1940s Figurative Paintings

Work on canvas Molded plaster frame and gilded wood 56 x 70 x 6 cm

Oil Painting Portrait of Ashcan Artist John Sloan. Signed I. Holtz. The youngest of four children, Holtz was born and spent his early childhood in Skierniewice, Poland, a small town near Warsaw. His father was a hat maker and a furrier. In 1935, prior to World War II, when Holtz was ten years old, his family moved to Jerusalem, Israel, where they settled in the Geula neighborhood near Meah Shearim. Itzhak Holtz's passion for art began early. When he was five years old, in Poland, his father first drew a picture of a horse and sled in the snow for him. The young Holtz looked at the drawing and studied it in wonderment. From that moment on, Holtz remembers, he constantly begged his father to draw for him. His enthusiasm for art grew and Holtz longed to study art. In 1945, he enrolled at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, where he primarily studied lettering and poster work in a program geared toward commercial art Holtz became interested in painting, prompting him to move to New York City in 1950 to study at the Art Students League of New York under Robert Brackman and Harry Sternberg, and then at the National Academy of Design under Robert Philipp. Holtz has stated that his artwork, which primarily but not exclusively, depict scenes of Jewish spirituality and tradition, is driven by his Orthodox Jewish beliefs: "You have to live that religious life to fully capture it on canvas." He has been classified in the school of genre painting, often depicting street scenes of ordinary people in everyday Jewish life in the back alleys and markets of Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Me'ah Shearim and Geula; and in New York neighborhoods and hamlets such as Monsey, Boro Park and Williamsburg. Along with street scenes, his work includes portraits of scribes, tailors, cobblers and fishmongers, and images such as shtetls, lighthouses, and wedding scenes. He started out painting mostly portraits in order to support his family, before expanding to include street scenes. His beloved subject matter is painting scenes of Jewish life, his childhood memories when his mother took him along shopping for the Sabbath to the markets of Meah Shearim, has left a deep impression on him and influenced many of his works. Holtz has experimented in the abstract, but then reverted to representational and figurative art to which he devoted himself exclusively. His Israeli street scenes are said to combine “an affectionate recollection of the past with the brilliance of the color of modern Israel.” Holtz has stated that he struggled at first when he arrived to the USA because of financial reasons and because he only knew Polish, Yiddish and Hebrew, but then made good ties with his instructor who greatly influenced him Robert Philipp who helped him make friends and referred him to paint portraits. Examples of Holtz's work throughout the years include: Yerusalem Wedding (2010), depicting a Chuppa in Jerusalem on early evening, oil on canvas; The Funeral(1966), depicting five stoic Hasidim carrying a body on a bier over to a gravesite, with the people behind them crying, in charcoal on paper and oil on canvas; Rejoicing (1974), an image of religious men dancing, in felt pen and marker on paper; and the oil painting Shamash Learning in Shul (2003), a portrait of a pious Jew studying the Talmud inside a claustrophobic synagogue scene. Throughout the years Holtz has created hundreds of works in many art mediums, including, genre scenes, portraits, still lifes and landscape scenery, his works are sought after by art collectors worldwide, and he has been called the greatest living Jewish artist. It is said that no artist ever explored the Jewish subject like Holtz. Today some of his oil paintings have been commanding over $100,000. Holtz creates his scenes after researching locations, and often uses locals as models. He paints slowly and with great care, but with a swift Impressionistic style. The people in his portraits and scenes are generally more cheerful and optimistic than standard portraits of Hassidic individuals. He paints oils and watercolors, and also does felt pen, pastel, marker, ink and charcoal drawings, as well as woodcuts. His oil paintings typically have a brown hue, while his work with felt pen is often in sepia tones, and on some of his works he used very bright colors, with a strong emphasis on the interplay of light and shadow. He is heavily influenced by the ancient staircases and alleyways of Jerusalem, with its modest religious population, which has made a strong impression on him in his youth, the streets of Tzfat, and the works of Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer and Peter Bruegel, as well as Jewish artists Moritz Daniel Oppenheim...

Just discovered within an exceptional private west coast collection, the signature and inscription on this incredible small oil on paper, is at the moment, undecypherable, we are res...

"Union Square" NYC American Scene Social Realism Modernism WPA Mid-20th Century Agnes Hart (American, 1912-1979) "Union Square, New York City" Sight: 14 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches Gouache...

Spanish Beauty (Portrait of the Artist's Wife) Oil on canvas, c. 1940's Signed upper right "A.G. Warshawsky" (see photo) According to the daughter-in-law of the artist, this painting...

We are proud to present a recently discovered original abstract/figurative painting by American artist Robert McIntosh(1916-2010). "Three Friends" is an original mixed media painting on panel, signed, dated 1945-50, good original condition with a dimension of 12 x 10 inches, currently unframed. We are including a biography on American artist Robert McIntosh, please contact the gallery for additional information. Presenting a magnificent, early original pastel, "The Artist's Portrait", by American artist Robert McIntosh. "The Artist's Portrait", is an original pastel on artist's paper, signed, dated 1937, 13 x 9.75, currently unframed, the portrait was acquired directly from the personal collection of the artist. We have included the artist's biography below please contact the gallery for additional information, Robert McIntosh (1916-2010) Robert McIntosh was born on March 11, 1916 near San Francisco, in Vallejo, California, the second son of Harry and Jesusita Coronado McIntosh. He found his lifelong passion for painting by the time he was ten years old and never swayed from his calling. The family moved to Stockton when Robert was 12. Their home was just six blocks from the newly opened Haggin Museum, filled with a treasure trove of European and American paintings. He became particularly enamored with the fine examples of 19th century French pastoral landscapes. As teens, Robert and his brother Harrison befriended local painter Arthur Haddock who taught them the craft of art and brought them along on outdoor painting trips. Robert also became skilled at drawing portraits that captured the subject's personality. Soon, the sheer joy of expressing himself this way became a consuming interest. ​When not sketching, McIntosh would wander the stacks of books at the public library, discovering and studying the Masters - in particular, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Whistler. At a Gauguin exhibit at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, Robert discovered a "whole new world of color" and the importance of designing the space in the eternal rectangle. "I envision a frame around everything I see, "he admitted. "The artists' challenge is to put something meaningful, interesting or beautiful in that space." ​In 1934 McIntosh won a competition for a scholarship to the Art Center School of Design, the first award they ever bestowed. The entire family moved to Los Angeles and a new vista opened to the young artist, both visually and culturally. Robert began to take on portrait commissions and had exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Art, The Oakland Museum of Art and the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento. During the Great Depression, Robert began to work at Disney Studios painting backgrounds for such classics as "Fantasia". Ron Barbagallo, of Animation Art...

JJ Nowotny Untitled, 1944 (date partially obscured but appears to be '44) Oil on canvas 24 x 30 in. Framed: 31 x 37 x 2 in. Signed and dated lower right

American life is captured in this Clyde Singer painting, After the Shower (1949), where he depicts a woman walking down the street after a storm with her umbrella in hand. An accompl...

Les Guilleries. Original oil on canvas Casimiro Martínez Tarrassó, a painter known simply as Tarrassó. He was trained at the La Llotja School in Barcelona. He completed his studies i...

Nathan Hoffman The Beach Estate stamped on the reverse Oil on artist's board 10 1/4 x 14 inches Provenance: Estate of the artist Born in Russia, the s...

Charming painting of a mother and child. Very interesting early to mid 20th century oil on board. It is signed Muller. It could be a listed artist, but frankly there are too many Mu...

This serene subject, the Lambs' Creel relates to Minna Citron's mural project focusing on the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was such a new ...

Oil on masonite painting done in 1945 by Russian/American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed lower right and dated lower right, 1945. In original wood and gilt frame 37.5 by 31.5 inc...

Important, wonderful painting signed by the famous Italian artist Orazio Amato Portrait of young woman with landscape, oil on canvas signed This artwork, never before on the market...

A charming painting of a quaint lake at night with the moon reflecting on calm waters. Bearing an Albright Knox Art Gallery "Art Week" label from 1941 t...

Original oil on canvas painting by Nahum Tschacbasov of his daughter Sondra Tschacbasov (Sasha) at approximately the age of eleven or twelve. Signed lower left and dated 1942. Condition is very good. The painting has been relined. Sasha Tschacbasov later became the second wife of the famous American writer Saul Bellow...

Accompanied by certificate of authenticity for Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and painted circa 1955. Additional painting, verso, with old inscription by the artist's wife, Jan...

Outdoor View is an original painting in mixed media and oil realized in the 1940s by Caroline Hill (1935-1983). The artwork is hand-signed on the lower left. Good conditions. This...

Mid-century oil on masonite modern painting by the well known Russian/American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed top left and dated 1949. Titled verso. Condition is fair. Provenanc...

Original oil paintign on canvas. Hand signed and dated lower left by Henrik Kobor. Canvas size: 57 x 45.12 inches. Frame size: 62.75 x 50.75 inches Artwork is in overall excellen...

Wonderful French mid-20th-century portrait of a young girl holding her hand up. The artist was a highly talented painter in the Cubist style. He painted interiors, portraits, and la...

Lilac Nude is an original artwork realized by Maurice Rouzée in the 1940s. Tempera on paper. Hand-signed by the artist on the lower left margin. Good conditions, except for some smal...

Modernist oil painting done in miniature on a thick block of wood of a female nude in the artist’s studio. Signed lower left by the well known New York artist, Nicholas Takis...

This oil on canvas is signed and date in the upper left and measures 38" x 45.25" including the frame. Sam Uhrdin (Swedish School, 1886-1964). Sam Uhrdi...

Nicely painted mid century impressionist bather scene by John Edward Costigan (1888 - 1972). Oil on board. Framed. Signed verso.

Oil on canvas painting by the well known Russian/American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Done with a thick impasto paint the artist portrays the powerful yet colorful nature of the general...

Compelling oil painting of Temptation of St. Anthony by Piero Tamo (Swiss, 1899-1966). Tamo was a poet and a painter who worked in the realist style and ...

John Koch is a beloved American realist painter who depicted people in their everyday lives. Here we see a slightly different approach where he has put a painter out in a rural town...

Beautiful oil on mahogany panel painting of the bustling Port of Ostend in Belgium by Louis Clesse. Signed lower right and dated 1942. Titled verso and signed again by the artist ve...

Unframed Signed and dated lower left 1946

This is a oil on masonite painting by Nahum Tschacbasov done in 1946. Signed lower left and housed in a hand carved wood frame circa 1920. Overall size with frame is 40 x 33 inches.

Signed lower left: FANTUZZI. Archived in the General Catalogue of Eliano Fantuzzi, No. A-6, order number 15/76741. Very good conditions. This artwork is shipped from Italy. Under ex...

Oil on artist board signed and dated lower right featuring pool players playing a point match in the pool hall. Great WPA feel and texture impasto. Most likel...

Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed lower right.

Original watercolor on paper, signed in pencil.

Georges Schreiber (1904-1977) oil on canvas circus scene with Trapeze Artist. Measures 36"h x 24"w. Frame measures 41 1/4" H x 29" W. Signed and dated lower left Schreiber '48. Also ...

Artist: Alexander Raymond Katz, Hungarian / American (1895 - 1974) Title: Nude with Fruit Basket Year: circa 1949 Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: 48 x 33 in. (121.92 x 83.82 cm)

"Glassblowers" American Scene Social Realism Mid-20th Century New York City WPA Ernest Fiene (1894-1965) Glass Blowers 28 x 23 inches Oil on canvas board Signed and dated 1944 lower...

Swimmers and sun tanners at the local watering hole. Her birth name was Theresa Berney. At the time of her passing she was known as Theresa Loew. Birth place: Baltimore artist, blo...

Gustl Stark (1917 Mainz - 2009 ibid.), Small Nude, 1946. Oil on canvas, marouflaged, 54 x 25 cm (picture), 30 x 60 cm (frame), signed "Stark" top left, verso twice signed "Gustav Stark", inscribed by hand as "Small Nude" and dated by hand "1946". With label of the exhibition of the Bundeshaus Bonn from 1956. - Rubbed area in the lower third of the body, at the same level a retouch in the ochre background. I provisional frame. - Abstract Figurativity - About the artwork During the war, Gustl Stark suffered a particularly severe blow for an artist: he lost his right arm. Nevertheless, he continued to devote himself to art, and the painting, created in 1946, immediately after the end of the Nazi reign of terror, testifies to the dawn of a new era. At the same time, the work is a rare example of the artist's early figurative work, as Stark turned entirely to abstract painting as early as 1950. And even this painting is by no means purely figurative; rather, it already illustrates Stark's turn toward abstraction. We see a female nude, but one that remains faceless. This can be read symbolically and in relation to the immediate past epoch, which, in the face of horrors, silences and blinds - literally renders faceless. In this sense, the figure is positioned to 'look back'. But she does not look. While this meaning may resonate and make the painting an important work of the immediate postwar period, Gustl Stark is primarily concerned with something else here, namely art itself. The absence of the face leads to the body becoming something flat. Due to the de-individualization, we do not see a concrete person with his individual features, but a body surface. And indeed, the body is constructed through an extremely planar design. Even the contour lines that form the corporeality have a planar rather than a linear character, especially where they merge into shadow zones of almost the same color. And the surfaces themselves are not modeled. The incarnate parts do not show any plastic gradations; the corporeality is completely withdrawn into the plane, which is also true for the hair. In addition, there is no uniform background against which the figure could appear; rather, the area next to the hair is kept bluish, creating a succession of earth-toned colored areas, which again binds the figure to the surface. Last but not least, the flatness is also forced by the painting technique. Gustl Stark paints directly, a la prima, onto the coarse canvas, whereby the structure of the painting support remains visible in the picture, and in places - around the hair, for example - the canvas itself can be seen. This structural all-over lends the picture a certain flatness. Gustl Stark thus uses the very motif that stands for the corporeality of art par excellence - the female nude - to transform the spatiality of the traditional picture into a flatness characteristic of modern art. And yet, a strong impression of corporeality is created, without being produced by a painterly modeling of the body. The oscillation between flatness and corporeality creates the intense tension of this groundbreaking painting. In Gustl Stark's oeuvre, as a consequence of the abstraction we see here, the figurative is completely stripped away in a further step, which is also a loss when looking at this early key work. About the artist Gustl Stark was the son of a woodcarver and, after an apprenticeship as a decorative painter, attended the State School of Arts and Crafts in Mainz from 1936 to 1937. Although he was severely wounded in the war and lost his right arm, he studied at the Würzburg School of Painting and Drawing from 1943-1944 and then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg from 1944-1948. He won a state scholarship at the state art competition in Bad Ischl. Numerous study trips to Sylt, Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Holland and Belgium followed. Gustl Stark worked in Mainz and was the first artist there to focus on abstract painting. His work quickly gained international recognition, including the Salon Réaliés Nouvelles in Paris. From 1963-1970 he taught at the State University Institute for Art and Work Education in Mainz and from 1970-1975 at the Johannes Gutenberg University. Gustl Stark became particularly famous for his color embossed prints, for which he invented his own technique. Gustl Stark received numerous awards for his work. He received the Art Prize for Painting of the City of Mainz in 1962, the State Prize of Rhineland-Palatinate in 1984, and the Gutenberg Bust of the City of Mainz in 1987. Selected Bibliography Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts, Vierter Band, Leipzig 1958, S. 344. Hans H...

A very minimalist and elegant still life from a Master of the so called "Scuola Romana". It includes a beautiful gilded contemporary wooden frame. Exhibitions: Roberto Melli...

Artist: Ben Benn, Polish/American (1884 - 1983) Title: Boy with Doves Year: 1946 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated l.r. Size: 30 x 36 in. (76.2 x 91.44 cm) Benn Benn was a pio...

Oil on masonite Signed and dated, l.r. This painting is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. About the artist: Konrad Cramer grew up in Wurtzburg, Germany, and attended the Karlsruhe Academy. He was a member of Der Blaue Reiter...

Estate of Paul Roche, the Artist's partner. Unsigned. Duncan Grant was a British artist, designer and prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group. His father...

Russell Sambrook: 1891-1956. Well listed American illustrator with auction results as high as $23,900. This fantastic illustration is an oil on board. I believe this was used for an ...

"The Saint of the Flaming City" is an original oil painting on canvas by Raymond Breinin. It depicts a group of figures looking over an abstracted and green city as the colors of fire rage through the sky. The artist signed and dated the piece in the lower right. This painting was lent by the David Barnett Gallery to the Art Institute of Chicago for their 52nd Annual Exhibition. 30" x 40" art 39 3/4" x 49 3/4" frame Raymond Breinin, Russian/American painter & designer (1910-2000), was born in Vitebsk, Russia, where he commenced his art studies with Uri Pen (who was also the first teacher of Marc Chagall) and later attended the Vitebsk Academy of Art where Malevitch was the director. He came to the United States with his family in 1922. When he came to America he attended classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. A painter of murals for the WPA, he was invited to join the Downtown Gallery in New York City, one of the foremost galleries at the time, where he exhibited in one man shows and group shows over a period of 18 years. The winner of numerous major prizes at the Chicago Art Institute and other museums, he also won the $1000 purchase prize at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Artists for Victory" exhibition. He designed the sets and costumes for Anthony Tudor's ballet, "Undertow" produced by the American Ballet Theater. He executed commissions for "Life", "Fortune" and "Redbook" magazines, for the Capehart Corporation, Eli Lilly...

Le Cirque is a rare and most sought after image by the artist of the circus by collectors of Bombois. This painting shows the circus ring where the performers would perform, the audience of spectators, the ring master & the clown holding a bomb behind his back. It is a painting of GREAT detail. Bombois was a self taught artist and a strongman with the circus. Painting is in a 23 K. hand carved frame, linen mat & 23 K. gold leaf bevel & hand painted 23K. name plate. The painting & frame are in pristine condition. Photo certificate of Perls Gallery...

Eugenie Schein was both a dancer and an artist. Her artwork subjects revolved primarily around dancers and dancing, though she also captured everyday scenes in New York. Both Midto...

Shooting Gallery Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Abstract Realism Modern *William Kienbusch (1914 – 1980) Shooting Gallery, Sixth Avenue Post...

Abstract figurative painting on board. Carl Bredemier label on the reverse. Framed. Oil on board

An oil on board Judaic painting by modern artist Ben-Zion Weinman. It depicts a portrait in profile of an old Jew. The work is signed "Ben-Zion". Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw Reymont, as well as Hebrew literature, Ben-Zion wrote poetry and essays that, like his visual work, attempt to reveal the deep “connection between man and the divine, and between man and earth.” An emigrant from the Ukraine, he came to the US in 1920. He wrote fairy tales and poems in Hebrew under the name Benzion Weinman, but when he began painting he dropped his last name and hyphenated his first, saying an artist needed only one name. Ben-Zion was a founding member of “The Ten: An Independent Group” The Ten” a 1930’s avant...

"Parade" Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene WPA Regionalism Gerrit Van Sinclair (1890 – 1955) Parade 20 x 15 inches Oil on board, c. 1940s Signed lower right Fram...

Four women with puppets. 1947, paper, mixed media, 16.3x11 cm Adolfs Zardins (1890 08 II Riga, Latvia – 1967 07 II Jurmala, Latvia), painter. Only in 1990 his relatives give his art...

An ink drawing Judaic painting by modern artist Ben-Zion Weinman. It depicts a portrait of an old Jewish man. Coming over from Europe on a ship crossing. The work is signed "Ben-Zion". Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw Reymont, as well as Hebrew literature, Ben-Zion wrote poetry and essays that, like his visual work, attempt to reveal the deep “connection between man and the divine, and between man and earth.” An emigrant from the Ukraine, he came to the US in 1920. He wrote fairy tales and poems in Hebrew under the name Benzion Weinman, but when he began painting he dropped his last name and hyphenated his first, saying an artist needed only one name. In 1920 he settled in America, where he found little interest in his writing. He began teaching Hebrew to support himself and then in the early 1930s returned to painting. He used his art to comment on the rise of fascism in Europe, events he felt could not be adequately explored with words. Largely self-taught, Ben-Zion visited the museums of New York City to learn his new trade. His first painting on a large scale, Friday Evening (1933, Jewish Museum, New York), depicts a Sabbath dinner table as recalled from his family home. Ben-Zion supported himself by working odd jobs until the establishment of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Under the auspices of the wpa, Ben-Zion thrived and galleries began to show his work. In 1936, after his first one-man show at the Artists' Gallery in New York Ben-Zion was a founding member of “The Ten: An Independent Group” The Ten” a 1930’s...

Cubist gouache figural of a man wearing a sombrero and boots contrasted against a scumbled and dry-brush background of ochre, deep crimson red and umber. Signed lower left, "Jakobse...

red, odalisque,orange,yellow Giulio DA MILANO (Nizza, 1895 - Torino, 1990) Giulio Da Milano was a Giacomo Grosso's disciple and he was very close to the artists that used to patronize La Coupole de Montparnasse (from Kisling to Pascin, from Derain to Vlaminck). He is considered one of most representative exponents of the Turin’s artistic scene in the ‘30s-‘40s, close to the Gruppo dei Sei. His works can be found in the following museums: Turin, Modern Art Gallery...

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

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

Les Guilleries. Original acrylic canvas painting Casimiro Martínez Tarrassó, a painter known simply as Tarrassó. He was trained at the La Llotja School in Barcelona. He completed hi...

Lively acrylic painting in hues of blues depicts several campers enjoying their evening by French artist Sellés, circa 1950. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displaye...