Masonite Paintings

Very well executed oil on masonite painting of a sunset in Topeka, Kansas by the American artist, Pauline Haynes Shirer. Signed lower right. Circa 1950. Condition is excellent. Recently professionally cleaned. Newly framed in a custom gallery frame. Overall framed measurements are 17.5 by 20.5 inches. Provenance: A Long Island, New York collector. Pauline Haynes Shirer (1894 - 1975), American Born in Topeka in 1894, Pauline is said to have been at least partially raised by her aunt, Hannah Haynes Headlee (Pauline’s mother died when she was 8 years old). By 16, she was living as a ward in the Topeka home of Elizabeth Cunningham, a dressmaker. After graduating from Topeka High School, she attended the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (later Parsons School of Design), completing a two-year course in one year (1913-1914). At the same time, she took weekend classes at the Art Students League. Returning to Topeka, she studied and taught at Washburn College (now University) from 1914 to 1915 and instructed summer sessions at Kansas State Teachers College, Pittsburgh, during the same period. Afterward, she returned to the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, where she taught and took classes (1915-1918). She spent the summer of 1916 as an instructor at the Skidmore School of Art, Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1917, Pauline married Hampton F. Shirer, an architect from MIT, who was also an artist and came from a prominent Topeka family. The couple later settled in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1921, living in a house which they built and decorated themselves. During the next 16 years, they raised two children and Pauline also found time to illustrate promotional brochures and primary school texts. During the early years of her career, Pauline focused on the applied arts – such as watercolor designs for curtains, silk fabrics, wallpaper as well as poster designs, theater backdrops and book covers. Later she would transition into creating her own representational works of art. Shirer returned to Topeka in 1937. During her career as a painter in oils and watercolors, she sketched in Europe four times and did paintings of New England subjects. However, most of her paintings were of the West. She executed Kansas views first, and they continued to hold her interest throughout her life. Typical were her studies of rustic buildings on the plains, glimpses of the prairie country, and the historic buildings of Topeka. She also painted New Mexico landscapes and Colorado mountain scenes. Among her exhibitions, mostly solo but occasionally with her husband, were those held at the Harlow and Harland’s Gallery, Boston (1922); The Scattery, Wellesley, MA (1925); Vose Galleries, Boston (1931); Topeka Art Guild (1952); Copley Society...

Large early oil painting by noted Mexican abstract artist Leonardo Nierman (1932 - ), signed lower right. Systema Solar Leonardo Nierman, Me...

1940s American modern abstract painting by Virginia Banks. Virginia Banks (1920 – 1985) was a well-known Northwest artist based in Seattle. She was born in Norwood, Massachusetts, a...

Colorful abstract oil painting on canvas by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009). From the estate of Les Anderson in Monterey, California. Unframed. Titled "An Archbis...

A Colorful, Dynamic 1930s Modern Boxing Scene by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin. Artwork size: 2 3/4 x 4 inches, oil on Masonite mounted to original board; accompanied wit...

A whimsical modern figurative piece depicting a reclining woman with a black cat on a bright blue background by California artist Richard "Don" Klopfer (1920-2009). Signed on verso a...

Original Mid Century Monterey Hills Oil Painting -- "Little Bridge Over the Brook" by Joseph Pedrazzi This tranquil painting captures the enduring appeal of the Monterey County land...

Artist: William Harnden, American (1920 - 1983) Title: Conductor with Orchestra Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed Image Size: 15.5 x 19 inches Frame Size: 18 x 21 inches

Redwoods in the Snow by Bernice Huntington 1906-1998 Idyllic scene depicting a creek running through a snowy redwood forest. The trees reflect slightly in the water and add a pop of...

Moody figurative abstract expressionist painting of a Victorian couple with an angel by artist David Rosen (American, 1912-2004), c. 1970. Signed "Rosen" lower right. Unframed. Image...

Charming painting of colorful Gallic "Le Coq Gaulois" roosters by listed California artist Helen Enoch Gleiforst (American,1903-1997), circa 1950. Born in Crete, Nebraska, Helen Gle...

Milton Resnick Untitled, 1975 Signed and dated lower left Acrylic on paper laid on Masonite 30 x 22 inches Provenance Vincent Melzac Collection, Washington, D.C. Private Collection,...

After the original by Henrika Langus (Slovenian, 1836-1876) and painted circa 1880. Unsigned. Framed dimensions: 17.25 x 1 x 15.5 inches. A charming and antique study of a young, f...

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Two Men Throwing, One Running n.d. Signed in red, u.l. Oil on canvas mounted to Masonite 35.75 x 59 inches This work is offered by ClampArt in New Yo...

A painting by Mark Beard/Bruce Sargeant of two male wrestlers in athletic wear grapple on a mat, their muscular bodies highlighted by soft light, capturi...

Road Repairing, Lower Manhattan at Night, 1934, oil on Masonite, signed and dated lower right, 24 x 16 inches; original label verso has title and address Margit Varga was an artist,...

Signed, verso, 'Di Gesu' for Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and stamped with the artist's estate seal. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los A...

Earl Hill (1927-1985). Gas Station Attendant, 1966. Oil on masonite panel, 10.5 x 13.5 inches, 15 x 18 inches framed. Signed and dated lower right. Inscribed...

Signed in red, u.l. Oil on canvas mounted to Masonite This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.

"Stillborn Dreams" - Mid Century Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil Colorful mid century abstract expressionist painting by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009...

Ocean Wave, Mid Century Modern Abstracted Seascape Beautiful abstracted seascape, a mid century modern oil painting of ocean waves breaking on rocks by listed California artist Jon ...

Hilding Werner, A Värmland artist, was a distinguished Swedish painter and draftsman. Born to landowner Anders Andersson and Inga Maria Johannesdotter, ...

Autumn Trees - Mid Century Small-Scale Landscape, Signed Oil Painting Vivid mid century landscape of autumn trees blurring into colorful abstraction by Helen Gleiforst (American, 19...

Wayman Elbridge Adams (1883-1959). From a Balcony, New Orleans, French Quarter, ca.1930. Oil on masonite panel, 12 x 16 inches; 17.5 x 21.5 inches framed. Excellent condition. ...

Robert Azensky Fine Art is proud to present Early 20th Century Oil Painting Palo Alto, California Foothills Landscape Painting circle of Bruce ...

The vibrant French Quarter is brilliantly depicted in "Bourbon Street in New Orleans" by California-based artist Pablo Cucaro in a rich palette of chestnut, Tiffany Blue and black. S...

Vintage "Bodega View" Original Oil Painting by McCabe C.1941 Original oil on masonite Masonite dimensions 36" wide x 24" high The frame measures 42" wide x 30" high The painting ...

A vibrant, 1960s Mid-Century Modern painting, "Vermont Landscape, Spruce Tree and Shoreline" by notable Chicago artist Harold Haydon. Painted near the artist's longtime summer studi...

This modern abstract painting by Peter Keil is on a smooth masonite board with a painted Tiffany Blue background, black abstract portrait. Here you ...

A quiet, sunlit, vintage 1930s American Scene city park scene with a fountain by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a picturesque landscape comple...

Late 20th Century Oil Painting of Chesapeake Bay with Sailing Boats by Q. B. Powell Striking vintage palette-knife painting of a quiet Chesapeake Bay harbor by regional artist Q. B....

Untitled, 1953, oil on Masonite, signed and dated lower left, 7 x 11 1/2 inches, presented in an older (likely original) frame Ralph McGuire was an American painter whose work celeb...

Mexican Modernist Oil Painting - Double Sided Abstract Figures and Buildings Dynamic abstract pieces by Ernesto Butterlin, aka Linares, (Mexican, German b. 1917 d. 1964.) The front ...

Untitled, c. 1940s, oil on Masonite, signed lower right, 19 ¾ x 25 ¾ inches Ava Vorhaus Gabriel was a New York-based painter, lithographer, and designer. Born in Larchmont, Gabriel ...

A dymanic mid century abstract expressionist painiting with geometric shapes in cool tones and two figures by Leslie Luverne Anderson (American, 1928-2009). Oil on masonite. Titled "...

A dynamic, 1950s Mid-Century Modern horse race painting by noted Chicago artist, Rudolph Pen. Artwork size: 27" x 23"; oil on Masonite. Framed size: 27 1/2" x 23 1/2". Signed "Pe...

"California Summer" Mid Century Plein Aire Landscape in Oil on Masonite Serene landscape by Andrew Bennett (British, 20th Century). A herd of cows are gathered under oak trees in th...

Near Point at Carmel by the Sea California by Dee Botorff "Monterey Cypress" painting on panel by Dee Bottorff (american20th century) is a professional artist, illustrator, and inst...

'View of Notre Dame & the Île de la Cité' by Friderika Bendéné Kovacsev. Seine, Paris, Thieme Becker, Budapest ------ Signed lower left, 'Frid. J. Bende.' for Friderika Bendéné Kova...

Jean Krillé’s paintings are known for their expressive use of color and dynamic, abstract forms, blending realism with abstraction in his depictions of nature. His landscapes often f...

An Exceptional Mid-Century Modern Oil Painting of a Reclining Nude Female Model by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. This alluring studio scene, painted in the 1960s, exemplifi...

A captivating oil painting by the Haitian master, Albert Desmangles. This piece is a wonderful example of his work within the highly sought-after School of Beauty art movement, which...

Acrylic on masonite. This is a pivotal work in deep and radiant cobalt blue from 1950. It dipicts calligraphic and hieroglyph structures over a grid and pyramidal base by the first generation abstract expressionist. Provenance: Skinner: November 13, 1992 [Lot 00219}, The entry in the Skinner catalog indicates that the painting came directly from the artist to the family of the consignor to Skinner. Kaminsky Auctions. There is an unbroken paper trail that traces the ownership of the painting from the current owner, through two auction houses to the artist. Perfect unbroken provenance. Pousette-Dart was among the most inventive of the Abstract Expressionist generation, His uncanny talent was to expand the nature of abstraction and still make each mark each element very much his own; a reflection of what he called   "the concealed power of the spirit," he said, “not of the brute physical form."   His was not aiming for a singular, realized aesthetic formula but to expand the possibilities of painting; the transcendental in painting. Typical of such invention and exploration is this  painting  Untitled 1950 when the artist was only 34 years old and represented by one of the champions of the new American painting, Betty Parsons.  
A banner year for Pousette-Dart, the Museum of Modern Art acquired their first painting by the Minnesota born artist.  He worked on easel size works such as this painting an oil on masonite. At the same time Pousette-Dart was also working on larger scale works such as Path of the Hero, running over ten feet in length now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Both contain fields of color articulated by a highly sophisticated white hieroglyphic vocabulary. Rather than demonstrate an expressionist sensibility, Pousette-Dart harnesses his more cerebral ideas transforming thick areas of paint into a more refined composition of geometric forms akin to the pattern and forms of say a stained glass window. In a way he is looking back at Fugue, 1940 a black and white composition which makes use of a similar format of painting albeit smaller. Color and form are minimal, but what Pousette-Dart has maximized is the rhythmic and syncopated character of painting casting his ideas into purely symbolic terms that one might link to the pictograms of Adolph Gottlieb. Nonetheless, nature is always at the core of Pousette-Dart’s thinking and dreaming. Here he has transformed the local Ramapo Mountains—where he will eventually move with his family to live and work— into a complex series of articulated fragments linked by style, scale and color.  The painting’s imagery built on two large triangles and reduced to just two colors, cobalt blue and white all outlined in black.  Pousette-Dart symbols stacked in horizontal and vertical rows:  blue is ground, white is language, symbolic of light, consciousness and awareness . The painting maintains a mystical character images compounded that formulate a secret code and linked to the series of white paintings Pousette-Dart authored in the first half of the 1950s. Get up close to the picture and you discover images within images a kind of picture puzzle...

This painting from early October 1927 captures the shifting colours of sunset over Lake Vättern as seen from the historic town of Vadstena. The composition is remarkably direct and f...

Double sided figurative abstract by San Jose, California area artist Daniel David Fuentes (American, 20c-2017). San Francisco bay area abstract expressionist and landscape artist dur...

'The Sacramento River, Rio Vista' by James Everett Stuart, 1919. California, Bohemian Club, White House, SFSD ----- Signed lower left, 'J. E. Stuart' for James Everett Stuart (Ameri...

"Autumn Forest" (2024) By Susie Hyer is an original handmade oil painting on Masonite that depicts a shady forest full of birch trees with bright yellow and orange leaves. There is a...

Artist: John Kinnear, Canadian (1922 - 2003) Title: Highland Figures Medium: Acrylic on masonite, signed lower right Date: circa 1960 Image Size: 22 x 38 ...

Mid Century Mendocino Mountain Horse Pasture Landscape This plein air painting depicts a tranquil Northern California landscape, where rolling green hills, oak trees, and a soft coa...

White Sands New Mexico, Mid-Century Southwest Desert Landscape by Vannerson Gorgeous desert scene by award winning, self-taught artist Dr. Lucien C. Vannerson (American, 20th Centur...

Classic and moody mid century landscape of rugged Yosemite mountains and stormy skies, by an unknown artist (American, 20th Century). Unsigned. Presented in...

A charming, vibrant, early Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a quiet street in the historic, picturesque city of Gua...

Sylvia Rutkoff (1919-2011) "Girl with Beret" c. 1950s · Impasto oil on masonite · 32" × 32" period wood frame Unsigned Provenance: Family estate About this work A riveting enc...

Artist: Fil Mottola, American (1915 - 2008) Title: Market Place, Taxco Mexico Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r. Size: 30 x 40 inches [76 x 102.5 cm] Framed: 38 x 48 inches [96.5 ...

Mid-Century Abstract Expressionist Composition with Blue, Purple, and Pink Colorful mid-century abstract expressionist painting by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009...

Signed lower right, 'Lundy Siegriest' for Louis L. "Lundy" Siegriest (American, 1925-1985) and painted circa 1955; additionally signed, verso, titled, 'Sun Glow' and bearing old exhi...

A Serene, Picturesque 1950s American Scene Country Landscape Painting of a Wisconsin Farm in Late Autumn by Famed Chicago Modern Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A small gem ...

Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Sacred" 2003 Oil paint, transfer, and mixed media on masonite Signed bottom left and on verso. Framed dimensions: 39.5" x 39.5" x .75" "Sa...

Jean Krillé’s paintings are known for their expressive use of color and dynamic, abstract forms, blending realism with abstraction in his depictions of nature. His landscapes often f...

Consigned to the gallery By Decent H&N Fine Art, Newport Beach, CA; From Katherine A. Norris Legacy Collection, Newport Beach, California; Rick Hill, San Diego, California by descent from his mother a former pupil of Alfred Mitchell...