Wood Figurative Paintings

Vibrant depiction of a group of bathers in a lush, colorful forest of fauvist invention by California artist Don Klopfer (1920-2009). The stylized nude fig...

An image of a horned devil with pointy claws and bat-like wings emerges from a Voodoo drum. He has with arms stretched out like a Christ figure. The drum grows out of a yellow plant-...

"Back Road" California Redwoods Santa Cruz County original Oil Painting Oil painting of the California Redwoods by Gorman Woody (American, 1907-2000). the scene is a country road ...

Robots, or "Strange Self-Sufficient Machine" by Giuliano Ghelli ( Florence, 1944- 2014, Chianti). Painting in a wooden frame with glass. Oil on canv...

Mission San Juan Bautista, 1971 - Original Oil Painting Oil painting of Mission San Juan Bautista by Gorman Woody (American, 1907-2000). The viewer l...

Still life with red flowers is an artwork realized by Claude Decamps, mid-20th Century. Oil on canvas.  25 x 20 cm. Hand signed in red in lower margin. Good conditions!

Here for your consideration is a very well executed oil on masonite original painting by the Italian artist, Mario Poggiali. Signed lower right. Circa 1970. Gallery label and certi...

In a 1971 interview with Ebony Magazine, Alvin Hollinsworth commented on his African Jesus Christ painting, "I have always felt that Christ was a Blac...

Ship and Boathouse - Coastal Landscape in Oil on Masonite Dramatic depiction of a ship and house by unknown artist "Jensen" (20th Century). A white and blue boat is tied up to a pos...

A young man at a crowded upper-class Haitian swimming pool attracts attention. We see him only from the back in a Magritte like pose. Transfixed expressions of some of the nubile bare-breasted bathing beauties and one man with his hands down his pants give us a clue that the mystery man is special. This is a fascinating work packed with drama and overflowing with pent-up emotion.
Bigaud's narrative is as complex as his figural composition of lookers and swimmers. Notice the sight lines of the lookers go back to front while the two swimmers go from left to right. The twenty-two figures are contained in the rectangular shape of the pool, which is pushed to the front of the picture plane. The cars of the pool partygoers are seen in the background with one witness. He is fully clothed and is most likely a chauffeur. The fully clothed female at the pool offering food is a servant. A boxy-looking radio with a pack of cigarettes and the style of the cars give glue to the date. Most Haitian art depicts average working people. The pool party departs from that tradition and shows life of the Haitian upper class. Most likely, this was painted in Petion-Ville. The higher the elevation in Port-au-Prince the more wealthy the homes. Although the artist's painting technique may be described as naive or lacking polish.
It's one of the reasons why the work radiates charm and interest. The painting is oversized with huge dimensions of 55 x 48 and will be a statement in any room. Wilson Bigaud is considered to be a Haitian master. The condition is good. Three repaired one-inch issues on the extreme center and upper right edge. Visible only on close inspection. Otherwise presents very well and is elegantly framed, ______________________________________ Haitian master Wilson Bigaud is renowned for works portraying everyday life and rites of passage—vodou rituals, fortune-tellers, weddings, cockfights, and carnivals—with voluminous figures and lucid colors. Born in Port-au-Prince, in 1946 Bigaud was among the first to attend DeWitt Peters’s Le Centre d’Art d’Haïti, where he studied with Hector Hyppolite...

Harry Dunn (1929-1998). Island People, ca. 1970. Oil on masonite panel, 18 x 30 inches; 24 x 36 inches framed. Signed lower right. Excellent condition. Du...

The dancing couple with a seated lady is painted entirely in the style of New Objectivity. The seated lady in the foreground is depicted extremely frontally and looks directly out of...

L'hymne du Roi David (King David's Dream) Oil on wood by Marc Chagall c late 70's Comes with Numbered and Verified Certificate of Authenticity from Comite C...

Figuration and abstraction meet in this energized quick portrait of an athletic boy with headband and resting on a bench, Most likely done for a magazine like Sports Illustrated - Si...

Act in pink. 1970. Oil on plywood, 78x52 cm Composition with woman act in pink color

Sculpture art using Ping Pong balls and color markers by Roger Coast (American, 20th Century), circa 1970's. Size 11"H x 11"W, x .5"D lacquer ping-pon...

Whimsical wood assemblage/sculpture of a cat and man looking out a window with reclaimed shutters by Daniel Albert Harris (Hungarian/American, 1914-1984), circa 1970. Signed lower center below shutter "ZEV". Purchased as part of a collection of his works. Size: 48"H x 32"W x 5.25"D. By listed artist Daniel Albert Harris (Hungarian/American, 1914-1984) who adopted the name of Zev, which means 'Wolf' in Hungarian. Born Daniel Harris and adopting the name of Zev, he studied at the Masters Institute of the Roerich Museum in Hungary, in New York City at the National Academy of Design, and at New York University, where he also taught for two years. His artistic talents were discovered by Grace McCann Morley of California in the early 1940's, and she invited him to exhibit in the Abstract & Surrealist Art in America exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1944. Zev built a fantasy structure in Big Sur, California called "Crazy Crescent" which has since been condemned by city officials. He also illustrated Eugene Walter's book Singerie-Songerie, a version of Hamlet for monkeys. Harris changed his name to ZEV, which means 'wolf' in Hungarian, when he moved to Europe in 1953. He first went to Paris, then Spain where he created huge sculptures for a villa in Spain, and then Rome where he died in 1984. SOLO EXHIBITIONS San Francisco Museum of Art, 1947 Pinacotheca Gallery (Rose Fried...

Wonderful monotone figurative of clown wearing a top hat with a parrot by Alice Jean Small (American 1918-2009), c. 1970. Signed lower edge. Condition: Good; some wear around edges consistent with age/use; frame is rustic and shows minor age. Image size: 28"H x 22"W. Alice Jean Small was a trained artist, graduating from the University of Washington School of Fine Arts with a Master's Degree. She continued her studies, traveling around the world and settling in California's Monterey Peninsula. Alice Jean Small was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, on December 11, 1918. She studied art at the Derbyshire School of Art and she went on to obtain a Master of Fine Arts Degree in water color from the University of Washington School of Fine Arts. Following her graduation, she studied at many universities in both the United States as well as foreign countries, learning from artists such as Amedee Ozenfant, Emilio...

This mixed media painting on masonite is a portrait of a Renaissance figure. The background is a light taupe color with a delineated profile of the face. The signature is on the front, bordering the figure's cape. The work is sold framed. Although the painting itself is in marvelous condition, the original wood frame has some slight imperfections on the top and sides, as pictured. Mario Martin del...

Vivid and evocative feminist abstract expressionist figurative painting of woman and the many facets of her life, represented by multiple female figures engaged in various activities throughout the chaotic and colorful abstract expressionist canvas, by Audrey E. Gabrielson (American, 1932-2018), 1976. Verso has an abstract portrait with signature. Unframed. Image size: 29.75"H x 31.50"W Audrey Gabrielson was an artist, poetess, sculptor, whom lived in San Francisco. She was born in Canada in 1932 and drew, colored, modeled in clay when very young. She studied at Reed College, Portland, studying with famous West Coast artist, Louis Bunce. in San Francisco she painted with artists Cucaro, Alexander E. Anderson, and Raymond Howell. She had shown in North Beach, Modesto, Gualuala Hotel, Sausalito, Abbey Party Rents (S.F.) and many more. She had ongoing exhibits at Alberta Art, Red Deer and Uglies, Lacombe. Her art was collected by national and international collectors such as authors C.Y. Lee (“Flower Drum Song”), Alfred Coppel (“34 East”); musical promoter, Ilka Pardinas, FLY, Los Angeles. Additionally, she worked in bronze, studying under S.F. sculptor C.B. Johnson. Her art was influenced and inspired by German Expressionists, Van Gogh, Lautrec, Picasso, Klimpt, Schiele, Tamayo, Conners, Park – and many more. Obituary: Born in Alberta, Canada, Audrey passed away at her home in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood, surrounded by loved ones. Gabrielson was an artist, poet, sculptor, photographer, muse and an integral part of the San Francisco art scene of the late 1950s to late 1970s. She was a friend and contemporary of artists such as Benny Bufano...

Baja California View, Vintage 1970's Coastal Landscape by E.C. Madison Wonderful landscape of Baja California by E.C. Madison (American, 20th Century), 1972. This sweeping coastal l...

Evocative modern figurative painting of a mother and family in a calming but somber palette by Rodrigo Ramirez Pimentel (Mexican, b. 1945), 1973. Imprimatura and impasto reveals artist's first take had mother looking out at world (can be seen when viewed at side angle) with artist ultimately deciding to have mother looking down at what she's carrying with family behind her and one figure looking like angel of death. Signed and dated "R. P. -73" lower right corner. Unframed. Image size: 36"H x 24"W. Born in Zináparo, Michoacán in 1945, Rodrigo Pimentel is one of the most talented Michoacan artists whose career is well known to many specialists in Mexican art. His work is part of the Permanent Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City and other important collections in Mexico and the world. Rodrigo Pimentel studied at the ENAP, and became a pupil of several teachers who were still struggling for classical academic education: Santos Balmori, Francisco Moreno Capdevila...

Procession with elephant, expressionist style oil painting, signed and dated. George Russin was born in New York, he attended the High School of Music and Art to pursue both fields o...

Moody figurative abstract expressionist painting of a Victorian couple with an angel by artist David Rosen (American, 1912-2004), c. 1970. Signed "Rosen" lower right. Unframed. Image size: 30.25"H x 26.38"W. Born in 1912, Rosen grew up in Toronto, Canada before pursuing arts in the United States. Upon arriving, Rosen settled in New York City and attended the Cooper Union Art school in 1930. While participating in the Federal Arts Project, he worked for the program's mural department until 1941. He also worked with an artist collective, Siqueiros Art Workshop. There, Rosen met fellow FAP artist Jackson Pollack, and together, with artist Phillip Guston, they experimented with new painting techniques and mediums. Art movements are often reactions to the popular styles that precede them, and Abstract Expressionism applied a new and exciting method to Modern Art. Gradually, artists began to break away from an overly-studied, academic approach to painting and liberated their technique. During these workshops, Rosen was introduced to Pollack's groundbreaking "drip painting" before it changed the art world. As America became involved in World War II, the Federal Arts Project wound down, officially ending in 1942. Around this time, Rosen enlisted as a Merchant Seaman with the U.S Merchant Marines. During this time, he traveled to North Africa and Italy before concluding his service and moving to California where, in 1945, he devoted his full attention to building an art career. Within a couple of years, he landed a major exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1947, and his first one-man show, which opened to rave reviews, was held at Hollywood's Contemporary Art Gallery. The exhibition’s success led to mural commissions from Palm Springs' Hotel del Tahquitz, and he scored more solo shows at West Hollywood's Chabot Gallery. The early 1950s brought a surge of recognition for Rosen's career, and while his work was certainly still influenced by Abstract Expression, his painting style included elements of Surrealism, Figurative Art, and Cubism. Like his colleague Jackson Pollack, Rosen produced work inspired by drip painting; however, rather than splattering, his drips were the natural flow marks from painting freely without regard for "mistakes." Throughout Rosen's long career, he would acquire techniques from vastly different art styles which made for a varied, eclectic catalog of work. Rosen continued to build his California art career and settled at a Laguna Beach art colony in 1958. There, he entered his work in the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts and was the first painter to contribute Abstract Art to the event. Rosen would participate in the festival for the next fifteen years. A year after his move, in 1959, Rosen opened his first studio gallery and began a 12-year collaboration with the Laguna Playhouse. For the next two decades, Rosen participated in 17 art exhibitions and 20 solo shows, and received considerable critical praise. Rosen's themes were as varied as his evolving painting style, and one of his themes focused on classic characters like Shakespeare's Hamlet. Rosen's close-up portraits of historical and literary figures, illustrated by the piece To Be or Not to Be: Soliloquy From Hamlet, capture the essence of the characters while remaining loose with the painting and even adding a slight cartoon feel. His ongoing Hamlet series, as a complete collection, makes an impact with the diversity of technique. Unlike the loose style of some of his works, the painting Madaam... that he is mad is true is influenced by the structure of Cubism, the flat dimensions of Byzantine Art, and his utilization of mixed media. After Rosen's death in 2004, the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts sponsored an exhibition of his Hamlet paintings at the Wells Fargo Building gallery. Throughout Rosen's career, he amassed a great deal of critical, industry, and public praise for his work. His beloved town of Laguna Beach bestowed numerous awards that include the Laguna Beach Annual Art Gallery Award and Orange County's Annual Exhibit Award. Rosen's work flourished in California, and he received recognition from the San Diego County Fair, Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...

A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the Mid Century by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wond...

A nude portrait of a demure young lady seated on an antique couch in a library setting by Margaret Wherry Ziegler (American, 1909-1989). Signed with monogram "MWZ" top right, and on verso. Unframed. Image, 24"H x 12"L. Ziegler studied at Cincinnati Art Academy, Minneapolis Art...

Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - ) Title: Rabbi with Torah Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r. Size: 30 x 22.5 in. (76.2 x 57.15 cm) Frame Size: 38 x 31 i...

Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - ) Title: Rabbi 3 Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r. Size: 24 x 30 in. (60.96 x 76.2 cm) Frame Size: 34 x 39 inches

Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - ) Title: Rabbi with Torah Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r. Size: 36 x 24 in. (91.44 x 60.96 cm) Frame Size: 45 x 31 in...

Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - ) Title: Rabbi 3 Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r. Size: 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 60.96 cm) Frame Size: 38 x 31 inches