Benjamin Stahl Art

Signed Lower Right by Artist

Benjamin Stahl: 1910-1987. Well listed illustrator with auction records over $10,000. I bought this fabulous illustration 15 years ago and it has been hanging on my wall ever since....

Original watercolor on archival paper of a gesturing old man by the well known American artist Benjamin Stahl. Condition is very good. Two spots of foxing or staining to the left of the figure. Very slight wrinkling of paper. Otherwise, no other issues. Circa 1970. Gallery wide linen matted and framed with a thin silver leaf frame. Overall framed measurements are 19.5 by 20 inches. Provenance: A Nokomis, Florida collector. Ben Stahl Biography Born in Chicago in 1910, Ben Stahl was introduced to the world of art by his grandmother. She took him on visits to the Chicago Art Institute and other galleries beginning when he was six years old and continuing until he was fifteen. After these adventures she would buy him oilcloth, brushes, and paints, and he would create “masterpieces” on the front porch of the family home. Stahl also read voraciously, which did not translate into academic excellence. However, when he was in seventh grade, he received a scholarship to attend Saturday morning lectures at the Chicago Art Institute. He would spend his Saturday afternoons drawing live animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo and the stuffed variety at the Field Museum, honing his knowledge of animal anatomy. After high school, Stahl got a job as an apprentice at a commercial art studio. One of the partners, realizing Stahl was ambitious and talented, encouraged him to draw and paint to create a portfolio. It was the contents of this portfolio that landed him a job at Chicago’s most prestigious art studio. During his time there and at other studios, plus a stint as a journalist for the Chicago Daily News, Stahl continued to develop a unique style, influenced by the Impressionists, which he felt would carry the mood and the emotional impact of commercial illustrations. Ironically, Stahl’s first assignment for The Saturday Evening Post was to illustrate a sea story – this for an artist who had never seen either the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans! The editors liked his work, and there followed four years of marine-themed assignments. Eventually Stahl asked for a change, so his next assignment was set in the desert – which he had also never seen. He was being noticed, however, and eventually he decided to move to New York and become a freelance illustrator. He illustrated over 750 stories for the Post along with a number of other magazines, and he continued to explore new approaches in his easel painting. In 1951, Stahl was commissioned to paint "The 14 Stations of the Cross...

Magazine story illustration for part four of “Black Jack” by Robert E. Pinkerton, published in The Saturday Evening Post, December 11, 1943, page 32. This compelling illustration, ...

Here for your consideration is a very interesting figurative painting by the well know American artist, Ben Stahl. Dedicated to Helen lower left and signed and dated lower left by the artist, 1978. Titled verso. Condition is excellent. The painting is mounted over a matted period thin decorated gold frame. Overall framed measurements are 17 by 13.5 inches. Frame and mat in fine condition. Provenance: Saint Petersburg, Florida estate. Benjamin Albert Stahl (September 7, 1910 – October 19, 1987) was an American artist, illustrator and author. He showed precocious talent, winning a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago at age twelve. His artwork appeared in the International Watercolor Show at the Art Institute when he was sixteen. He later taught at the Art Institute, as well as at the American Academy of Art, the Art Students League of New York, Brooklyn's Pratt Institute and at various universities. Stahl won many prizes, including the Saltus Gold Medal of the National Academy of Design. His work appeared in Women's Home Companion, Cosmopolitan, American Artist, North Light, Esquire, the Chicago Tribune Magazine, Picture Post, Southwest Art and in some 750 stories in The Saturday Evening Post. He was featured in the 1976 television series Journey into Art with Ben Stahl, 26 half-hour programs consisting of lectures and painting demonstrations by the artist. Stahl was one of the founding faculty for the Famous Artists School. In 1986, he guest-starred on Season 7 of The Joy of Painting wherein renowned artist Bob...

A mid-century painting by Benjamin Stahl featuring a seated child on a wooden porch, with an older man in the background playing harmonica. The composition reflects Stahl’s interest ...

Label verso indicates the work illustrated a story titled, Epilogue, appearing in the Saturday Evening Post (c. 1940s)

Illustrated the Franklin Library's 1978 publication of Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (Page 64)

This illustration by Ben Stahl was published on the cover of the feminist novel Stand We At Last by Zoë Fairbairns, published in 1983 by Houghton Mifflin. The multi-generational stor...

Stamp verso indicates the work illustrated the Franklin Library publication in 1978 of Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (Page 37)

Automobilia - This advertising illustration captures the timeless Art Deco aesthetic while highlighting the historical significance of the Lincoln Nash. The luxury automobile was man...

A contemplative mixed-media composition by Benjamin Stahl, dated 1969, featuring a central male figure draped in a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl), surrounded by additional portrait stu...

An original illustration for the Franklin Library publication in 1975 of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Page 5).

Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 18.00" x 14.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right Illustration for Saturday Evening Post magazine.

Medium: Gouache on Board Signature: Signed Lower Right Sight Size 19.00" x 19.00;" Framed 27.50" x 27.50" Featured in The Saturday Evening Post June 24, 1961 “Too Many Masterpieces”...

Stamp verso indicates the work illustrated the Franklin Library publication in 1978 of Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (Page 16)