brightly colored watercolor of a 1970's California street performer, done in a colorful, expressive slap-dash style, by Hope Tepley (American, 1919-2010). Signed "Tepley" in the lower right corner. Titled "The Hurdy Gurdy...

Wonderful abstract expressionist drawing in shades and tones of grays and black by John Haley (American, 1905-1991), c.1956-7. Signed lower left corner. Presented in 3" mat. Condition: Very good: some edge wear consistent with age. Image size: 25"H x 19"W. A feature of the artwork of John Charles...

Mercedes Carles Matter (1913 - 2001) Untitled, circa 1937 Pastel on paper 16 x 13 1/2 inches Estate stamped on the reverse Provenance: Estate of the artist Spanierman Gallery, New York Private Collection, Pennsylvania circa 2013 Private Collection, New York, 2021 Mercedes Matter was born in New York in 1913. Her father, the American modernist Arthur B. Carles, had studied with Matisse. Her mother, Mercedes de Cordoba, was a model for Edward Steichen. Ms. Matter grew up in Philadelphia, New York and Europe. She began painting under her father's supervision at age 6, and studied art at Bennett College in Millbrook, N.Y., and then in New York City with Maurice Sterne, Alexander Archipenko and Hans Hofmann. In the late 1930's, she was an original member of the American Abstract Artists organization and worked for the federal Works Progress Administration, assisting Fernand Léger on his mural for the French Line passenger ship company. Léger introduced her to Herbert Matter, the Swiss graphic designer and photographer, whom she married in 1939. The Matters were active in the emerging New York art scene and also traveled frequently to Europe. Their closest friends included Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Philip Guston, Alexander Calder and Willem de Kooning. They were also close to Alberto Giacometti, who was an important artistic role model for Mrs. Matter and a frequent photographic subject for her husband. Beginning in 1953, Mrs. Matter taught at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts), Pratt Institute and New York University. Based on her teaching experiences she wrote an article for Art News in 1963 titled ''What's Wrong with U.S. Art Schools?'' In it, she lamented the phasing out of the extended studio classes required to initiate ''that painfully slow education of the senses,'' which she considered an artist's life work. The article prompted a group of Pratt students to ask her to form a school based on her ideas, which led, in 1964, to the founding of the New York Studio School. Originally in a loft on Broadway, the school gained almost immediate support from the Kaplan Fund, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Ford Foundation. It granted no degrees, had only studio classes and emphasized drawing from life. Its teachers, chosen by the students, included the artists Guston, Bradley Walker Tomlin, Charles Cajori, Louis Finkelstein...

Original pastel on paper. Hand signed on front and authenticated on verso by the artist. Framed. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonab...

Anthony Thomas Triano (1928–1997) was an abstract expressionist painter, sculptor, illustrator and teacher. His works feature natural forms, especially the human form, and tend towar...

A really striking and original work by mid century Modern British artist, Ewart Johns (1923 - 2013). This eye-catching piece depicted in contrasting yellows and blues was executed i...

This mythological abstract portrait, 'Blue Deity', uses rich shades of blue to contrast with the white pastel against the paper. The figure wears an elaborate and exotic headdress, a...

Arthur Berridge (British, 1902-1957) Abstract forms, circa 1950 Pastel and black crayon 13.1/4 x 17.1/2 in. (33.7 x 44.4 cm.) Born in Leicester in 1902, Berridge attended Goldsmith...