Barton Paintings

The work is mostly black and white to indicate that this is a night scene. On closer inspection, you will see areas of magenta and ivory throughout The publisher's label on verso ide...

For those who appreciate good academic painting and drawing, study Pearl Frush. She gets it right. In the present work, Frush paints a perfect face. Not just anatomically, but also i...

An Introspective 1930s Modern Portrait, "Acolyte" by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Dry watercolor on board. Artwork size: 15 x 12 inches (Framed size: 1...

“Graduation Day” is emblematic of mid-century American Illustration. But the real story of this storytelling work is that it embodies the lost art of portrait painting and graphic design. Alex Ross borrows on the classical tradition and flaunts his skills as a narrative painter. In “Graduation Day”, he paints a complex composition involving at least thirteen portraits. The subjects are beautifully rendered and lit. They are set against a dark grey background and jump off the surface at the viewer. The composition is complexly designed. The future graduate in the red jacket engaging with a girl photographer is a compositional device that leads the viewer's eye to the main subject - a father congratulating his son on graduating from medical school. Creating art that relies on facial expressions and body gestures is a talent absent in contemporary art. Why? It’s very hard to do and takes years and training and practice to get it right. Despite Alex Ross's folksy subject matter, this work is a high example of naturalism and representation by an important member of the Golden Age of American Illustration. Signed lower right Born in the town of Dunfermline, Scotland, Alexander Sharpe Ross (1908-1990) moved with his family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1911. After attending Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), Ross moved to New York and joined the Charles E. Cooper Studio, where he worked among such notable illustrators as Ward Brackett, Stevan Dohanos, J. Frederick Smith...

Adolf Arthur Dehn Haitian Scene A, ca. 1951 Watercolor gouache on board Signed on the front Frame included: held in vintage modern frame Measurements: Framed: 11 inches vertical by ...

When the Wood Grows Dry "Good House Keeping Magazine" illustration Surreal depiction of a young mid-century girls social life Good House Keeping Magazi...

There is plenty of B-movie-like pulp illustration art out there to consider. This work, however, is fundamentally different. The main point about the Harry Barton...

At some point, the fine art/museum world will recognize how truly brilliant a trailblazing artist like Coby Whitmore is. His exploration of bold colors, flattened, simplified space, ...

Heads Up, Edmund Dulac depicts a strong and confident woman in art in the 1930s. The work shows Queen Thomysis witnessing a beheading. This complex figurative work was an original de...

Legendary children's book author and illustrator Richard Scarry depicts a congenial interaction between Danny the Beaver and the Skunk. The painting was directed at a toddler audien...

Today's highly touted ultra-contemporary fine art market has crashed. Why? The artist's lack of talent, concepts, and basic technical skills was overrated and, in some cases, acutely...

Only Ballantine Ale Brews "Brewer's Gold," ad illustration appeared in the major magazines of the day. A magic moment is caught at a peak point of drama. It's the instant of friends having fun. A cold beer from the fridge is offered and it's is acknowledged with a head nod. The woman in the foreground covers her giggling face reacting to a funny comment. The decisive moment is preserved. Sounds like a critique of an art photograph? No, it's an illustrator. This ingenious Infiniti "S" composition simultaneously represents the best of photography and painting. Cartier-Bresson could have captured the precise moment. While Nicolas Poussin could have rendered the complex figural composition. Add to it , a painting technique and color scheme with the quick drama of a post-impressionist. We have a great work of art by an overlooked American illustrator/artist/painter, Mike Ludlow...