Items Similar to Oil on Canvas Painting Southern California Los Angeles Country Scene Windmill
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 17
Ben AbrilOil on Canvas Painting Southern California Los Angeles Country Scene Windmillcirca 1955
circa 1955
$4,600
£3,492.24
€3,994.38
CA$6,426.87
A$7,148.08
CHF 3,732.50
MX$86,984.52
NOK 47,669.78
SEK 44,705.85
DKK 29,811.58
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
A very good & large oil on canvas painting by California artist Ben Abril (1923-1995), Southern California, Los Angeles circa 1950.
The artist a California native documented the city of Los Angeles and scenes of the California countryside now vanished, (please see biography below) . This large and impressive painting exemplifies the work of the artist, a impressionistic view of an old farmstead nestled at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, with a windmill to the foreground. The painting is signed lower right "Ben Abril", housed in the original weathered 'barn wood' style frame, condition is excellent and ready to hang on your wall.
From a fine collection of art a California gentleman, complete with a C.O.A.
Abril was best known for his paintings of California, often depicting urban landscapes, vehicles, and buildings of historical interest. He also focused on weathered buildings that have been standing for 100 years or more, on ghost towns, on old roads passing through rural places. His scenes of a now-vanished Los Angeles have become his most sought-after works.
Abril was born in 1923, the son of Ventura Abril and Sarah Varela Abril.
After serving in the air force during World War II, Abril studied briefly at the Glendale School of Allied Arts with Arthur Beaumont (1890-1973). He then worked on night shifts at a post office in order to paint during the day. During these years he painted the circus and became interested in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles.
He returned to school in the late 1940s to study art at Glendale College and landscape painting at the Art Center School of Design with Trude Hanscom (born 1898). He studied architectural rendering at Chouinard Art Institute and took watercolor classes at the Otis Art Institute. Abril also studied privately with landscape painter Orrin A. White and painted with members of the California Water Color Society.
The County of Los Angeles hired him in 1955 as a cartographer and architectural draftsman, a position he held for some twenty years. He also worked for architectural firms and briefly as a scenic designer for Desilu Productions.
From 1959 to 1963, Abril embarked on a series of thirty-six paintings of old buildings, including dilapidated Victorian mansions, in the Bunker Hill area of downtown Los Angeles. His work attracted the attention of Alexander Cowie, one of the "big three" art dealers of Southern California, who in 1962 began to represent Abril.
During this period, Abril also illustrated three children's books about railroads by David Robert Burleigh, How Engines Talk (1961), Piggyback (1962), and Shoofly (1963).
A major exhibit of his work at the Cowie Wilshire Galleries in Los Angeles in 1964 was described as a "prodigious display" by Artforum:
Ben Abril does not worry overmuch about the esthetic problems. There are, nevertheless, few artists among the many Southern California scene painters who so obviously enjoy their profession and also manage to convey this exuberance to the observer as does Abril. Whether his subject is taken from the rolling hills, beaches, sunlit slums, or suburbs, he makes swift bold statements in pure blazing colors that emphasize his enthusiasm as well as his often injudicious composition. He apparently accepts his vision without question, recording what he sees unaltered, unselected, and unrefined. But this is not to say Abril’s reportorial style is a characteristic without merit, for with it he fulfills his intent—to transport you to the site depicted recognizable with the same familiarity as the old family homestead.
The 1964 Cowie exhibit was a watershed in Abril's career. That year, actor and art collector Vincent Price bought out Abril's entire studio, purchasing 37 paintings.
The United States Navy commissioned Abril to paint a series on Japan and another of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam for their collection. California governor George Deukmejian collected his work, as did President Richard Nixon, who in 1972 acquired one of Abril's Northern California seascapes.
In 1987, Abril was commissioned by Cardinal Mahoney to paint the San Fernando Mission; the work was presented to Pope John Paul II during his visit to Los Angeles, and is housed in the Vatican.
1987 also saw the release of Abril's book Images of a Golden Era: Paintings of Historical California, published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and at the San Bernardino County Museum.
At least one of his paintings, a landscape with ruins along the Appian Way south of Rome, suggests Abril spent time in Italy.
Abril's technique was to begin with a "a lengthy study of the site, taking several photographs in different types of light. He may take 400 photos a week of various sites. By the time he puts brush to canvas he feels a kinship with his subject. 'You see an old barn or something and you stare at it long enough until you become that barn,' Abril said. 'Art is not what you do, it is what you are.'"
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1990
1stDibs seller since 2020
57 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Portland, OR
- 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 AllAmerican WPA Oil painting High Desert Landscape Pacific Northwest Oregon
Located in Portland, OR
A very good Impressionist oil painting of the Oregon High Desert by the celebrated Pacific Northwest WPA artist Arthur Runquist (1891-1971), circa 1942.
Arthur Runquist was at the fo...
Category
1940s Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
Antique American New England Summer Landscape Oil Canvas Painting Cottage Scene
Located in Portland, OR
A good antique antique oil on canvas New England landscape painting by Milton H. Lowell (1848-1927), signed, circa 1890.
A very beautiful painting of a New England cottage...
Category
1890s Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Antique American Realist Harvest Landscape Painting Bucks County Pennslyvania
By Frank F. English
Located in Portland, OR
Antique American watercolor painting, landscape harvest farm scene by Frank F. English (1854 - 1922), Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Circa 1900.
A very attractive painting by the celebrated Pennsylvania artist Frank F. English, the location is in Point Pleasant, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The painting depicts a scene of blue skies with two farmers tossing hay with pitchforks & two horses harnessed to a hay wagon, with barns to the background. The painting signed lower right " Frank F. English", condition is excellent this very charming painting is ready to hang on your wall.
Biography
Frank F. English was born in Louisville Kentucky in 1854. In the early 1880s, he studied for five years in the evening classes of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His instructors included Thomas Eakins, James P. Kelly and Thomas Anshutz.
However, English's reputation primarily rests with his outstanding facility as a watercolorist; most of his known paintings are executed in this medium. English's propensity for its use coincides, appropriately enough, with the watercolor's growing popularity among other American painters.
The American Water Color Society brought the medium special prominence by the late 1860s, and acceptance on the level of oil painting in 1876. That same year, the society was invited to display its works at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Its members exhibited 116 watercolors, and their public exposure was enormous. It is safe to assume that during the 159-day Centennial, Frank English was among the nearly 10 million exposition attendees, surpassing attendance records at all preceding world's fairs.
At age twenty-two, English, traveled to Philadelphia to see works by the Society's notables such as Samuel Colman, R. Swain Gifford, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Albert Fitch...
Category
Early 1900s American Realist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Antique American Hudson River School Oil Painting Cows Landscape Troy New York
Located in Portland, OR
A rather beautiful Hudson River landscape oil on canvas painting by the celebrated New York artist Charles Grant Beauregard (1856-1919), signed and dated 1898.
The painting depicts c...
Category
Late 19th Century Hudson River School Animal Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
19th century French Barbizon School Painting oil on Canvas Landscape circa 1840
Located in Portland, OR
19th century French Barbizon School Painting, oil on canvas signed "Marin", Circa 1840. A very attractive bucolic, pastoral landsacpe scene with sheep grazing on the banks of a lake ...
Category
Early 19th Century Barbizon School Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique French Post Impressionist Oil Painting Haystack Farm Landscape 1890
By Max Bouvet
Located in Portland, OR
A very attractive antique oil on canvas landscape painting by the French Post Impressionist artist Max Bouvet (1854-1942), the painting circa 1890.
The painting depicts a pastoral sc...
Category
1890s Post-Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
You May Also Like
California Landscape Oil Painting by Joseph Bennett
Located in San Francisco, CA
California landscape painting signed Joseph Bennett. Oil on canvas in carved and painted wood frame.
Joseph Hastings Bennett (b.1889 - d.1969) was a pa...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Mid-Century California Landscape Painting, 1951
Located in Savannah, GA
California Landscape
A mid-century California landscape painting signed C.B.L. and dated 1951.
sight: 23 ½ by 15 ½ inches
frame: 27 ½ by 19 ½ inches
Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood
Ted H. - Contemporary Oil, Farm Land with Two White Houses
Located in Corsham, GB
An attractive oil painting, depicting a rural landscape scene with two white farm houses and mountains in the background. Signed partially illegibly to the lower left-hand corner and...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
$345 Sale Price
20% Off
Original Oil On Canvas California Artist Edward Holslag Landscape Countryside
By Edward J. Holslag
Located in Toledo, OH
Beautifully executed original oil on canvas by California artist Edward Holslag. Painted in 1915 with rich warm tones depicting a countryside landscape ...
Category
Vintage 1910s American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
California Artist Landscape Painting
Located in Tampa, FL
This beautiful American landscape painting captures the natural beauty and rich tones in a California landscape. Framed in a wood grain finish frame with a linen liner and gold fille...
Category
Vintage 1980s American Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Mid Century Windmill Rural Landscape
By H. Kendall
Located in Soquel, CA
Stoic watercolor painting of a tall windmill in a rural landscape by H. Kendall . Signed "H. Kendall" lower right. Presented in a yellow mat and wood f...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
More Ways To Browse
Vintage Los Angeles Wall Art
Italian Ruins Painting
Italy Ruins Painting
Ben Day
Windmill Paintings
Railroad Oil Paintings
Vietnam Photos
Windmill Oil Paintings
Vintage Weather House
Vintage Architectural Renderings
Vintage California Road Sign
Arthur Hill
Vintage Circus Light
Pope John Paul Ii
Big Ben Painting
Vintage Circus Photos
George Beaumont
Seascape Oil Painting 1940s