Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 13

Eric Edward Esper
Ohio State Penitentiary Fire of 1930, Art of Disasters Series, Original Oil

2018

About the Item

After 100 years of brutal history at the Ohio State Penitentiary, the botched escape attempt of 3 prisoners caused the deaths of 322 men. On April 21, 1930, a crude wick did not start a planned (by the 3 escapees) fire in 2 empty cellblocks under construction until after 5:00 p.m. when all the prisoners were locked in their cells. At 5:53 p.m., all electrical power went out and the phones went dead. By 6:00 p.m., the roof was engulfed in flames that soon spread to the occupied cellblocks where men were burned alive while locked in their cells. The roof then collapsed, crushing the trapped prisoners. The Ohio militia and guardsmen were called to control the prisoners, but the local fire department was not called until it was too late to control the fire, which blazed until 7:30 p.m. There were many accounts of the heroic efforts of the prison guards, and prisoners alike, who risked their lives attempting to save others. But, unfortunately, in a structure designed to imprison men like this, rescue was difficult. Eric Edward Esper The Ohio State Penitentiary Fire of 1930, 2018 oil on canvas 26h x 34w in 66.04h x 86.36w cm FRAMED DIMENSIONS 30.50h x 38w in EEE009 Eric Edward Esper After obtaining my BFA in Illustration from Northern Michigan University in 1996 I relocated to Chicago to pursue my artistic endeavors. Here, I began exclusively oil painting and have assembled a body of paintings chronicling scenes of Chicago done primarily in plein air. Capturing parts of the city’s landscape during its cultural evolution had been my way of conveying history as a painter. My fascination with landscapes and history has led me to create oil paintings of scenes that have affected us in dramatic ways. Recently I have begun painting aerial views of locations that have interesting historical significance, encapsulating true stories that are hard to imagine and harder to forget. My latest paintings capture these places and depict them with historically accurate attention to detail. Using various sources I recreate these scenes with as many photographs of every angle of the incident and research the stories, submersing myself in the event. My newest body of paintings depicts events with a more historically tragic significance, depicting scenes of the darkest hours in America’s Midwest history, where the landscape became the backdrop for tragedy and calamity. These events that irrevocably altered so many lives are important to remember, not only for the people lost and how it affected our culture, but also to remind us that disaster can occur at any time, anywhere. Eric Edward Esper EDUCATION 1995 BFA, Illustration, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan SELECT EXHIBITIONS 2013 Chicago Catastrophes, Conflagrations, and Calamities, Solo show, Linda Warren Projects, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Group show, Metropolitan Capital Bank, Chicago, Illinois 2012 Ten year anniversary show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2010 Group show, Concordia University, River forest, Illinois 2009 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2008 Somewhere, Elsewhere, Group show, Linda Warren Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2008 Scene in Chicago, Group show, Judy Saslow Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Holiday Show, Sulzen Fine Art Studio, Chicago, Illinois 2007 Cityscapes, Solo Exhibition, Oculus Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2006 Solo exhibition, Meztli Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2005 Around the Coyote 2005, Biannual Art Festival, Chicago, Illinois 2004 Chicago Art Open 2004, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit. Chicago, Illinois 2004 Chicago Images, Group show, Frederick Baker Inc. Chicago, Illinois 2004 Around the Coyote Winter Festival, Curator's Choice Show, Biannual art festival, Chicago, Illinois 2003 Landscape Unlimited, Group show, Fine Arts Building Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 2002 Chicago Art Open 2002, Chicago Artists' Coalition annual exhibit, Chicago, Illinois 1998 Shoe Show, Group show, Ariana Gallery, Royal Oak, Michigan 1998 Art and Design Alumni Exhibit, Lee Hall Gallery, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan 1997 Group Show. Streeterville Gallery, Chicago, Illinois CORPORATE COLLECTIONS 2012 Blue Cross Blue Shield, Corporate headquarters, Chicago, Illinois 2008/10 Deutschman & Associates, Corporate headquarters, Chicago, Illinois 2004 Piper Jaffray Brokerage, Corporate headquarters, Chicago, Illinois PUBLICATIONS 2011 Chicago Lawyers Magazine, Chicago, Illinois 1999 Barfly, Chicago, Illinois 1993/95 Marquette Monthly, Marquette, Michigan GRANTS 2011 CAAP Grant, Chicago, Illi
  • Creator:
  • Creation Year:
    2018
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 34 in (86.36 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Chicago, IL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: EEE0091stDibs: LU55433222213

More From This Seller

View All
Overlook and Valley - Original Oil Painting with Serene, Cloud Filled Sky Framed
By Ahzad Bogosian
Located in Chicago, IL
The sun tries to peak through the cloud filled sky as it casts a yellow hue to the horizon. The reflection is seen on the pond below adding to the serene calm of this original oil p...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Morning Light, North of Springfield - Serene Landscape with Purple Haze, Framed
By Ahzad Bogosian
Located in Chicago, IL
The rising sun casts a purple haze over this serene Midwestern landscape as only Ahzad Bogosian can capture. This tranquil landscape, devoid of a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

La Chitarra - Urban Street Scene, Original Painting, Framed
By Keiko Ogawa
Located in Chicago, IL
***This artwork is currently on exhibit at the Instituto Cervantes, Chicago until September 2025. If purchased this artwork will be available to ship after September 1, 2025. Contact...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Oil, Canvas

Uscita - Large Scale Trompe L'oeil Gardenscape Inspired by Ancient Roman Frescos
By Carol Pylant
Located in Chicago, IL
"Uscita" takes Inspiration from ancient Italian frescos originally found at the Villa di Livia outside of Rome. The trompe l'oeil frescos were from a subterranean room used for dining. The lush gardens gave the dinner guests the illusion of dining alfresco. Here Pylant took particular notice of the flora and fauna painted over 2000 years ago only to discover they were species that were also present at her then North Carolina studio. The artist adds an architectural element to the gardenscape to suggest a portal from the past into the present. This exploration of the ancient world and its connection to the present is a central theme running through Pylant's work. Carol S. Pylant Uscita oil and acrylic on canvas 40h x 62w in 101.60h x 157.48w cm CSP035 CAROL PYLANT Resume Title Artist / Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison Education 1979 M.F.A. Painting, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 1977 B.F.A. Painting, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI Academic Appointments 1996 - 2011 Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1991-96 Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1987-91 Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1985 Instructor, Simmons College, Boston, MA 1984 Instructor, Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA 1984 Instructor, DeCordova Museum and School, Lincoln, MA 1984 Instructor, Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA 1982-84 Assistant Professor, California State University, Long Beach, CA 1978-82 Instructor, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI International Teaching 2011 Professor, UW- Madison, Villa Corsi Salviati, Sesto-Fiorentino, Italy 2006,7 Visiting Affiliate Professor, Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence, Italy International Artist Residencies 2017 Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, (Gallifa) Spain 2015 Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, (Gallifa) Spain 2002 Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, (Gallifa) Spain 1990 The Tyrone Guthrie Center, Co. Monaghan, Ireland 1990 Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus,Schwandorf/Fromberg, West Germany 1987 Rockefeller Foundation Residency Fellowship, Bellagio, Italy 1987 The Karolyi Foundation, Vence, France International Research Awards 2010 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Villa di Livia Frescos, Museo Nazionale, Rome, Italy" 2005 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Romanesque Art in France" 2004 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings Inspired by Romanesque Art in France" 2002 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Pagan or Christian, Romanesque Art in Spain" 1998 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings of Neolithic Monuments in Brittany" 1996-7 Vilas Associate Award, University of Wisconsin System, "Paintings of Prehistoric Stone Circles, Ireland and the British Isles 1995 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings of Celtic Ceremonial Sites in Ireland and the British Isles" 1993 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Egg Tempera Paintings in Florence, Italy" 1992 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings of Ireland" 1990 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Figure and Environment: Ireland" 1989 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Figure and Environment Painting: Germany" 1988 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Figure and Landscape Painting: Umbria, Italy" Other Awards 2008 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison 2007 Sabbatical, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2006 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison 2002-3 Emily Mead Baldwin-Bascom Named Professorship, University of Wisconsin 2000 Alumni Arts Achievement Award, Wayne State University Dept. of Art & Art History, Detroit, MI 2000 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison 1999 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Past /Present: Paintings based on Celtic Imagery" 1999 Sabbatical, University of Wisconsin 1998 Wisconsin Arts Board Visual Arts Fellowship 1993 Faculty Development Grant, "Figurative Sculpture" University of Wisconsin System 1991,93 Visual Arts Development Grant, The Wisconsin Arts Board 1989 Visual Arts Fellowship for Painting, The Wisconsin Arts Board, Madison, WI 1988 National Endowment for the Arts Regional Visual Arts Fellowship, Arts Midwest 1986 Residency, Yaddo Corporation, Saratoga Springs, NY 1985 Residency, The Millay Colony for the Arts, Austerlitz, NY 1985 Residency, The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, VA 1985 Milton and Sally Avery Award for Painting, The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH 1984,5,6 Residency, The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH International Exhibitions 2010 Handmade Artist's Journals, Villa Corsi Salviati, Sesto-Fiorentino, Italy 2008 Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Schwandorf, Germany 1995-99 Jorgensen Fine Art, Dublin, Ireland 1994 "Exquisite Corpse" Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland 1992 "Faces and Places of Ireland" Ulster Bank, Ardara, Co. Donegal, Ireland 199l "Ardara Annual Show" Ardara, Co. Donegal, Ireland 1988 Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Schwandorf/Fromberg, West Germany 1988 "Art .... Made in USA" Stadische Galerie, Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut, Regensberg, West Germany 1987 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy One and Two Person Exhibitions 2005 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2001 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2000 Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI 1999 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI (with John Sayers) 1998 Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI 1997 Barbara Bunting Gallery, Royal Oak, MI 1993 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 1993 Carey Gallery, Rochester, MI (with Jo Powers) 1993 J. Cacciola Galleries, New York, N.Y. 1990 Pennsylvania School of Art and Design Art Gallery, Lancaster, PA (with Dan Gihooley) 1990 Hobe Sound Gallery, Brunswick, ME 1990 Levinson Kane Gallery, Boston, MA 1989 Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 1985 Trustman Gallery, Simmons College, Boston, MA 1982 Willis Gallery, Detroit, MI Selected Group Exhibitions 2015 "Exquisite Corpse" Printworks Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 "Non-Stop" Invitational, Train Depot, Madison, WI 1989-2014 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2012 "Invitational Alumni Exhibition", Elaine Jacobs Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2002-10 Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI 2008 Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2008 Chapman Museum of Art, Myrtle Beach, NC 2007 Carthage College, Kenosha, WI 2007 Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC 2007 "Real and Imagined" Elaine Jacobs Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2003-7 Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 "The Exquisite Snake" Printworks Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 Robert Kidd Gallery, Birmingham, MI 2002 Sonyia Zaks Gallery, Chicago, IL 1995 Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH 1994 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee, WI 1993 Madison Art Center, Madison, WI 1993 New York Arts Club, New York, N.Y. 1993 "Previews of l993" J. Cacciola Galleries, NY 1992 "Small Painting Exhibition" J. Cacciola Galleries, NY 1992 "Women in the Bowdoin Collection" Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, MA 1992 Steibel Modern, New York, NY 1984-91 Levinson Kane Gallery, Boston, MA 1986-7 Portraits Inc., New York, NY 1985-6 Kathryn Markel Gallery, New York, NY 1981-4 Frumkin and Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL 1984 "All California '84" Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Laguna Beach, CA 1983 "Western States Figurative Realism" Cypress College Art Gallery, Cypress, CA 1982 "Atlas Building Artists" Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI 1981 "Michigan Artists 80-81" Flint Institute of Art, Flint, MI 1981 Detroit Focus Gallery, Detroit, MI 1970 Detroit Art Institute, Detroit, MI Public Collections Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Gallifa/Barcelona, Spain American Express Corporation, New York, New York Ulster Bank, Ardara, Co. Donegal, Ireland Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin The Block Museum of Northwestern University Malden Public Library, Malden, Massachusetts Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Schwandorf/Fromberg, Germany Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, Kansas Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, Virginia University of Wisconsin, The Graduate School, Madison, Wisconsin Carol Pylant Bibliography 2017 M is for Math, Museum and Manhattan Kansas, by Natasha Rozhkovskaya, Publisher: Tamara Rozhkovskaya Novosibrisk 2015 Exquisite Corpse, Printworks Gallery, Chicago, IL. (Exhibition catalogue) 2013 "Remarkable Women Exhibit" by Mary Louise Schumacher, Journal Sentinel, online, Milwaukee, WI, June 25 2012 "Peltz Gallery Celebrates Remarkable Women" by Peggy Sue Dunigan, The Sheperd Express, Milwaukee, WI, July 7 2008 "Teachers Who Can, UW Faculty..." by Jacob Stockinger, The Capital Times, Madison, WI, February 2007 "Art in Nature" by Bill Robbins, Kenosha News, Kenosha, WI, September 14 2004 "Ambition clothes 'Remarkable Women'" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 7 2004 "Waxing enthusiastic over 'Colors'" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 18 2003 "Remarkable Women Celebrated" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 2003 "Art Lesson" by Jennifer Smith, Isthmus, Madison, WI, February 21 2003 "Installation Appreciation" by Kevin Lynch, The Capital Times, February 7 2001 "Pylant unites sketches with classical style" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 12 2001 "WSU Exhibit shows figurative painting" by Keri Guten Cohen, The Detroit Free Press, February 18 1999 "On Art" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel October 12 1999 "School of Art quadrennial exhibition" by John Aehl, The Wisconsin State Journal, January 24 1999 "Something old, something new" by C.R. Gabriel, Isthmus, February 5 1999 "Honoring our Own" Madison Magazine, January 1998 "The Madison Fifty" Madison Magazine, November 1997 "Back in the Game" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, Nov. 26 1997 "Three artists will charm at local shows" by Joy Hakanson Colby, The Detroit News, May 8 1997 "At the Galleries" by Keri Guten Cohen, The Detroit Free Press, April 27 1997 "Talent not gender, is focus at show", by James Auer, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, December 11 1996 "Remarkable Women Exhibition" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, Jan 14 1994 "In Art, these 20 made an impression in '93" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, Jan 9 1994 "Window to the World" by Michelle Grabner, Milwaukee Magazine, Guide to the Arts, February 1994 "Art of Love: ..." by Elby Frieda Abbe, Milwaukee Sentinel, Let's Go. February issue 1993 "Variations on a theme", by Paul Pace, Rochester Clarion, Rochester, Mi, December 9 1993 "Work of women holds surprises in summer show", by Janice T. Paine, Milwaukee Sentinel, June 4 1993 "Remarkable Women has merit with or without it's gender theme", by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, June 13 1993 "Irish Landscape" Cross Country, Country Living Magazine, March (feature article) 1993 "Ireland's Wild West" On the Road, Country Living Magazine, March 1993 "Short List SoHo Gallery Exhibitions, The New Yorker, February 14 & 22 1993 "SoHo Exhibitions", Gallery Listings, New York Magazine, February 7 1993 Gallery Listings, The New York Times, January 31 1993 Tandem Press: Five years of Collaboration by Drew Stevens, University of Wisconsin Press 1992 "From the World's Hot Spots to Ardara", by Michael McHugh, The Donegal Democrat, Co. Donegal, Ireland, August 6 1992 "Exhibits spotlight women", by Janice T. Paine, Milwaukee Sentinel, June 5 1992 " Women's show proves a strong one", by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, May 24 199l "Tandem Press foster diverse printmaking styles", by John Carlos Cantu, Ann Arbor News, December 1 1991 "Quadrennially yours...U W art faculty exhibit show vital, vibrant", by Katherine Rogers, Wisconsin State Journal, January 6 1991 Who's Who in the Midwest 23rd Edition, A.N. Marquis, MacMillian Directory Division, Wilmette, Illinois 1990 "Impressive Art on a Small Scale", by Nancy Stapen, The Boston Globe, December 20 1990 "View from the Tower", by James Rhem, The Isthmus, December 21 1990 "NEA Survives but Artists Shiver", by Bill Moore...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Canvas

The River With No Name-Highly Detailed Lush Wooded Landscape with Babbling Brook
By René Monzón Relova “Pozas”
Located in Chicago, IL
Taking inspiration from his surroundings in Spain, Pozas gives us this lush landscape entitled "The River With No Name". The verdant scene, with its babbling brook so picturesque you can almost hear the water rushing over the stones. Every leaf and blade of grass is painted with exacting precision. "Pozas" René Monzón Relova...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Wellington, Washington Avalanche of March 1, 1910 - Original Oil Painting
By Eric Edward Esper
Located in Chicago, IL
Also known as the Great Northern Railway disaster and Americas deadliest avalanche. After days of traveling west and passing through the 2.6 mile Cascade Tunnel, the GNR passenger train was trapped by snow at the tiny town of Wellington Washington in the Cascade Mountains. For 6 days the passengers survived on the train while railmen worked dauntlessly through continuous avalanches to clear the tracks ahead towards the next town. Fearful of the snow looming over them on the mountain above, the passengers were assured that they were safest where they were. The weather was severe and eventually an avalanche swept the GNR passenger train and a mail train off the tracks towards the river below, resulting in 96 deaths and 23 surviving injured. Eric Edward Esper Wellington, Washington Avalanche of March 1, 1910 oil on canvas 38h x 26w in 96.52h x 66.04w cm EEE018 Eric Edward Esper After obtaining my BFA in Illustration from Northern Michigan...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

'Elysian Gardens' by Steven Rehfeld - Large Blue, Gray and Yellow Figurative Art
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) "Elysian Gardens" 2012 Oil paint, Canvas, Masonite, Stretcher bars The artist signed the back of the painting. "Elysian Gardens" by Steven H....
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Stretcher Bars, Oil, Masonite

"The Path" by Lesley Anne Spowart - Contemporary Figurative in Pink and Pastels
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "The Path" 2022 Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Canvas, Stretcher Bars, Wire The artist signed the bottom left and back of the painting. In The Pat...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Wire

American School ' View from the Shore, Late Summer' Landscape Painting
Located in San Rafael, CA
American School (20th century) View from the Shore, Late Summer Oil on canvas Signed indistinctly lower right: A. He[...]ter 28 x 28 inches (71.1 x 71.1 cm) In a silver frame with li...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

LINEAR MOVEMENT I - Night in NYC / Cityscape / Neon lights / Unique Perspective
By Alexandra Pacula
Located in New York, NY
Original oil painting by Alexandra Pacula. Alexandra Pacula (b. 1979, Poland) is a cityscape and landscape artist, focusing on realism through oil painting. She received her BFA fro...
Category

2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

DIGITAL - Contemporary Tokyo Cityscape / Urban Lights / Realism
By Alexandra Pacula
Located in New York, NY
Original oil painting by New York painter Alexandra Pacula. A city painting in a contemporary style with vivid colors and shapes. Alexandra Pacula (b. 1979, Poland) is a cityscape a...
Category

2010s Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Hidden Oasis' by Steven H. Rehfeld - Pastel and Earth Tone Still-Life Painting
By Steven H. Rehfeld
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) 'Hidden Oasis' 2016 Oil paint, Canvas, Stretcher bars The artist signed the back of the painting. This piece by artist Steven H. Rehfeld titl...
Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Recently Viewed

View All