Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
American, 1904-2000
Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers, scores of awards and solo exhibits, and streams of praise flowing from pens of the top art critics. Over the course of his 60+ year career Carter evolved from an exceptionally fine American Scene painter capable of evoking deep reservoirs of mood, into an abstractionist with a strongly surrealist bent.
While his two bodies of work seem at first to be worlds apart, owing to their different formal vocabularies, they, in fact, explore virtually the same subject: the nexus between life and death and the transition from earth to spirit. The early work finds its expressive power through specific people, events, and landscapes—most of which are drawn from his experiences growing up in the river town of Portsmouth, Ohio—while the later work from the 1960s on evokes potent states of being through pure flat shape, color and form that read as universals. As his primary form he adopted the ovoid or egg shape, endowing it with varying degrees of transparency. Alone or in multiples, the egg moves through Carter’s landscapes and architectural settings like a sentient spirit on a restless quest.
Born and raised in southern Ohio along the banks of the mercurial Ohio River and its treacherous floods, Carter developed a love of drawing as a child, and was encouraged by both his parents. He was self-directed, found inspiration all around him, and was strongly encouraged by the fact that his teenage work consistently captured art prizes in county and state fairs. Carter studied at the Cleveland School of Art from 1923-27, where he trained under painters Henry Keller, Frank Wilcox and Paul Travis.
Returning to Cleveland in 1929, Carter had his first solo show, and through Milliken taught studio classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1930-37. In 1938, he moved to Pittsburgh to teach at the Carnegie Institute of Technology until 1944. Carter’s American Scene paintings of the ’30s and ’40s, which launched his artistic star, are the works for which the artist remains best known.
During and immediately after World War II, Clarence Carter realized his attraction to bold pattern, dramatic perspective and eye-catching hard-edged design was a poor fit with the prevailing style of Abstract Expressionism. Fortunately, these same hallmarks of his style were prized within the realm of commercial art.
Around 1964 Carter acknowledged a need to break from the confines of representational painting. Once Carter had found a potent symbol in the egg, he used it to create an astounding body of imagery for the rest of his life. Among the most ambitious of all his later paintings were his Transections, a theological term meaning to cross, specifically between life and death.to
1
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
3
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
3
1
1
107
143
125
66
62
3
3
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter
Snow in Forest, Mid-Century Winter Landscape, Cleveland School Artist
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Snow in the Forest, 1945
Watercolor on paper
Signed and dated lower right
19 x 23.75 inches
24 x 29 inches, framed
Clarence Holbrook C...
Category
1940s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Volcano and Arch, Taormina, Sicily, Italy, Mid Century Cleveland School Artist
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Volcano and Arch, Taormina, 1961
Watercolor on scintilla paper
Signed and dated upper right
11 x 11 inches
"My last year in art schoo...
Category
1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Abstract Cityscape Mid 20th Century Modern Cubist Work on Paper Drawing Ariel
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in New York, NY
Abstract Cityscape Mid 20th Century Modern Cubist Work on Paper Drawing Ariel
11 x 4 1/2 inches. Framed by Heydenryk.
Provenance: Gary Snyder Fine Art
B...
Category
1950s Abstract Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Related Items
Estes Park Colorado American Modernist Watercolor Landscape Painting, WPA 1930s
By James Russell Sherman
Located in Denver, CO
Vintage 1930s watercolor and ink painting of Estes Park, Colorado, by American artist James Russell Sherman (1906-1989). This captivating work features a detailed view of storefronts...
Category
1930s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
H 16.5 in W 22.25 in D 1.5 in
Original-Golden Summer-UK Awarded Artist, British School, Exhibition Collection
Located in London, GB
-In light of new tariffs, we’ve applied a 20% discount off the market price of this piece to support our collectors in facing potential added costs. At the gallery, we work closely w...
Category
2010s Abstract Expressionist Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold
H 16.54 in W 11.82 in D 0.04 in
Sumac, colorful Abstract Impressionist landscape gouache
By Sandy Litchfield
Located in New York, NY
Sandy Litchfield found peace and inspiration in regular solitary walks through nature throughout the pandemic. Her most recent body of work diaristically documents her constitutional...
Category
2010s Abstract Impressionist Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Original Triptych-Drawing Time-Gladiolus-PleinAir-Brit Award Artist-ink on paper
Located in London, GB
The Summer Bloom Series is an ongoing project that Shizico Yi returns to each summer, painting en plein air in her garden. She began gardening in 2015 to create a healing space for h...
Category
2010s Abstract Expressionist Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Ink, Gouache, Graphite
H 15.04 in W 32.96 in D 0.04 in
At the Pool - Mid Century Illustration in Watercolor and India Ink on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
At the Pool - Mid Century Illustration in Watercolor and India Ink on Paper
Lovely watercolor of a sunny day at a public pool by an unknown artist (20th Century). People are swimmin...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, India Ink, Watercolor
H 20 in W 24 in D 0.25 in
Rare Chaim Gross Watercolor Painting Manhattan Skyscrapers Train NYC WPA Artist
By Chaim Gross
Located in Surfside, FL
This appears to be dated 1927. It came in with a piece dated 1929. A very early, rare work.
Framed 22.5 x 18. Image 14.5 x 9
A great New York city street scene with an El train (elev...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
"Times Square" Mid 20th Century 1937 Modernism Broadway Drawing NYC Cityscape
Located in New York, NY
"Times Square" Mid 20th Century 1937 Modernism Broadway Drawing NYC Cityscape
Philip Goodwin (20th Century) "Times Square," 23 ½ x 17 ¼ inches. Gouache...
Category
1930s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Original-Drawing Time Series-Gladiolus-PleinAir-Brit Awarded Artist-Ink on paper
Located in London, GB
The Summer Bloom Series is an ongoing project that Shizico Yi returns to each summer, painting en plein air in her garden. She began gardening in 2015 to create a healing space for h...
Category
2010s Abstract Expressionist Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Ink, Graphite, Gouache
H 15.04 in W 10.99 in D 0.04 in
Llangorse Lake Brecon Beacons Wales Circa 1964 Welsh Abstract Landscape Painting
By Roger Cecil
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Roger Cecil.
Welsh ( b.1942 - d.2015 ).
Llangorse, Brecon Beacons.
Watercolor & Pastel Mixed Media On Paper.
Signed Lower Left.
Image size 19.5 inches x 29.5 inches ( 49.5cm x 75cm...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Watercolor
H 24.61 in W 34.65 in D 0.99 in
"Manhattan Bridge" NYC American Scene Modernism Watercolor WPA Urban Realism
By Reginald Marsh
Located in New York, NY
Reginald Marsh "Manhattan Bridge" NYC American Scene Modernism Watercolor WPA Urban Realism, 20 x 14 inches. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 1938. Signed...
Category
1930s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
'Sunset Landscape', Hamburg, Rivne, Volhynia, Rivne Museum
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'G. Kosmiadi' for Georg Kosmiadi (Ukranian-German, 1886-1967) and dated, '66'; additionally signed verso, 'Georg Kosmiadi', inscribed with serial number and dated, '20/9/66'.
Georg Kosmiadi was a resident of Rivne before moving to Hamburg in 1940 where he worked as an art teacher. Kosmiadi exhibited at the Rivne Regional Museum and a regional art...
Category
1960s Abstract Impressionist Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Alfred Bendiner, Santa Fe Cowhands (New Mexico)
By Alfred Bendiner
Located in New York, NY
Apparently Bendiner never went a day without drawing. He was amazing!
In this scene of a young 'cowgirl' is working a lasso while an 'old cowhand' looks on -- clutching a cigaret of...
Category
1950s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Previously Available Items
Pipeline
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pipeline, watercolor on paper, 1955, 8 ¾ x 11 1/4 inches, signed, Clarence H. Carter, and dated, 55, lower right; NB: Commissioned by First National City Bank of New York; newly fram...
Category
1950s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Clarence Holbrook Carter landscape drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Clarence Holbrook Carter landscape drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Clarence Holbrook Carter in paint, watercolor, gouache and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Clarence Holbrook Carter landscape drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Frank Wilcox, Louis Wolchonok, and William Grauer. Clarence Holbrook Carter landscape drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $14,000 and tops out at $18,000, while the average work can sell for $16,000.