Items Similar to Prospector firing Rifle ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6
Robert RiggsProspector firing Rifle ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay ArtCirca 1940
Circa 1940
About the Item
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”. It’s my belief that Riggs saw this work as more than an editorial assignment for a national magazine. This was a moment of contentment for Riggs express his repressed feelings.
Provenance: Illustration House
There is a reason why there are few contemporary painters who can paint a portrait this good. It's hard to do. It's easy to throw some paint or spray a mess of graffiti on canvas. That's easy. To execute a portrait with a great depth of anatomy and structure takes years of academic training. In Riggs's time there were teachers who knew how to pass on this knowledge. He studied at the Art Students League and the Académie Julian . Today, they are very few and far between. Robert Riggs was a Gay Artist .
- Creator:Robert Riggs (1896 - 1970, American)
- Creation Year:Circa 1940
- Dimensions:Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:a layer of yellowing dammar varnish.
- Gallery Location:Miami, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU38532542183
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 2005
1stDibs seller since 2016
102 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Miami, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Wheels of Industry Past and Present, Golden Age of Illustration - Standard OilLocated in Miami, FLThis Golden Age of Illustration painting juxtaposes modern and ancient industrial practices. Giant eclectic generators from the current ti...Category
Mid-20th Century Academic Landscape Paintings
MaterialsGouache, Board
- Indian Ritual Walking on Fire, Firewalking Ceremony, Mythology and ReligionBy Robert RiggsLocated in Miami, FLNarrative artist Robert Riggs captures a highly-charged scene of an Indian firewalking ceremony. Firewalking is part of a religious ritual and is associated with the mystical powers...Category
1950s Academic Figurative Paintings
MaterialsVarnish, Pigment
- Woman on Porch Feed Her Cats at Early Morning, Mid CenturyBy Joe BowlerLocated in Miami, FLA milk truck is seen caressed in the golden light of early morning as a woman bends down to feed her cat. The artist depicts a precious moment as an older woman reaching down to pick...Category
1960s Post-Impressionist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCasein
- Art Deco Woman in Classical Robes set in Stylized LandscapeLocated in Miami, FLWoman in Surreal Landscape Illustration Published: Woman's Home Companion December 1939, "How to Pray" By Ralph Sadler Meadowcroft Work is UnframedCategory
1930s Art Deco Landscape Paintings
MaterialsTempera
- The Tree Cutters - Children Playing on a Fallen Tree - Saturday Evening Post?By Joe BowlerLocated in Miami, FLThis golden age of illustration work was most likely done for an interior story illustration for the Saturday Evening Post. Joe Bowler paints it in a loose but academically correct ...Category
1960s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings
MaterialsGesso, Casein, Wood Panel
- Philip Evergood, Little Rock, Oil on Canvas, 1955 - "Civil Rights."By Philip EvergoodLocated in Miami, FL"Civil Rights." Evergood's early commentary on racial issues in the 1950s depicts four black men gagged, roped and hanging from a tree. In the background, imprisoned blacks look on through a barbed-wire fence. Whites watch in horror but do nothing to help. Meanwhile, a two-legged and three-headed serpent wraps himself around the tree that physically and symbolically separates the races. This is an important work in the history of American art. It may be one of the very earliest examples of a major American painter doing a major work that challenges racial segregation and injustice at a time when no one else would. The title of the work is inspired by a Historic Supreme Court decision on racial segregation. The Little Rock...Category
1950s American Realist Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
You May Also Like
- The CrossingBy Charles Théodore FrèreLocated in New York, NYThe Crossing, 1855, by Theodore Frere (1814-1888) Oil on wood panel 9 x 14 inches unframed (22.86 x 35.56 cm) 17 ¾ x 22 ½ inches framed (45.085 x 57.15 cm...Category
19th Century Academic Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- On the shores of a lake in the Austrian AlpsLocated in PARIS, FRJosef THOMA (Vienna, 1828 - Vienna, 1899) On the shores of a lake in the Austrian Alps Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 53 x 80 cm 1877 Josef ...Category
Late 19th Century Academic Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Le pont de Saint Gérmain de Couilly (sur le Grand Morin)Located in Washington, DCExhibited: Salon, Société des Artistes Français, Paris, 1879 (no. 647)Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- Ruth in the fields of Pharaoh, 19th Century Large Antique Oil Painting on CanvasLocated in Jacksonville, FLThe Painting is signed bottom left side Provenance: Notes: This is the full scale version of Ruth in Pharoah's Fields exhibited at the Royal Academy (now lost). Exhibited at the Bristol Art Museum, Birmingham UK Private Collection, Detroit, MI Description: Sir Edwin Long (1829-1891) was a renowned British painter known for his historical and Orientalist artworks. Born in Bath, England, Long displayed exceptional artistic talent from an early age. He received formal training at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he honed his skills and developed his distinctive style. One of Long’s oil paintings...Category
19th Century Academic Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Oil
- French Contemporary Art by Kyna de Schouël - Port EspagnolBy Kyna de SchouëlLocated in Paris, IDFKyna de Schouel is a French artist born in 1939 who lives & works in Cholet, France. She uses charcoal, sanguine & washing but above all oil, especially for abstract compositions. Sh...Category
2010s Academic Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
- French Contemporary Art by Kyna de Schouël - Coup de TabacBy Kyna de SchouëlLocated in Paris, IDFKyna de Schouel is a French artist born in 1939 who lives & works in Cholet, France. She uses charcoal, sanguine & washing but above all oil, especially for abstract compositions. She is Chevalier du Mérite du Dévouement Français & awarded of Mérite de l’Académie Leonard de Vinci...Category
Early 2000s Academic Figurative Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic