Edward Loper

A master of light and color, Edward L. Loper Sr. was an African-American artist from Wilmington, Delaware, who went on to become one of the most celebrated cultural figures in his home state.

Loper was not just a painter; he was also a dedicated teacher who worked hard to help his students see the world around them with fresh eyes. When he passed away in 2011, Delaware Today wrote: “Few local painters have achieved his level of recognition and influence, here and beyond, or have been as beloved by so many students.”

Loper did not have a formal art education. He had an insatiable appetite for learning about art, and his richly hued, expressive paintings, which include modernist depictions of landscapes, Cubist cityscapes and human figures, reveal his deep understanding of works by masters like Picasso, Cézanne and El Greco. Loper took frequent train rides to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, studied the work of painters Andrew Wyeth and Howard Pyle at the Wilmington Public Library and took courses under author and educator Violette de Mazia at the Barnes Foundation.

His first job as an artist was at the Works Progress Administration Art Project, a New Deal program that saw Loper painting depictions of furniture and toys for a large archive of folk art. In 1937, the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts (now the Delaware Art Museum) accepted one of Loper’s paintings, making him the first African-American artist in its collection.

“Once you learn to see as an artist, the world will never look the same again,” he said in Edward Loper: Prophet of Color, a 1999 award-winning documentary about his life. Despite his humble beginnings, Loper’s work is now in the permanent collections of eminent institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Howard University Gallery of Art. He also taught at the Allied Kid Company, Delaware Art Museum, Lincoln University and the Jewish Community Center in Delaware.

Find original Edward L. Loper art today on 1stDibs.

Painting is an art form that has spanned innumerable cultures, with artists using the medium to tell stories, explore and communicate ideas and express themselves. To bring abstract, landscape and still-life paintings into your home is to celebrate and share in the long tradition of this discipline.

When we look at paintings, particularly those that originated in the past, we learn about history, other cultures and countries of the world. Like every other work of art, paintings — whether they are contemporary creations or works that were made during the 19th century — can often help us clearly see and understand the world around us in a meaningful and interesting way.

Cave walls were the canvases for what were arguably the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict natural scenery through art. Portrait paintings and drawings, which, along with sculpture, were how someone’s appearance was recorded prior to the advent of photography, are at least as old as Ancient Egypt. In the Netherlands, landscapes were a major theme for painters as early as the 1500s. Later, artists in Greece, Rome and elsewhere created vast wall paintings to decorate stately homes, churches and tombs. Today, creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together.

No matter your preference, whether you favor Post-Impressionist paintings, animal paintings, Surrealism, Pop art or another movement or specific period, arranging art on a blank wall allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests. A symmetrical wall arrangement may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. Asymmetrical arrangements, which may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls, have a more collected and eclectic feel. Download the 1stDibs app, which includes a handy “View on Wall” feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall, and read about how to arrange wall art. And if you’re searching for the perfect palette for your interior design project, what better place to turn than to the art world’s masters of color?

On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive collection of paintings and other fine art for your home or office. Browse abstract paintings, portrait paintings, paintings by popular artists and more today.