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Period: 1940s
French school SENSATIONAL Alpine landscape, oil painting Signed
French school SENSATIONAL Alpine landscape, oil painting Signed

French school SENSATIONAL Alpine landscape, oil painting Signed

Located in Zofingen, AG

➡️ Alpine landscape with church⬅️ ⏩It is signed Pierre Dubreuil⏪ 1891-1970 ⭐Medium:⭐ Oil on wood / isorel ⭐Technique: ⭐Impasto painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:⭐29.7x4...

Category

Post-Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Oil, Stretcher Bars, Wood Panel

Original Blue Oil Painting Depicting Sunset over Lake Vättern from Vadstena
Original Blue Oil Painting Depicting Sunset over Lake Vättern from Vadstena

Original Blue Oil Painting Depicting Sunset over Lake Vättern from Vadstena

By Erik Tryggelin

Located in Stockholm, SE

Erik Tryggelin (1878–1962) Sweden View over Lake Vättern from Vadstena, 29–30 August 1943 signed and dated lower right oil on canvas laid on masonite unframed 15 × 20 cm (5.9 ...

Category

Post-Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Masonite, Oil

“Palm Trees Along Florida Coast, c. 1940” Jane Peterson Impressionist Palm Beach
“Palm Trees Along Florida Coast, c. 1940” Jane Peterson Impressionist Palm Beach

“Palm Trees Along Florida Coast, c. 1940” Jane Peterson Impressionist Palm Beach

By Jane Peterson

Located in Yardley, PA

A wonderful example of Peterson’s views of the Florida Coast during her winter trips down south. Painted during Peterson’s mature period, this lively work underscores the energy of ...

Category

American Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Central Park in Winter, 1949” Manhattan New York City Snow Day Sleds Children
“Central Park in Winter, 1949” Manhattan New York City Snow Day Sleds Children

“Central Park in Winter, 1949” Manhattan New York City Snow Day Sleds Children

Located in Yardley, PA

With a studied hand, Sloan captures the human theater of a snow-covered Central Park filled with bundled-up New Yorkers, sledding, walking, chatting, and caring for children. The exp...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Oil, Masonite

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Clothing & Accessories
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Clothing & Accessories

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Clothing & Accessories

Located in Chicago, IL

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring elegant designs for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/2 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for a Woman's Hat and Coat
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for a Woman's Hat and Coat

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for a Woman's Hat and Coat

Located in Chicago, IL

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's hat and coat. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches. Provenance:...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Designs for Women's Active Wear
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Designs for Women's Active Wear

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Designs for Women's Active Wear

Located in Chicago, IL

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring elegant designs for women's active wear by Hattie Carnegie. Inscription reads: Left - White jersey slack suit Red gaberdine jacke...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer
Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer

Girl with Braided Hair, Raphael Soyer

By Raphael Soyer

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Raphael Soyer (1899-1987) Title: Girl with Braided Hair Year: Circa 1947 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 12 x 9 inches; framed size, 19 x 16 inches Condition: Excellent Inscripti...

Category

American Realist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

An Introspective, Modern 1940s Portrait of a Seated Young Female Ballet Dancer
An Introspective, Modern 1940s Portrait of a Seated Young Female Ballet Dancer

An Introspective, Modern 1940s Portrait of a Seated Young Female Ballet Dancer

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A captivating, Modern 1940s portrait painting of a young female ballet dancer by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and expressive studio portrait of a ...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Early Mexican City Scene by Chicago Artist Francis Chapin, San Miguel de Allende
Early Mexican City Scene by Chicago Artist Francis Chapin, San Miguel de Allende

Early Mexican City Scene by Chicago Artist Francis Chapin, San Miguel de Allende

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A charming, vibrant, early Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a quiet, picturesque view of the rooftops and cathedral...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

A Quiet, Sunlit 1940s Vintage Mexican City Scene, Archway, San Miguel de Allende
A Quiet, Sunlit 1940s Vintage Mexican City Scene, Archway, San Miguel de Allende

A Quiet, Sunlit 1940s Vintage Mexican City Scene, Archway, San Miguel de Allende

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A quiet, sunlit, vintage 1940s Mexican city street scene (Archway) by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a picturesque view of a colorful plaza ar...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

1940's Americana WPA Modernist Watercolor Painting Catskill Mountains Bungalow
1940's Americana WPA Modernist Watercolor Painting Catskill Mountains Bungalow

1940's Americana WPA Modernist Watercolor Painting Catskill Mountains Bungalow

By Samuel Grunvald

Located in Surfside, FL

Bungalow (fauvist painting of New York scene) 1940's. image is 10X 11.5 inches. Hand signed lower right Watercolor painting on paper board Country Scene Samuel Grunvald was a Hunga...

Category

Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Paper, Board

Le Quai du Louvre - Impressionist Figures in Landscape Oil by Edouard Cortes
Le Quai du Louvre - Impressionist Figures in Landscape Oil by Edouard Cortes

Le Quai du Louvre - Impressionist Figures in Landscape Oil by Edouard Cortes

By Édouard Leon Cortès

Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Signed impressionist oil on canvas board figures in cityscape circa 1940 by sought after French painter Edouard Cortes. The work depicts a bustling evening street scene at the quay b...

Category

Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Parisians Strolling in The Park, Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1940s
Parisians Strolling in The Park, Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1940s

Parisians Strolling in The Park, Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1940s

Located in Douglas Manor, NY

6069 Oil on canvas of Parisians strolling in the park set in a period frame Image size 22.5x27.5"

Category

1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Champ, 1942" Joe Louis "Brown Bomber" Boxer Portrait Ex-Museum Oil Signed
"The Champ, 1942" Joe Louis "Brown Bomber" Boxer Portrait Ex-Museum Oil Signed

"The Champ, 1942" Joe Louis "Brown Bomber" Boxer Portrait Ex-Museum Oil Signed

Located in Yardley, PA

“The Champ, 1942” by Theodore Fried (1902-1980) This important portrait by Hungarian-American artist Theodore Fried depicts the legendary boxer Joe Louis aka “The Brown Bomber” and ...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

A Scenic 1940s Modern Summer Harbor Scene of Saugatuck, Michigan- Francis Chapin
A Scenic 1940s Modern Summer Harbor Scene of Saugatuck, Michigan- Francis Chapin

A Scenic 1940s Modern Summer Harbor Scene of Saugatuck, Michigan- Francis Chapin

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A scenic, colorful Modern 1930s summer harbor scene of Saugatuck, Michigan by notable Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. Depicting a lively summer harbor view of the historic S...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of a Clown at Circus (Ashcan School Artist)
Portrait of a Clown at Circus (Ashcan School Artist)

Portrait of a Clown at Circus (Ashcan School Artist)

By Everett Shinn

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Everett Shinn (1873-1953). Portrait of a Clown in Circus, 1947. Pencil. color pencil, gouache on paper. Sheet measures 8 x 10 inches. Framed measurement: 13 x 15 inches. Signed...

Category

Ashcan School 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Pencil, Color Pencil

Rabbit Hunters
Rabbit Hunters

Rabbit Hunters

By Roger Medearis

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Rabbit Hunters, egg tempera on Masonite, 12 x 9 inches, 1947, signed and dated lower left, signed, titled and dated verso “Rabbit Hunters Egg Tempera Roger Medearis 1947,” exhibited at Medearis' solo show at Kende Galleries, New York, in 1949 (Medearis’ record book, a copy of which is held by Vose Galleries in Boston, MA, indicates this is painting “No. 23” and that is was completed in 1947 and sold via Kende Galleries (at Gimbel Brothers...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Board

1940 Large Portrait of a Woman, Kae Dorn Cass, by Cleveland School Artist
1940 Large Portrait of a Woman, Kae Dorn Cass, by Cleveland School Artist

1940 Large Portrait of a Woman, Kae Dorn Cass, by Cleveland School Artist

By Rolf Stoll

Located in Beachwood, OH

Rolf Stoll (American, 1892-1978) Kae Dorn Cass, 1940 Oil on canvas Signed upper right 32 x 25 inches 38 x 31 inches, framed Exhibited: The 27th Annual May Show, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1940 This work won first prize for oil painting- Portrait category Provenance: Collection of Kae Dorn Cass's niece Kae Dorn Cass Rolf Stoll Rolf Stoll, a painter of figure subjects, landscapes and floral still lifes, was an important member of the Cleveland art scene during the second quarter of the century. He was also an influential teacher, as well as one of Ohio’s foremost portrait painters. Rolf Stoll was born in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1892. As a boy, he attended a military academy, during which time he developed an interest in art. He received his early formal training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. He emigrated to the United States in 1912, settling in New York City. A decade later, after studying at the school of the National Academy of Design and supporting himself by working as a commercial artist, Stoll decided to leave New York. Upon the recommendation of Warren Pryor, one of his teachers, he decided to move to Cleveland, Ohio. After arriving in Cleveland, Rolf Stoll continued to work as a commercial artist. However, in 1926, he joined the faculty of the Cleveland School of Art, where he taught drawing. Two years later Stoll was appointed head of the school’s portrait painting department. A talented portraitist, Stoll’s sitters included industrialists, community leaders and many prominent members of Cleveland and Ohio society, as well as over twenty faculty members from Case Western Reserve University. Stoll also gave portrait classes at the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute from 1926 to 1953. In his male portraits especially, he was admired for his ability to convey the dignity of his sitter’s professional position without sacrificing individuality. As noted by one contemporary reviewer, Stoll was a “master of rich color, a searching student of human types, a forceful portrayer of all that the face reveals of the mind and the soul.” In addition to his activity as a portraitist, Rolf Stoll painted figure subjects and floral still lifes. He was also known for his views of the Ohio countryside...

Category

1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Hortense (Ballerina) /// Impressionism Degas French Ballet Renoir Figurative Art
Hortense (Ballerina) /// Impressionism Degas French Ballet Renoir Figurative Art

Hortense (Ballerina) /// Impressionism Degas French Ballet Renoir Figurative Art

By Pal Fried

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Pál Fried (Hungarian, 1893-1976) Title: "Hortense (Ballerina)" *Signed by Fried lower left Circa: 1940 Medium: Original Oil Painting on Canvas Framing: Framed in a light gold...

Category

Art Deco 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil

"Hyannis Pond" John F. Carlson, Massachusetts American Impressionist Landscape
"Hyannis Pond" John F. Carlson, Massachusetts American Impressionist Landscape

"Hyannis Pond" John F. Carlson, Massachusetts American Impressionist Landscape

By John F. Carlson

Located in New York, NY

John F. Carlson Hyannis Pond, 1940 Signed lower left Oil on board 16 x 20 inches Provenance Vose Galleries Private Collection, New Jersey The native Swede John Fabian Carlson beca...

Category

American Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

The Red-haired Woman
The Red-haired Woman

The Red-haired Woman

By Louis Berthomme Saint-Andre

Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR

Oil on canvas by Louis BERTHOMME SAINT-ANDRE, France, 1940s. Young Red-haired Woman. with frame: 74x63 cm - 29.1x24.8 inches ; without frame: 61x50 cm - 24x19.7 inches. Format 12F. ...

Category

Neo-Expressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Can Can Girls”
“Can Can Girls”

“Can Can Girls”

Located in Southampton, NY

Original oil on wooden panel painting of a lively interior scene composed of two colorfully dressed can can girls preforming in front of a packed house of interested spectators. Signed lower left “N. Barerra”. Circa 1945. Condition is very good. Recently professionally cleaned and varnished. The painting is housed in a new custom gold leaf frame. Overall framed measurements are 16.5 by 19.5 inches. Provenance: A Bellport, Long Island collector. Nicolas Barerra is a painter born in Russia, now Ukraine in 1919. He studied at the Leningrad Academy of Fine Arts. He was a war correspondent and published drawings for American newspapers. After the war, he settled in Marseille where he worked as an illustrator and made a living from the sale of his paintings. He was a friend of Albert Camus and Patricia...

Category

Post-Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Woman in a Red Dress

Woman in a Red Dress

By Béla Czóbel

Located in Chicago, IL

In an article published in Le Figaro (Paris, March 19, 1964), Raymond Cogniat comments on Czóbel’s unique artistic style. He writes: “...Czóbel, who arrived Paris in the first years...

Category

Expressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Women Seated in Garden "Femmos Restant" New Hope Pennsylvania Artist Edna Gass
Women Seated in Garden "Femmos Restant" New Hope Pennsylvania Artist Edna Gass

Women Seated in Garden "Femmos Restant" New Hope Pennsylvania Artist Edna Gass

By Edna Gass

Located in Soquel, CA

Women Seated in Garden "Femmos Restant" New Hope Pennsylvania Artist Edna Gass Women Seated in the Garden 'Femmos Restant" by New Hope Artist Edna Gass (American, 1904–1993). Image, ...

Category

Post-Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Lounge Wear & Pajamas
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Lounge Wear & Pajamas

A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Lounge Wear & Pajamas

Located in Chicago, IL

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring a colorful design for women's lounge wear & pajamas. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches. Prov...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Same Old Story (Brooklyn Dodgers & St. Louis Cardinals Illustration)
Same Old Story (Brooklyn Dodgers & St. Louis Cardinals Illustration)

Same Old Story (Brooklyn Dodgers & St. Louis Cardinals Illustration)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Bill Crawford (1913-1982). Original illustration artwork depicting teams as they advance to the World Series. Depicted are representations of the St. Louis Cardinals and The Brooklyn...

Category

Realist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Gouache, Pencil

Grotesque Expressionist Figural Scene Paris Symbolist Spanish Oil Painting 1940s
Grotesque Expressionist Figural Scene Paris Symbolist Spanish Oil Painting 1940s

Grotesque Expressionist Figural Scene Paris Symbolist Spanish Oil Painting 1940s

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Grotesque Expressionist Figural Scene Paris 1946 Symbolist Spanish Oil Painting Artist: Daniel Sabater Salabert Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: 27 × 35 cm (10.6 × 13.8 in) Signature: Signed lower right Inscription: Paris 1946 (verso) Frame: Unframed Condition: Very good condition. Stable panel and original paint surface with age-appropriate craquelure Origin: Spain / Paris Period: 1946 Striking grotesque expressionist figural composition depicting a group of caricatured characters gathered around an open book filled with coins, executed by Spanish painter Daniel Sabater Salabert and inscribed Paris 1946. The theatrical arrangement suggests a symbolic or moralizing narrative scene, a recurring theme within Sabater’s most personal production associated with psychological satire and fantastical figuration. The exaggerated physiognomies, distorted facial structures and compressed spatial composition reinforce the expressive tension typical of European grotesque painting...

Category

Symbolist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Flower Garden, Cape Cod, Mid-Century Cleveland School Painting
Flower Garden, Cape Cod, Mid-Century Cleveland School Painting

Flower Garden, Cape Cod, Mid-Century Cleveland School Painting

By Carl Frederick Gaertner

Located in Beachwood, OH

Carl Frederick Gaertner (American, 1898-1952) Flower Garden, Cape Cod, c. 1940s Gouache on illustration board 17.5 x 29 inches 27 x 39 inches, as framed Carl Gaertner was one of the greatest painters to emerge from the Cleveland School...

Category

American Realist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

"Portrait of a Seated Nude Woman" American Impressionist Painting Oil on Panel
"Portrait of a Seated Nude Woman" American Impressionist Painting Oil on Panel

"Portrait of a Seated Nude Woman" American Impressionist Painting Oil on Panel

By Robert Philipp

Located in New York, NY

A rare and breath taking work, with masterful bursh work and sublime execution of light. We are drawn to the subtle beauty and elegant pose. The tasteful compostion lends an intimate scene into the artists studio where Philip has captured her effortlessly. This piece comes displayed in a wonderful frame and hanging wire on verso. Art measures 24 x 20 inches Frame measures 30 x 26 inches Robert Philipp was born on February 2, 1895 in New York City. He was an American painter influenced by Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and known for his nudes, still lifes, and portraits of attractive women and Hollywood stars. Moses Solomon Philipp showed early talent and grew up in a family atmosphere that fed and cultivated his creativity. At age of 15, he entered the Art Students League for four years and then continued his training at the National Academy of Design. His teachers at the League included George Bridgeman and Frank DuMond, and at the National Academy he studied with Douglas Volk...

Category

American Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Deer Dance, painting by Tonita Pena, Santa Fe, Cochiti, Pueblo, male, female
Deer Dance, painting by Tonita Pena, Santa Fe, Cochiti, Pueblo, male, female

Deer Dance, painting by Tonita Pena, Santa Fe, Cochiti, Pueblo, male, female

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Deer Dance, painting by Tonita Pena, Santa Fe, Cochiti, Pueblo, male, female Tonita Peña (born 1893 in San Ildefonso, died 1949 in Kewa Pueblo, New Mexico) was born as Quah Ah (meaning white coral beads) but also used the name Tonita Vigil Peña and María Antonia Tonita Peña. Peña was a renowned Pueblo artist, specializing in pen and ink on paper embellished with watercolor. She was a well-known and influential Native American artist and art teacher of the early 1920s and 1930s. Tonita Peña was born on May 10, 1893, at San Ildefonso Pueblo, to Ascensión Vigil Peña and Natividad Peña of San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico. When she was 12, her mother and younger sister died, as a result of complications due to the flu. Her father was unable to care for her and she was taken to Cochití Pueblo and was brought up by her aunt Martina Vigil Montoya, a prominent Cochití Pueblo potter. Peña attended St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe. Edgar Lee Hewett, an anthropologist involved in supervising the nearby Frijoles Canyon excavations (now Bandelier National Monument) was instrumental in developing the careers of several San Ildefonso “self-taught” artists including Tonita Peña. Hewett purchased Peña's paintings for the Museum of New Mexico and supplied her with quality paint and paper. Peña began gaining more notoriety by the end of the 1910s selling an increasing amount of her work to collectors and the La Fonda Hotel. Much of this early work was done of Pueblo cultural subject matter, in a style inspired by historic Native American works, however, her use of an artist's easel and Western painting mediums gained her acceptance among her European-American contemporaries in the art world. At the age of 25, she exhibited her work at museums and galleries in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque area. In the early 1920s, Tonita did not know how much her painting sold for at the Museum of New Mexico, so she wrote letters to the administrators because a local farmer was worried that she got paid too little. In the 1930s Peña was an instructor at the Santa Fe Indian School and at the Albuquerque Indian School and the only woman painter of the San Ildefonso Self-Taught Group, which included such noted artists as Alfonso Roybal, Julian Martinez, Abel Sánchez (Oqwa Pi), Crecencio Martinez, and Encarnación Peña. As children, these artists attended San Ildefonso day school which was part of the institution of the Dawes Act of 1887, designed to indoctrinate and assimilate Native American children into mainstream American society. In 1931, Tonita Peña exhibited at the Exposition of Indian Tribal Arts which was presented at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City. Works from this exhibition were shown at the 1932 Venice Biennial. That year is the only time Native American artists have shown in the official United States pavilion at that biennial, and Tonita Peña's paintings were part of that exhibition.[1 Her painting Basket Dance, that had shown in the Venice Biennial was acquired by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York for $225. This was the highest price paid up to this time for a Pueblo painting...

Category

Tribal 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper

French school Luminous Landscape with water mill, oil painting Signed
French school Luminous Landscape with water mill, oil painting Signed

French school Luminous Landscape with water mill, oil painting Signed

Located in Zofingen, AG

➡️ Luminous Landscape with Water mill⬅️ ⏩It is signed J Weakaes⏪ ⭐Medium:⭐ Oil on canvas ⭐Technique: ⭐Impasto painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:⭐48x36cm / 18.9x 14.2inc...

Category

Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Oil, Stretcher Bars, Canvas

'Sketching Wisconsin' original oil painting, Signed
'Sketching Wisconsin' original oil painting, Signed

'Sketching Wisconsin' original oil painting, Signed

By John Steuart Curry

Located in Milwaukee, WI

John Steuart Curry "Sketching Wisconsin," 1946 oil on canvas 31.13 x 28 inches, canvas 39.75 x 36.75 x 2.5 inches, frame Signed and dated lower right Overall excellent condition Presented in a 24-karat gold leaf hand-carved wood frame John Steuart Curry (1897-1946) was an American regionalist painter active during the Great Depression and into World War II. He was born in Kansas on his family’s farm but went on to study art in Chicago, Paris and New York as young man. In Paris, he was exposed to the work of masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Eugène Delacroix and Jacques-Louis David. As he matured, his work showed the influence of these masters, especially in his compositional decisions. Like the two other Midwestern regionalist artists that are most often grouped with him, Grant Wood (American, 1891-1942) and Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975), Curry was interested in representational works containing distinctly American subject matter. This was contrary to the popular art at the time, which was moving closer and closer to abstraction and individual expression. Sketching Wisconsin is an oil painting completed in 1946, the last year of John Steuart Curry’s life, during which time he was the artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The painting is significant in Curry’s body of work both as a very revealing self-portrait, and as a landscape that clearly and sensitively depicts the scenery of southern Wisconsin near Madison. It is also a portrait of the artist’s second wife, Kathleen Gould Curry, and is unique in that it contains a ‘picture within a picture,’ a compositional element that many early painting masters used to draw the eye of the viewer. This particular artwork adds a new twist to this theme: Curry’s wife is creating essentially the same painting the viewer is looking at when viewing Sketching Wisconsin. The triangular composition of the figures in the foreground immediately brings focus to a younger Curry, whose head penetrates the horizon line and whose gaze looks out towards the viewer. The eye then moves down to Mrs. Curry, who, seated on a folding stool and with her hand raised to paint the canvas on the easel before her, anchors the triangular composition. The shape is repeated in the legs of the stool and the easel. Behind the two figures, stripes of furrowed fields fall away gently down the hillside to a farmstead and small lake below. Beyond the lake, patches of field and forest rise and fall into the distance, and eventually give way to blue hills. Here, Curry has subverted the traditional artist’s self-portrait by portraying himself as a farmer first and an artist second. He rejects what he sees as an elitist art world of the East Coast and Europe. In this self-portrait he depicts himself without any pretense or the instruments of his profession and with a red tractor standing in the field behind him as if he was taking a break from the field work. Here, Curry’s wife symbolizes John Steuart Curry’s identity as an artist. Compared with a self-portrait of the artist completed a decade earlier, this work shows a marked departure from how the artist previously presented and viewed himself. In the earlier portrait, Curry depicted himself in the studio with brushes in hand, and with some of his more recognizable and successful canvases behind him. But in Sketching Wisconsin, Curry has taken himself out of the studio and into the field, indicating a shift in the artist’s self-conception. Sketching Wisconsin’s rural subject also expresses Curry’s populist ideals, that art could be relevant to anyone. This followed the broad educational objectives of UW’s artist-in-residence program. Curry was appointed to his position at the University of Wisconsin in 1937 and was the first person to hold any such position in the country, the purpose of which was to serve as an educational resource to the people of the state. He embraced his role at the University with zeal and not only opened the doors of his campus studio in the School of Agriculture to the community, but also spent a great deal of time traveling around the state of Wisconsin to visit rural artists who could benefit from his expertise. It was during his ten years in the program that Curry was able to put into practice his belief that art should be meaningful to the rural populace. However, during this time he also struggled with public criticism, as the dominant forces of the art market were moving away from representation. Perhaps it was Curry’s desire for public acceptance during the latter part of his career that caused him to portray himself as an Everyman in Sketching Wisconsin. Beyond its importance as a portrait of the artist, Sketching Wisconsin is also a detailed and sensitive landscape that shows us Curry’s deep personal connection to his environment. The landscape here can be compared to Wisconsin Landscape of 1938-39 (the Metropolitan Museum of Art), which presents a similar tableau of rolling hills with a patchwork of fields. Like Wisconsin Landscape, this is an incredibly detailed and expressive depiction of a place close to the artist’s heart. This expressive landscape is certainly the result of many hours spent sketching people, animals, weather conditions and topography of Wisconsin as Curry traveled around the state. The backdrop of undulating hills and the sweeping horizon, and the emotions evoked by it, are emphatically recognizable as the ‘driftless’ area of south-central Wisconsin. But while the Metropolitan’s Wisconsin Landscape conveys a sense of uncertainty or foreboding with its dramatic spring cloudscape and alternating bands of light and dark, Sketching Wisconsin has a warm and reflective mood. The colors of the foliage indicate that it is late summer and Curry seems to look out at the viewer approvingly, as if satisfied with the fertile ground surrounding him. The landscape in Sketching Wisconsin is also revealing of what became one of Curry’s passions while artist-in-residence at UW’s School of Agriculture – soil conservation. When Curry was a child in Kansas, he saw his father almost lose his farm and its soil to the erosion of The Dust Bowl. Therefore, he was very enthusiastic about ideas from UW’s School of Agriculture on soil conservation methods being used on Wisconsin farms. In Sketching Wisconsin, we see evidence of crop rotation methods in the terraced stripes of fields leading down the hillside away from the Curry’s and in how they alternate between cultivated and fallow fields. Overall, Sketching Wisconsin has a warm, reflective, and comfortably pastoral atmosphere, and the perceived shift in Curry’s self-image that is evident in the portrait is a positive one. After his rise to favor in the art world in the 1930’s, and then rejection from it due to the strong beliefs presented in his art, Curry is satisfied and proud to be farmer in this self-portrait. Curry suffered from high blood...

Category

American Realist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Women's City Club, Youngstown, Ohio.  American Historical Scene Painting.
Women's City Club, Youngstown, Ohio.  American Historical Scene Painting.

Women's City Club, Youngstown, Ohio. American Historical Scene Painting.

Located in Marco Island, FL

An accomplished American Scene painter, Clyde Singer successfully captured everyday life during his long career. A unique aspect of American life is depicted in this painting, entitl...

Category

American Realist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"St. Michael’s in Brooklyn", New York City Street Scene, Cityscape, Brick Church
"St. Michael’s in Brooklyn", New York City Street Scene, Cityscape, Brick Church

"St. Michael’s in Brooklyn", New York City Street Scene, Cityscape, Brick Church

By Ernest Fiene

Located in Yardley, PA

“St. Michael’s in Brooklyn, c. 1944” by Ernest Fiene (1894-1965) New York City served as an endless source of inspiration for Fiene, who often captured street scenes like this one i...

Category

American Modern 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

View of Stockholm from Västerbron, 1943
View of Stockholm from Västerbron, 1943

View of Stockholm from Västerbron, 1943

Located in Stockholm, SE

Gabriel Strandberg (1885–1966) Sweden View of Stockholm from Västerbron, 1943 signed and dated lower left oil on board unframed 36.5 × 55 cm (14.4 × 21.7 in) framed 46.5 × 65 cm (1...

Category

Post-Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

The Grand Canyon, vibrant mid-20th century western landscape
The Grand Canyon, vibrant mid-20th century western landscape

The Grand Canyon, vibrant mid-20th century western landscape

By Andreas Roth

Located in Beachwood, OH

Andreas Roth (American, 1871-1949) Grand Canyon, 1943 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 24 x 34 inches 29.5 x 39 inches, framed Andreas Roth was a German painter. Son of th...

Category

1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Quiet Afternoon in Cotswold Village - Mid Century Figurative Landscape
Quiet Afternoon in Cotswold Village - Mid Century Figurative Landscape

Quiet Afternoon in Cotswold Village - Mid Century Figurative Landscape

By David L. Ghilchik

Located in Soquel, CA

Beautiful mid century figurative landscape of a contemplative woman in Cotswold village, England by David L. Ghilchik (b. 1892 Romania; d. 1972 London), c.1945. Signed lower right ...

Category

Impressionist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

"High School Dance" WPA Mid-20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism
"High School Dance" WPA Mid-20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism

"High School Dance" WPA Mid-20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism

Located in New York, NY

"High School Dance" WPA Mid-20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Heusing (20th Century) "High School Dance" 27 x 32 inches Oil on canvas Signed and dated '47 Lower Righ...

Category

American Realist 1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique Oil Painting Victorian Family Beach Outing
Antique Oil Painting Victorian Family Beach Outing

Antique Oil Painting Victorian Family Beach Outing

Located in Douglas Manor, NY

6072 Victorian famaily beach outing signed Period frame Image size 13.5x27.5"

Category

1940s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil