John Begg, 1903

Cubist Nude Study Pastel Painting by John Begg

circa 1950

This elegant pastel painting on paper was created by John Alfred Begg (1903 - 1974). This artwork has a beautiful blue-gray cubist nude study with contrasting black lines. There is no visible signature.  This artwork comes from the artist's estate. Newly reframed in an elegant blue-silver textured wood frame with black matte and acrylic glass protection. Measurements: With frame: 15 in wide (38 cm) x 19.69 in high (50 cm). Opening view: 7.32 in wide (18.5 cm) x 12 in (30.5 cm). (The last two pictures show the piece of art before framing). Biography: John Alfred Begg was born in New Smyrna Beach...

This charming woman nude pencil study is by Russian-French painter Alexandre Pavlovitch Chemetoff (or Chemetov,) also known as Chem (1891 - 1981). It is a striking representation in ...

René-Paris Castaing, winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1924, left a large body of work, both sacred and secular. Many churches in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in South-West France still bear witness to the diversity of his talent. In 1942, he began a major decoration project for the Château de Diusse, in the north-east of the county, including an allegory of the four seasons. The vigorous pastel we are presenting here is a study for Spring, depicted as Flore undressing. This commission was a veritable swan song for the artist, who died a year later at the age of 47. 1. René-Marie Castaing, the great inter-war painter in Pau René-Marie Castaing was born in Pau on December 16th 1896. His father, Joseph Castaing, was also a painter: he was the official portraitist of Pau's high society, which was particularly cosmopolitan at the end of the century, when many rich foreigners spent the winter in Pau, taking advantage of the mild weather to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle punctuated by hunting, horse ridings and golf. René-Marie Castaing was admitted to the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in April 1920 and entered the studio of Paul-Albert Laurens (1870-1934). In 1924, he was awarded the First Grand Prix de Rome for Painting, which earned him a stay at the Villa Médicis for more than three years. He then returned to Pau in 1928, where he lived until his death. Castaing's work is marked by the academic tradition, in which drawing plays as important a role as painting. Although his drawings are often sketches that help to set up large painted compositions, they stand as independent artworks in which the artist fully expresses the vivacity of his talent. Castaing was a fervent Christian and religious painting played an essential part in his work, as shown by the decorations he created for the churches of Bizanos, Borce, Bidache and Salies-de-Béarn. The painter also created several secular decorations, such as that for the dining room of the Villa Saint-Basil's in Pau in 1935, and the Hunting at the Albret’s time commissioned in 1940 by the Prefecture of Pau. The décor created in 1942-1943 for the Château de Diusse, a mansion located north-east of Pau, was his last large-scale décor, as the painter died shortly after its completion on December 8th 1943. 2. Description of the drawing Our pastel depicts an eminently secular theme: Spring is embodied by Flore, crouching on the ground with one knee touching the ground. She reveals her ample bosom by removing her shirt, her arms raised above her shoulders to undress. Given Castaing's classical training at the Beaux-Arts and the influence of ancient statuary...

An exquisite nude by Kittie O'Meallie, an artist out of the famous Newcomb arts program at Newcomb College in New Orleans which beginning in the early 20th century led the Southern "...