1940s Figurative Paintings

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This superb Scottish theatrical oil painting is by noted female artist Doris Zinkeisen. Painted circa 1940 the setting is a theatrical scene with a lady in a peach dress with her bac...

A whimsical modernist painting depicting an old home on a dark and stormy night. Unsigned but with an important look and feel created by a talented hand.

Helena Malarewicz-Krajewska (born 14 July 1910 in Biecz , died May 7, 1998 in Warsaw) is a Polish painter, active advocate of socialist realism. Studied between 1928 and 1929 at the...

Italian painting from the first half of the 20th century. Framework oil on board depicting a wooded landscape with a character of good pictorial quality. Modern frame in carved and g...

From The British mandate Pre State of Israel Palestine Period. Eliahu Sigad (Eliyahu Sigard), painter, born 1901, Lithuania. Founder of Israeli Painters' Association. Educated in Europe. Prizes in Israel, Exhibitions in Israel and various countries of the world. Died 1975. Education Riga, architecture and drawing Colarossi Academy, Paris, France 1930 Grande Chaumiere, Paris, France Awards And Prizes 1938 Dizengoff Prize 1945-46, Dizengoff Prize 1945 Ramat Gan...

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...

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...

Deep tonal cubist style painting of the Crucifixion of Christ. Like traditional Crucifixion imagery, there are two figures on either side ...

Maurice Asselin (1882-1947) A bunch of flowers in a vase Signed upper left, numbered and dated 1942 on the back Oil on canvas 35 x 27 cm In good c...

Threshing 1940. Canvas, oil. 54.5x73.5 cm Artist painted scene of every day life of countryside people in working atmosphere - threshing and haying. There is captured two haystacks, tractor, barn, and people in working process. Information about artist...

WPA Mural Study 1940 American Scene Modern Social Realism Figurative Mid Century Michael Loew (1907-1985) Detail for Mural (Social Security Building Washington D.C.) 24 x 24 inches ...

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)

Overflight over the city. 1947, paper, mixed media, 23x20 cm Adolfs Zardins (1890 08 II Riga, Latvia – 1967 07 II Jurmala, Latvia), painter. Only in 1990 his relatives give his arti...

"Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed - work is unframed. - Riggs was a Gay Artist.

"Birth" is a striking semi-abstract watercolor painting created by the talented Colorado artist, Charles Ragland Bunnell, in 1943. The artwork, crafted during Bunnell's Black and Blu...

Baron Michael D`Aguilar was born on May 15, 1922 in London to Spanish parents. He was brother of the artist Paul D`Aguilar. He spent much of his early life in Spain. He studied at...

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...

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...

Cover Illustration for Complete Northwest magazine, April 1940 Exhibitions: It's a Man's World, Illustration Art by and for Men: November 14-17 2012, Illustration House NYC

“Graduation Day” is emblematic of mid-century American Illustration. But the real story of this storytelling work is that it embodies the lost art of portrait painting and graphic design. Alex Ross borrows on the classical tradition and flaunts his skills as a narrative painter. In “Graduation Day”, he paints a complex composition involving at least thirteen portraits. The subjects are beautifully rendered and lit. They are set against a dark grey background and jump off the surface at the viewer. The composition is complexly designed. The future graduate in the red jacket engaging with a girl photographer is a compositional device that leads the viewer's eye to the main subject - a father congratulating his son on graduating from medical school. Creating art that relies on facial expressions and body gestures is a talent absent in contemporary art. Why? It’s very hard to do and takes years and training and practice to get it right. Despite Alex Ross's folksy subject matter, this work is a high example of naturalism and representation by an important member of the Golden Age of American Illustration. Signed lower right Born in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, Alexander Sharpe Ross (1908-1990) moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1911. After attending Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), Ross moved to New York and joined the Charles E. Cooper Studio, where he worked among such notable illustrators as Ward Brackett, Stevan Dohanos, J. Frederick Smith...

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...

Magazine story illustration for part four of “Black Jack” by Robert E. Pinkerton, published in The Saturday Evening Post, December 11, 1943, page 32. This compelling illustration, ...

After his academy Theo Meier moved to Germany where he came into contact with Max Liebermann and German expressionists from Die Brücke. Inspired by Paul Gauguin, he left for Tahiti at the age of 24. The influence of Paul Gauguin and the German Expressionists can be clearly seen in his works. After a year in Tahiti, he moved toBali where he found the culture and art that he had missed in Tahiti. He settled in Sanur and befriended the other artists who had settled in Bali, such as Rudolf Bonnet, Walter Spies, Antonio Blanco...

A fine figural oil painting of a mother and three children with worried looks on their faces as military planes fly overhead by American artist Hope Shipee Bunin (1908-1970). Bunin w...

The setting reminds us of a Rear Window by Alfred Hickcock but Evergood did it 8 years before. It's most likely Greenwich Village since Evergood lived there. This is a very big and heavy to lift painting Signed lower left Framed 56 x 51 in a period very heavy rustic wood frame. Exhibited Center Gallery, Bucknell University, PA, among others venus. gallery label remnants on verso - The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis The Whitney Museum of American Art Annual 1949 - Label Provenance: Naomi and Walter Rosenblum Best Viewed with a top gallery light...

Julia (Elsie Julia Miller) Schleicher (Canadian/American, 1916-1988) she was an important female illustrator Woman Tennis Player Pastel and gouache on boa...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Left Sight Size 26.00" x 19.50;" Framed 61.60" x 26.00" "The Fantastic Armada" by Dorothy Black and illustrated by Rico Tomaso for Ladies Home Journal...

Medium: Watercolor and Gouache on Paper laid on Board Signature: Signed and Dated on the Reverse Study for advertisement promoting Webster Cigars at Florida's Boca Raton Club, circa...

WILLEM VAN DE BERG Den Haag 1886-1970 Amsterdam Portrait of a fisherman, Volendam 1940 Oil on canvas 70 x 55 cm. Signed and dated: lower left ‘Willem van den Berg...

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...

The oil painting features a family at the fairground stopping by the ice cream stand. An elegant mother hands a treat to one of her three children, while another holds his ice cream, and the last one a red balloon. A couple with a child stands on the left part of the painting, while in the background, men sitting on stools face a cook at a counter. The latter looks down and focuses on preparing food for his clients. The overall impression is joyful and lively, though it looks more like the end of the day because of the dark warm colors used by the artist to depict the scene. Edgar O. Kiechle was born in 1911. He was a movie illustrator and a painter. Edgar studied landscape painting with Jean Mannheim, and architecture, and became an excellent watercolorist. After studying at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, he interned with leading architects and designers in the area. He worked at most major studios but his career as an illustrator saw him primarily at the Universal Studio Art department. In 1933, Edgar joined Lwerks as a background artist and worked on many films produced by Animated Picture Corporation through 1935. In the summer of 1941, Edgar Kiechle...

Jerusalem by Ludwig Blum Oil on canvas 25.6 x 32 inches / 65 x 81cm Signed Painted circa 1940

This is an original oil on velvet painting created c. 1942. Syd Cockell was an accomplished American illustrator during World War II.

Date: 1940s Medium: Mixed Media on Board Dimensions: 22.50" x 17.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right

Signed and titled verso on stretcher "Lea Ancient Revel". Subtitled verso on label in artist's hand: "An attempt to marry ancient mineral matter with people". Exhibited at the 194...

Medium: Oil on Linen Signature: Signed and Dated Story illustration for "Farewell Without Regret" by Sarah-Elizabeth Rodger for Good Housekeeping, published July 1940, page 58. The...

Byron Browne was an important American modernist painter. Ink, tempera, and crayon on paper Signed and dated lower right.

Story illustration for “Abbé Doret’s Secret” by Manuel Komroff for Cosmopolitan, published February 1942. The full caption reads: “As the gardener passed he lifted his cap twice ‘Do...

BALTASAR LOBO Abstract Seated Nude Female Figure 1946 Gouache & Ink on Paper Provenance: Ivan Boesky Collection, La Jolla, California Signed & Dated "Lobo '46 Bruxelles" Baltasar...

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...

"Swinging Harmony," is an oil painting on canvas by Edgar O'Kiechle. It transports viewers into a lively dance scene featuring a couple of black dancers swinging at the heart of the...

Signature: Signed

Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel Robert Riggs was a gay man. Being gay in American during the 1940's time was something not to flaunt in public. Rigg's had to communicate his underlying feelings in more symbolic ways. Throughout Riggs oeuvre, one sees continuous references to strong hunked out manly men and vulnerable boys. It is a core element of is iconography and is described in a powerful graphic style. In “Prospector firing Rifle” is a Dick Pic. Riggs is clearly making a sexual statement about the moment of climax. The long, straight rifle explodes and is captured at the peak moment of climax. Meanwhile, the bag two bags of gold clearly resemble the other part of the male anatomy. Riggs was a thoughtful and meticulous visual thinker and nothing in any of Riggs’s compositions were haphazardly placed. In tribute to the artist’s suppressed feelings, I have given this work a second title “Happiness is a Warm Gun...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Watching Over Them, Brown & Bigelow illustration

A bright portrait of a woman in pageant dress before a St. Louis skyline and riverboat.

When the Wood Grows Dry "Good House Keeping Magazine" illustration Surreal depiction of a young mid-century girls social life Good House Keeping Magazi...

A recent Kuhn Circus Performer sold for $312,000 at Bonhams, NY Bert Lahr shined in the role of The Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of OZ. Here he is depict...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Left Dimensions: Sight Size 30.50" x 34.75," Framed 36.00" x 39.50"

This Gil Elvgren gouache painting on board was probably intended to be used as an ad for beer. The husband is returning from work with a bouquet of flowers behind his back, while his wife is waiting at the door with a bottle of beer for her husband. This painting was probably done in the late 1940's. The model in this image has the typical Elvgren look, which is very similar to Elvgren's models that he used for his pin up calendar...

Original Christmas cover for Judge magazine, published December 22, 1917. Santa is dressed as a World War I soldier with a sack of toys holding a drum and toy soldiers. Orson Byro...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Unsigned Preliminary study for Life magazine, Circa 1941. Features a study of the work titled; "The Postman Always Drinks...

Journalist Portraiture. Gouache on board Signed Lower Right matted to 17.75 x 16.75 inches. Archivally Matted Not Framed 
 He illustrated more than 300 covers for Time magazine a...

Signature: Farmer Smoking his Pipe Medium: India and colored inks "Dorne never got around to producing his volume of instruction for the Famous Artists Schools, but a lot of that ma...

Date: 1944 Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 19.00" x 13.00" Signature: Signed Upper Left Advertisement for Gulf Oil, 1944.

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right and Titled on reverse Dimensions: 28.13" x 25.13" (71.45 cm x 63.83 cm) Literature: Temple Bailey, Bridal White, The American Mag...

Ernest Hamlin Baker is one of America's greatest artist that no one has ever heard of. Take a look at his full body of work. If you haven't noticed, Ernest Hamlin Baker is an excepti...

Date: 1940 Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Dimensions: 26.00" x 26.00" Fertilizer advertisement, image of a man, girl, boy and dog. This illustration was also a...

This work is meticulously and brilliantly rendered to capture not only the likeness of the sitter but spirit as well. The image is pushed to the forefront of the composition and s...

Date: 1943 Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 17.50" x 25.50" Signature: Signed Lower Left Born in San Francisco, Amos Sewell was a ranking California tennis player in his 20s wh...