Items Similar to Unfinished Problem
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 4
Charles GoellerUnfinished Problemby 1953
by 1953
About the Item
Unfinished Problem, by 1953, oil on canvas, signed lower right, signed and inscribed verso on stretcher “Charles Goeller/1272 Clinton Place, Elizabeth, NJ/Unfinished Problem”, 20 ¼ x 40 1/8 inches, exhibited: 1) 11th Annual Exhibition, Audubon Artists, National Academies Galleries, New York, 1953, 2) 90 Paintings by Living Artists of New Jersey, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, New Jersey, January 26 to March 7, 1954, no. 32 (see The Art Digest, Vol. 28, Issue 11, March 1, 1954 – “Approximately two-thirds of the paintings shown are representational in treatment and include landscape . . . Outstanding among them is Unfinished Problem by Charles Goeller”), 3) New Jersey Artists Listed in Who’s Who In American Art, Plainfield Art Association, Plainfield, New Jersey, December, 1954, 4) Memorial Exhibition, Charles L. Goeller, Gus Eager, Bror J. O. Nordfeldt, Hunterdon County Art Center, Clinton, New Jersey, September 9 – 30, 1956, 5) Emotion Expressed Through Precision: The Art of Charles Goeller, Franklin Riehlman Fine Art and Megan Moynihan Fine Art, New York, 2003, and 6) Charles Goeller: The Art of the Unfinished Problem, Menconi & Schoelkopf, New York, April 4 - 29, 2022, literature: Stavitsky, Gail, Emotion Expressed Through Precision: The Art of Charles Goeller, Franklin Riehlman Fine Art and Megan Moynihan Fine Art, New York, 2003, unpaginated (illustrated)
$40,000
In the early 1950s, Charles Goeller returned to the desktop still life motif which he first developed in 1941 with Dream of Fair Women. That work, together with Unfinished Problem and Despair Among Glasses formed a trio of deeply personal autobiographical paintings. In her essay for the Goeller exhibition at New York’s Riehlman Fine Art in 2003, noted scholar Gail Stavitsky explained the context for these paintings:
"Goeller had already worked at his father’s steel firm during a strike in 1938. In his later years Goeller recalled 'I’ve relapsed into the family trade long enough to design a factory.' The artist’s conflicted involvement with the family business is suggested by the still life elements of the paintings Unsolved Problem and Despair Among Glasses. In the latter work, the harsh glare of a desk lamp illuminates various kinds of glasses, including an empty liqueur glass, a blueprint, a mysterious equation possibly associated with probability or symbolic logic, strewn cigarette butts, and the weary artist/amateur mathematician’s forearm. The frustration of family work is similarly suggested in Unsolved Problem in which half rolled blueprints are juxtaposed with the artist’s glasses, a half-eaten orange, and a stack of cigarette butts. The welcome distraction of the world at large is evoked by the open window to the left. These paintings suggest possible motivations for the never-married Goeller’s habits of drinking and smoking to excess."
These three works are the best examples of Goeller’s Magic Realist paintings. Lincoln Kirstein, in his introduction to the catalog for the Museum of Modern Art’s ground-breaking 1943 exhibition, American Realists and Magic Realists, described the artists included in that show as follows:
"The painters represented here have chosen and developed a technique in drawing and handling paint, the aim of which is to create images capable of instantaneous identification. By a combination of crisp hard edges, tightly indicated forms and the counterfeiting of material surfaces such as paper, grain of wood, flesh or leaf, our eyes are deceived into believing in the reality of what is rendered, whether factual or imaginary. Magic realism is an application of this technique to the fantastic subject. Magic realists try to convince us that extraordinary things are possible simply by painting them as if they existed."
Later in his essay, Kirstein connects the American Magic Realist painters to German New Objectivity, a movement which profoundly influenced Charles Goeller since his time in Paris. As Kirstein explained, “There is a new departure, a new objectivity in fact, which strongly recalls the Neue Sachlichkeit of the nineteen-twenties, that attitude ferociously express in Germany by Otto Dix . . . This New Objectivity was human and concrete though often cruel, exact though frequently fantastic, almost always meticulous.” Returning to American Magic Realism, Kirstein concluded that “It is a frank, cool art. . . .”
Although Goeller was not included in American Realists and Magic Realists, this trilogy of paintings fits squarely within the aesthetic, stylistic, and emotional characteristics of the Magic Realists, who did not, themselves, have a manifesto, association or even a common understanding of who was, or was not, part of the group. From early in his career, Goeller was heralded as a master of replicating surfaces, very much in the trompe-l’oeil tradition. His drafting was precise and crisp, regardless of whether he is painting wood, glass, or the flesh of his own arm, as in Despair Among Glasses. His arrangements of objects were unexpected – each was clearly defined, even if their intended meanings were not.
Dream of Fair Women was squarely placed in the Magic Realist canon when it was exhibited in 1952 at the Montclair Art Museum’s exhibition, The Illusion of Reality. Of the forty-seven paintings exhibited, many were by acknowledged Magic Realists, including John Atherton, Eugene Berman, Peter Blume, Lux Feininger, Thomas Fransioli, Charles Rain, Priscilla Roberts, and George Tooker. The historic artists included in that exhibition included Harnett and Peto. There was a significant overlap between this group and the artists included in American Realists and Magic Realists, almost as if the Montclair show were a version 2.0 which was launched nearly ten years after the original. Many years later, Gail Stavitsky also placed these works into the Magic Realist rubric when she noted, “The affinities of mood and technique between Goeller’s paintings and the work of Criss, Blume, Hirsch, and particularly George Ault, reflect the differing directions Precisionism took from the 1930s onwards, particularly towards Surrealism and Magic Realism.”
For more information about Charles Goeller, please see our exhibition Charles Goeller: A Wistful Loneliness
- Creator:Charles Goeller (1901 - 1955, American)
- Creation Year:by 1953
- Dimensions:Height: 20.25 in (51.44 cm)Width: 40.13 in (101.94 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- More Editions & Sizes:20.25 x 40.13 inchesPrice: $40,000
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1859215634772
About the Seller
5.0
Gold Seller
Premium sellers maintaining a 4.3+ rating and 24-hour response times
1stDibs seller since 2022
15 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 19 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Los Angeles, CA
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllSan Pedro Post Office: History of Writing Mural South, Preliminary Mural Study
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mural study is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1930s
San Pedro Post Office: History of Writing Mural South, Preliminary Mural Maquette right panel...
Category
1930s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Mickey Finn Youth Club
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mickey Finn Youth Club, 1951, oil on Masonite, signed and dated lower right, signed, titled and dated verso, 20 x 24 inches, presented in an older frame
Edgar Kiechle was a Los Ange...
Category
1950s American Realist Interior Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Still Life (Untitled)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Still Life (Untitled), c. 1935 – 1940, oil on canvas, signed lower left, magazine cover has a 1934 date, 32 x 26 inches, remnant of exhibition label verso
In their essay for the gro...
Category
1930s American Modern Still-life Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Across the Street
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition Charles Goeller: A Wistful Loneliness.
Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, Signed lower right
Exhibited:
1) [Solo E...
Category
1940s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Church in Trees
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition Charles Goeller: A Wistful Loneliness.
Oil on canvas, 13 x 9 inches, Signed lower left
Category
1940s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Johnny Walker’s Place
By Georgina Klitgaard
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Johnny Walker’s Place, by 1929, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 34 x 42 inches, exhibited 1) 28th International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, Octobe...
Category
1920s American Modern Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
You May Also Like
Modern Figurative -- Hayley in the Sunroom
By Patricia Gren Hayes
Located in Soquel, CA
Modern interior/figurative painting of red-haired woman "Hayley" seated in sunroom by American painter, Patricia Gren Hayes (b. 1932), Circa 1975.
Signed on verso, "Hayley" written on edge
Provenance: Purchased as part of larger collection of artist's work
Unframed.
Canvas size: 30"H x 440"W.
Patricia Gren Hayes (American, b. 1932) is a Bay Area Figurative & Feminist Art Movement artist who studied at Winnipeg Public Art School in 1950. She received early recognition in Museum and Gallery competitions and exhibitions and was awarded a Special Education in Art recognition by the Winnipeg Museum of Fine Art, and was awarded a scholarship to the Banff College of Fine Art. Further studies were at The University of Manitoba.
She was a Member of Winnipeg Free Press Sketch Club and was a Cartoonist and paste-up for a French-English bi-weekly, in Eastern Canada;
She studied outdoor impressionism in New York in 1960; in 1962, attended The California College of Arts and Crafts, and in 1976 B.A., U.C. Berkeley where she studied under Elmer Bischoff, David Simpson, Joan Brown, Felix Ruvolo, Yolanda Lopez and Vincent Perez.
She started a freelance commercial art business in 1963; copyrighted a National Cartoon, 1976, and served as Exhibition Director for San Francisco Woman Artists Gallery and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1976-1978. She was a workshop instructor at the San Francisco Woman Artists Gallery, 1977-1985; and was Manager/Owner Stanton Art Gallery, Alameda, CA, 1976-1982.
Solo Exhibitions:
Berkeley Marina, 1974;
Oakland Center for The Visual Arts, "Images of Women", 1979
Group Exhibitions:
Oakland's Dept of Education, 1963, Studio One;
Alameda County Fair, 1975, 1976, 1978;
San Francisco Art Festival, 1969, 1970, 1976, 1977, 1978;
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1976, 1977, 1978;
San Francisco Women Artists Gallery Exhibition, award winner - 1970, 1977, 1978;
Hayward Bay Fair Art Festival, award winner - 1971;
Capricorn Assunder Gallery, 1973;
Oakland Art Festival, 1973, 1974;
Alameda Art Association, 1978;
El Cerrito...
Category
1970s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique Shop - Interior Painting - American Modern Art By Marc Zimmerman
By Marc Zimmerman
Located in Carmel, CA
Eclectic objects, oddly juxtaposed, found in antique shops creates opportunities for the artist. This shop was directly across from my gallery so I set up my easel just out front . I...
Category
2010s American Modern Interior Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas
Vibrant interior scene by Santa Cruz California artist Frances Rinaldo (American, b. 1943). A bright...
Category
1960s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
William Fisher Classic American Illustration on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
William Fisher (American, 1891-1985)
Untitled, 20th Century
Oil on canvas/illustration
23 3/4 x 29 3/4 in.
Framed: 31 x 37 1/4 x 1 in.
Signed lower right: William Fisher
William Fis...
Category
20th Century American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Travel Guide. Seated male figure reading large yellow bird shaped canvas
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Painted on an arch shaped canvas signed on lower left and on reverse.
ABOUT Stephen Basso
Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provo...
Category
Early 2000s American Modern Interior Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Madam Suburbia #2" (Woman and Child, Sue & Casey) in Oil on Canvas
By Patricia Gren Hayes
Located in Soquel, CA
"Madam Suburbia #2" (Woman and Child, Sue & Casey) in Oil on Canvas
An auburn-haired woman sits in a chair with her young child, by American painter, Patricia Gren Hayes (b. 1932). ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Retro 1950s Interior Design
Interior Design Firms
Vintage Blueprints
5 By 7 Inch Paintings
John Charles Woods
Cigarette Oil
Cigarette Oil Painting
Franklin Wood
Elizabeth Steel
No Smoking Sign
Vintage Liqueur Glasses
Vintage Stacked Glass Lamp
Lux Glass
Vintage Butt
Charles Rain
German Oil Lamp
40 Inch Desk
Desk 40 Inches