Ralph Eugene Della-Volpe
Portrait of a Flagmaker
1965

Name: Portrait of a Flagmaker
Brand: Ralph Eugene Della-Volpe
Price: 11000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Portrait of a Flagmaker is a striking pop art play done in the 1960's as the artist explored abstracted compositions that played off the work of such artists as Jasper Johns. A great work for a contemporary and youthful setting or a family room that needs a playful work. Ralph Eugene Della-Volpe's semi-abstract paintings of anonymous portraits "convey profound awareness of mood and character", and his paintings are hardly as literal as they may first appear. Constantly transforming what is on the canvas, the artist is never sure himself of the final composition of each work until completion because, as he says, "Everything I paint is based on my own feelings about life, my own insights, my own observations and my own needs for expression." Della-Volpe first studied painting at the National Academy of Design before joining the Army during World War II. As a soldier, the artist saw action on Utah Beach, and his experiences undoubtedly affected his later artistic style. Tom Wolf, of Bard College, explained that the paintings Della-Volpe produced after his return from service in World War II “project feelings of melancholy.” expressed in the tense expressions in the figures’ faces. The “coloristic exuberance” found in the works beginning in the mid 1960’s, with their vibrant fuscias and yellows, seem to offset what could be an otherwise solemn tone to many of his works at the time. Upon his return from military service, Della-Volpe took a teaching position as the first artist-in-residence at Bennett College in Millbrook, New York where he remained for 28 years, serving as chairman of the Art Department for most of that time. Obviously influenced by impressionism's preoccupation with the treatment of light, Volpe's own works have a "faultless tonal quality, with its sense of failing light - the areas of silvery gray deepening into rosy tans". The simplified scenes and portraits express the artist's love of open space and his aim to evoke emotion through each piece rather than recognition of what exactly is painted on the canvas. Della-Volpe has exhibited widely throughout his career and has lectured on art at colleges, universities, and galleries across the country.

Creator:

Ralph Eugene Della-Volpe (1923, American)

Creation Year:

1965

Dimensions:

Height: 43.75 in (111.13 cm)Width: 63.75 in (161.93 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)

Medium:

Canvas,Oil

Movement & Style:

Pop Art

Period:

1960-1969

Condition:

Ready to hang and perfectly fine condition other than very minor normal age related issues. Frame may have minor scuffs or touch ups but these are negligible.

Gallery Location:

Greenwich, CT

Reference Number:

Seller: 165921stDibs: LU1413210575212

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