Items Similar to "Fishing Village" Joe Jones, Mid-Century, American Life, Small Town Scene
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
Joe Jones"Fishing Village" Joe Jones, Mid-Century, American Life, Small Town Scene1949
1949
$900
£678.83
€784.06
CA$1,260.96
A$1,402.12
CHF 734.03
MX$17,127.13
NOK 9,223.86
SEK 8,676.89
DKK 5,852.94
About the Item
Joe Jones
Fishing Village, 1949
Signed in pencil lower right margin
Lithograph on wove paper
Image 9 5/16 x 12 9/16 inches
Sheet 12 x 15 15/16 inches
From the edition of 250
The initial details of Jones' career are sparse, and this is intentional. The young artist was engaged in a process of self-reinvention, crafting a persona. When he submitted a work to the Sixteen Cities Exhibition at New York City's Museum of Modern Art in 1933, he briefly characterized himself: "Born St. Louis, 1909, self-taught. " Jones intentionally portrayed himself to the art community as an authentic working-class figure, backed by a compelling history. He was the youngest of five children in a family led by a one-armed house painter from St. Louis, a Welsh immigrant, and his German American spouse. At the age of ten, Jones found himself in a Missouri reformatory due to authorities' concerns over his graffiti activities. After completing elementary school, he traveled by freight car to California and back, even being arrested for vagrancy in Pueblo, Colorado. Returning to St. Louis, he attempted to settle down by working alongside his father. Yet, Jones felt a profound restlessness and was drawn toward a more elevated artistic pursuit in his late teenage years. He discovered a local collective of budding artists that formed St. Louis’s "Little Bohemia," sharing a studio and providing mutual support until he managed to secure his own modest workspace in a vacant garage.
Jones’s initial creations comprised still lifes, landscapes, and poignant portraits of those close to him. These subjects were not only accessible but also budget-friendly, as hiring models was beyond his means. He depicted himself, his father, mother, and eventually, his wife. In December 1930, at the age of 21, Jones wed Freda Sies, a modern dancer and political activist who was four years older than him.
By 1933, Jones had started gaining noteworthy local recognition through a solo exhibition at the Artists’ Guild of Saint Louis. Of the twenty-five paintings on display, one, titled River Front (private collection, previously with Hirschl and Adler Galleries), was selected to illustrate a feature article about his show in The Art Digest (February 15, 1933, p. 9). Shortly before this exhibition, a young surgeon named Dr. Robert Elman took an interest in Jones’s art, purchasing several pieces and forming a group of potential patrons committed to providing the emerging artist with a monthly stipend in exchange for art. This group was officially known as the "Co-operative Art Society," but it was informally dubbed the "Joe Jones Club. " Jones became an active participant in the St. Louis artistic scene, particularly within its bohemian segments. He embraced modernism and was a founding member of the "New Hat" movement in 1931, a playful rebellion against the conservative and traditional mainstream art establishment.
The summer of 1933 marked a significant shift in Jones’s journey. Sponsored by a dedicated ally, Mrs. Elizabeth Green, Jones, along with Freda and Green, embarked on an eastward road trip. In Washington, D. C., they explored the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Freer Gallery (part of the Smithsonian Institution), the Library of Congress, and Mount Vernon. Following this whirlwind of art and American culture, they made their way to New York, where they visited various museums and galleries, including a stop at The New School for Social Research, which featured notable contemporary murals by fellow Missourian Thomas Hart Benton and the politically active Mexican artist, José Clemente Orozco. From June through August, Jones and Freda resided in the artist colony of Provincetown, Massachusetts, later returning home via Detroit to see Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry mural housed at the Detroit Institute of Fine Arts.
While Elizabeth Green allegedly hoped that Jones would refine his artistic skills under the guidance of Charles Hawthorne or Richard Miller in Provincetown, Jones followed a different path. Rather than pursuing conservative mentors, he connected with an engaging network of leftist intellectuals, writers, and artists who dedicated their time to reading Marx and applying his theories to the American landscape. Jones's reaction to the traditional culture of New England was captured in his statement to a reporter from the St. Louis Post Dispatch: “Class consciousness . . . that’s what I got of my trip to New England. Those people [New Englanders] are like the Chinese—ancestor worshipers. They made me realize where I belong” (September 21, 1933). The stark social divisions he witnessed there prompted him to embrace his working-class identity even more fervently. Upon returning to St. Louis, he prominently identified himself as a Communist. This newfound political stance created friction with some of his local supporters. Many of his middle-class advocates withdrew their backing, likely influenced not only by Jones’s politics but also by his flamboyant and confrontational demeanor.
In December 1933, Jones initiated a complimentary art class for unemployed individuals in the Old Courthouse of St. Louis, the same location where the Dred Scott case was deliberated and where slave auctions formerly took place. Concurrently, the St. Louis Art League was offering paid courses. Emphasizing the theme of social activism, with a studio adorned with Soviet artwork, Jones’s institution operated for just over a year before being removed from the courthouse by local officials. The school’s political focus and unconventional teaching practices, along with its inclusion of a significant number of African American students during a period marked by rigid racial segregation, certainly contributed to its challenges. Under Jones’s guidance, the class created a large chalk pastel mural on board, measuring 16 by 37 feet, titled Social Unrest in St. Louis. Mural painting posed no challenge for the former housepainter, who was adept at handling large wall surfaces. His first significant commission in St. Louis in late 1931 was a mural that celebrated the city’s industrial and commercial fortitude for the local radio station, KMOX. This mural, aimed at conveying optimism amid severe economic hardship, showcased St. Louis's strengths in a modernist approach. When Jones resumed mural work in late 1933, his worldview had evolved considerably. The mural produced for the school in the courthouse, conceived by Jones, featured scenes of modern St. Louis selected to highlight political messages. Jones had observed the technique of utilizing self-contained scenes to craft visual narratives in the murals he encountered in the East. More locally, this compositional strategy was commonly employed by the renowned Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975). As early as October 1933, after returning from Provincetown and realizing that his Communist ties were problematic for local patrons, Jones wrote to Elizabeth Green expressing, “I sincerely believe that I am as far as I can go in St. Louis. ” By the end of 1934, in search of broader opportunities, he exhibited three oil paintings in prominent East Coast group exhibitions: American Justice, a powerful anti-lynching piece at the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts (currently housed in the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio); Road to the Beach, a landscape from Provincetown (in the Museum of Modern Art, New York); and Wheat at the Whitney Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting. These works showcased both his artistic proficiency and his aptitude for various subject matter.
Jones’s home life had reached a critical juncture. In December 1934, Freda Jones was taken into custody for "disturbing the peace" during a political rally outside St. Louis City Hall. However, their shared political beliefs failed to salvage the relationship. The couple ended their marriage and eventually divorced, prompting Jones to move back in with his parents. Clearly, a change was necessary. He returned to New York and immersed himself in museums and galleries while seeking representation in the city. By this time, his artwork had become distinctly political. Both Edith Halpert’s Downtown Gallery and The Rehn Gallery rejected his work. He submitted a piece to an anti-lynching exhibition at the A. C. A. Gallery, which led to a comprehensive partnership and the notable 1935 exhibition. Herman Baron recognized Jones’s talent and grasped his origins and aspirations. Reflecting on this, Baron noted that the artist "as a young boy. . . envisioned wealth in adulthood; to him, success signified acceptance into the upper echelons. ” Jones did not remain long in New York. He returned to St. Louis in April and missed the opportunity to view his exhibition at A. C. A. In August and September 1935, he documented the challenging lives of rural laborers in Arkansas for a mural at Commonwealth College in Mena, Arkansas. This socialist institution functioned as a training ground for organizers of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. Although it closed in 1940, the mural, The Struggle in the South, measuring 9 x 44 ft., was fortuitously preserved and has recently undergone restoration. It now holds a prominent place at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Downtown campus in the River Market District.
During the later 1930s, Jones’s subject matter shifted, becoming less overtly political and more focused on workers and African Americans, primarily in rural settings. In 1936, he produced a commercial mural for a downtown taproom in St. Louis. The five-panel piece, fittingly titled The Story of the Grain, was a success and featured prominently in the 1936 emphasis on rural Midwestern-themed artworks. In January 1936, Jones participated in another New York exhibition, “Paintings of Wheat Fields,” hosted at the Walker Gallery. Although Herman Baron collaborated with this show, it represented a significant step for Jones. Maynard Walker founded his gallery in 1935, leveraging connections with Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and Grant Wood. Clearly, Jones aspired to be identified alongside these renowned figures. At the end of 1936, Jones submitted Our American Farms to the Whitney Museum’s Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting. The artwork depicted a dystopian view of the ecological devastation from drought and emerged from Jones’s six-week role as a Special Skills Artist in July and August 1936 with the Resettlement Agency, a New Deal program aimed at relocating farmers from dust bowl territories to regions with more viable soil. Our American Farms was one of eight pieces acquired by the Whitney Museum from the exhibition for its permanent collection.
The 1940s marked a significant departure from the previous decade in terms of politics, economics, and, for Jones, his personal life. A war-driven economy took the place of a prolonged financial downturn. Following the ill-fated Hitler-Stalin agreement of 1939, Soviet Russia and the American Communist Party aligned closely with the United States during World War II. Jones had previously formed intimate connections, both professional and personal, with women from the upper strata of St. Louis society. In 1940, his affair with Grace Adams Mallinckrodt (1918–2002) made headlines in St. Louis when a private investigator found them together in Jones's cabin in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. Mallinckrodt was the young spouse of Henry E. Mallinckrodt, whose father was the president of the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company. The Mallinckrodts belonged to one of the wealthiest and most socially elite families in St. Louis. Grace Adams, introduced to societal life in Albany, New York, first met Henry Mallinckrodt during his time as a Harvard student, and they wed in 1937. Jones encountered Mrs. Mallinckrodt in 1939 when “she posed for him.” The scandalous divorce trial identified Jones as a co-respondent. This incident effectively concluded Jones’s reputation as a bold provocateur and certainly marked an end to his time in St. Louis. The couple eventually wed and relocated to Morristown, New Jersey, where they led a quiet life, parenting four children. During World War II, Jones worked as a combat artist for Life Magazine. His artwork evolved from its earlier anger and political commentary, shifting from the broad techniques linked to American Scene and Social Realism to a more refined and linear style inspired by Japanese art and Impressionism. In the years following the war, he painted coastal scenes of New Jersey and Bermuda, while also establishing a commercial career by creating advertising visuals, magazine artwork, and murals for various companies. Jones passed away from a heart attack in 1963 in the affluent and refined community of Morristown, New Jersey, where he complemented his freelance endeavors by teaching art at local private boys’ schools. This life was a far cry from his tumultuous beginnings.
- Creator:Joe Jones (1909 - 1963, American)
- Creation Year:1949
- Dimensions:Height: 16.25 in (41.28 cm)Width: 20.25 in (51.44 cm)
- More Editions & Sizes:From the edition of 250Price: $900
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1841216649352
Joe Jones
Joe Jones emerged as a talented modernist painter in St. Louis around 1930, and his brief training in decorative painting helped him to secure a mural commission in 1931. Radicalized by the Great Depression, Jones began to treat the country’s troubles in social realist paintings beginning in 1933, and in 1935 showed his work to acclaim at his first one-man show in New York. Having found his voice, Jones embarked on a second phase of his career in 1936, when he received his first of several commissions from government agencies. The majority of these were from a Treasury Department program, which from 1937 to 1941 employed him to paint five murals for post offices in Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas, mostly depicting wheat harvesting. He said of his 1939 mural in Anthony, Kansas: “My interest was in portraying man at work, his job before him and how he goes about it with his tools.... Man doing his work efficiently and under control is beautiful to look at to other men and that is my chief concern.”
For his last Treasury Department mural, for the post office in Dexter, Missouri, in 1941, Jones chose a slightly different subject, corn husking. Instead of the broad prairie views of his wheat-harvesting works, tall corn stalks block the view into the distance. Jones echoed this closed composition in our painting of the same year, Cornfield, to convey the communal nature of corn picking. A team of four men works at close quarters and with their hands, each attentive to his task: the boy in the center holds a sack open for his companion to throw in a handful of ears; the man on the left waits to tie up the bag; and a man standing between the rows of corn picks more ears. Jones animated the background with the writhing linear movement and flickering highlights of the leaves and stalks that extend back to the horizon. Jones covered World War II for the War Art Unit and Life magazine. Following the war, he shifted to landscape subjects, and produced lithographs and silkscreens as well. Jones settled in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1942. Jones’s work can be found in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Newark Museum, New Jersey; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Cleveland Museum of Art; Saint Louis Art Museum; Denver Art Museum; and the Phoenix Art Museum.
(Biography provided by Godel & Co. Fine Art)About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2022
1stDibs seller since 2022
120 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: New York, NY
- 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 All"Lobstermen in Gloucester, Mass." Lionel Reiss WPA Social Realism Fishermen
By Lionel S. Reiss
Located in New York, NY
Lionel S. Reiss (1894 - 1988)
Lobstermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts, circa 1943
Watercolor on paper
Sight 17 1/2 x 23 inches
Signed lower left
Provenance:
Private Collection, Las Vegas, Nevada
In describing his own style, Lionel Reiss wrote, “By nature, inclination, and training, I have long since recognized the fact that...I belong to the category of those who can only gladly affirm the reality of the world I live in.” Reiss’s subject matter was wide-ranging, including gritty New York scenes, landscapes of bucolic Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and seascapes around Gloucester, Massachusetts. However, it was as a painter of Jewish life—both in Israel and in Europe before World War II—that Reiss excelled. I.B. Singer, the Nobel Prize winner for Literature, noted that Reiss was “essentially an artist of the nineteenth century, and because of this he had the power and the courage to tell visually the story of a people.”
Although Reiss was born in Jaroslaw, Poland, his family immigrated to the United States in 1898 when he was four years old. Reiss's family settled on New York City’s Lower East Side and he lived in the city for most of his life. Reiss attended the Art Students League and then worked as a commercial artist for newspapers and publishers. As art director for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he supposedly created the studio’s famous lion logo.
After World War I, Reiss became fascinated with Jewish life in the ‘Old World.’ In 1921 he left his advertising work and spent the next ten years traveling in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Like noted Jewish photographers Alter Kacyzne and Roman Vishniac, Reiss depicted Jewish life in Poland prior to World War II. He later wrote, “My trip encompassed three main objectives: to make ethnic studies of Jewish types wherever I traveled; to paint and draw Jewish life, as I saw it and felt it, in all aspects; and to round out my work in Israel.”
In Europe, Reiss recorded quotidian scenes in a variety of media and different settings such as Paris, Amsterdam, the Venice ghetto, the Jewish cemetery in Prague, and an array of shops, synagogues, streets, and marketplaces in the Jewish quarters of Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow, Lublin, Vilna, Ternopil, and Kovno. He paid great attention to details of dress, hair, and facial features, and his work became noted for its descriptive quality.
A selection of Reiss’s portraits appeared in 1938 in his book My Models Were Jews. In this book, published on the eve of the Holocaust, Reiss argued that there was “no such thing as a ‘Jewish race’.” Instead, he claimed that the Jewish people were a cultural group with a great deal of diversity within and between Jewish communities around the world. Franz Boas...
Category
1940s American Realist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
"The Slope Near the Bridge" Paul Sample, Mid-Century, American Snowy Landscape
By Paul Sample
Located in New York, NY
Paul Sample
The Slope Near the Bridge, 1950
Signed in pencil lower left
Lithograph on wove paper
Image 8 15/16 x 12 15/16 inches
Sheet 11 5/16 x 15 1/16 inches
From the edition of 25...
Category
1950s American Realist Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper, Lithograph
"On the Wharf" Everett Warner, Marine Town Scene, American Impressionism
Located in New York, NY
Everett Warner
On the Wharf
Signed lower left
Oil on panel
15 x 20 inches
Provenance
Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, Connecticut
Everett Warner was born in...
Category
1930s American Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
"Sailboats in a Bay" John Ross Key, American Landscape, Skyscape, Maritime Scene
By John Ross Key
Located in New York, NY
John Ross Key
Sailboats in a Bay
Signed lower right
Oil on canvas
15 x 26 inches
Provenance
Private collection, St. Simon's Island, Georgia
Private Collection, by descent
Private Co...
Category
1870s Academic Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"Glasco Landscape" Albert Heckman, circa 1940 New York Modernist Landscape
By Albert Heckman
Located in New York, NY
Albert Heckman
Glasco Landscape, circa 1940
Signed lower right
Oil on canvas
25 1/4 x 39 1/2 inches
Albert Heckman was born in Meadville, Western Pennsylvania, 1893. He went to New York City to try his hand at the art world in 1915 after graduating from high school and landing a job at the Meadville Post Office. In 1917, at the age of 24, Heckman enrolled part-time in Teachers' College, Columbia University's Fine Arts Department to begin his formal art education. He worked as a freelance ceramic and textile designer and occasionally as a lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the early 1920s, at the age of almost 30, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia Teachers College. He was especially impacted by his instructor at Columbia, Arthur Wesley Dow.
After graduating, he was hired by the Teachers' College as a Fine Arts instructor. He stayed with Columbia Teachers' College until 1929, when he left to attend the Leipzig Institute of Graphic Arts in Leipzig, Germany. Isami Doi (1903-1965), who was born in Hawaii, was arguably his most impressive student at Columbia. Doi is now regarded as one of the most prominent artists hailing from Hawaii. Heckman became an active member and officer of the Keramic Society and Design Guild of New York in the 1920s as part of his early commercial art career. The Society's mission was to share knowledge and showcase textile and ceramic design exhibits.
In 1922, Heckman married Florence Hardman, a concert violinist. Mrs. Heckman's concert schedule during the 1920s kept Albert and Florence Heckman apart for a significant portion of the time, but they spent what little time they had together designing and building their Woodstock, New York, summer house and grounds. A small house and an acre of surrounding land on Overlook Mountain, just behind the village of Woodstock, were purchased by Albert and Florence Heckman at the time of their marriage. Their Woodstock home, with its connections, friendships, and memories, became a central part of their lives over the years, even though they had an apartment in New York City.
Heckman's main artistic focus shifted to the house on Overlook Mountain and the nearby towns and villages, Kingston, Eddyville, and Glasco. After returning from the Leipzig Institute of Graphic Arts in 1930, Mr. Heckman joined Hunter College as an assistant professor of art. He worked there for almost thirty years, retiring in 1956. Throughout his tenure at Hunter, Mr. Heckman and his spouse spent the summers at their Woodstock residence and the winters in New York City. They were regular and well-known guests at the opera and art galleries in New York. Following his retirement in 1956, the Heckmans settled in Woodstock permanently, with occasional trips to Florida or Europe during the fall and winter. Mr. Heckman's close friends and artistic career were always connected to Woodstock or New York City. He joined the Woodstock art group early on and was greatly influenced by artists like Paul and Caroline Rohland, Emil Ganso, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Andre Ruellan, and her husband, Jack...
Category
1940s American Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Shanties in the Bronx, New York" Bumpei Usui, Japanase-American City Landscape
Located in New York, NY
Bumpei Usui
Shanties in the Bronx, 1933
Signed lower right
Oil on canvas
14 x 20 inches
Provenance:
The artist's estate
Salander O'Reilly Galleries, New Y...
Category
1930s American Realist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
You May Also Like
Fisherman's Haven, Realist Lithograph by Gordon Grant
By Gordon Grant
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Gordon Grant, American (1875 - 1962)
Title: Old Coaster
Year: circa 1940
Medium: Lithograph, signed in pencil
Image Size: 9 x 11 inches
Size: 11 in. x 16 in. (27.94 cm x 40.6...
Category
1940s American Modern Landscape Prints
Materials
Lithograph
The Boats and Boatmen - Drawing - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
The Boats and Boatmen is a beautiful pen drawing on ivory-colored paper, realized in the mid-20th Century and attributed to Herta Hausmann.
Good conditions applied on cardboard.
Th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink
Harry Shokler, Island Harbor
By Harry Shokler
Located in New York, NY
Harry Shokler used serigraphy to great advantage in this landscape. It's colorful and detailed.
It is signed in the image at the lower left. When printmakers began making serigraphs...
Category
1940s American Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Screen
Tranquil Harbor (Gloucester, Massachusetts) — 1950s Cape Ann Regionalism
By Lawrence Wilbur
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Lawrence Nelson Wilbur (1897-1988), 'Tranquil Harbor' (Gloucester, Massachusetts), wood engraving, edition 55, 1958. Signed in pencil, and signe...
Category
1950s American Modern Landscape Prints
Materials
Woodcut
The Harbor - Original Lithograph by Paul Petit - Mid 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
The Harbor is an original lithograph realized by Paul Petit in the mid-20th Century.
Hand-signed.
Numbered, 48/112
The artwork is depicted through confid...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
"Summer Pier Fishing" American Scene Social Realism WPA Mid-20th Century Modern
Located in New York, NY
"Summer Pier Fishing" American Scene Social Realism WPA Mid-20th Century Modern
Syd J. Browne (1907-1991)
"Summer Pier Fishing"
22 x 30 inches
Oil on canvas. c. 1930s
Signed lower r...
Category
1930s American Realist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
More Ways To Browse
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
J Torrents Llado
Giovanni Battista Falda
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer
Herman Miller Wall Mount
Herman Miller Summer