Erle Loran was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1905. He attended the University of Minnesota for a while before studying at the Minneapolis School of Art, under Cameron Booth, and graduated in 1926. Loran was awarded a traveling scholarship from the Chaloner Foundation (Paris Prize) after graduation and spent the next four years in Europe, living in Cézanne’s studio. Loran had always been fascinated by the work of the artist Paul Cézanne, and it motivated him throughout his life both in his painting and writing. He would later pen several books and articles based on his time spent in what was once Cézanne’s world. Once he returned home, Loran moved to California and began not only painting and continuing his art career, but also took up teaching at the University of California, Berkeley. He served as chairman of the art department from 1952–56 and continued teaching there until his retirement in 1973, where he was awarded a University Citation. Berkeley once again awarded Loran, this time in 1981, declaring him an Emeritus Professor.
During the 1940s, Loran belonged to a group of some 20 artists that produced lithographs for the “Chronicle Contemporary Graphics” project. Around the same time, he published two books (one of which was the successful Cézanne Composition) and two articles in art magazines the following decade. By the late 1960s, Loran had changed focus and began painting more abstract images, fusing Op Art, Pop Art and Hard Edge. Perhaps his new direction was influenced by his time spent in New York learning under the artist Hans Hoffman, an artist from Europe who was heavily interested in bringing modern European techniques and philosophies to America. Loran was eventually hindered by visual impairment but continued painting until about a year before his death. He passed away in Berkeley, California, in 1999.
(Biography provided by Robert Azensky Fine Art)
Blacksmith (Untitled)
By Erle Loran
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Blacksmith (Untitled), 1936, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 28 x 30 inches Erle Loran was an influential American painter, art historian, and educator, renowned for h...
Canvas, Oil
$25,000
H 34 in W 28 in D 2 in
"Sock Hop" Mid-Century American Modernism WPA Female Artist 20th Century Realism
By Kyra Markham
Located in New York, NY
"Sock Hop" Mid-Century American Modernism WPA Female Artist 20th Century Realism. 30 x 24 inches. Oil on canvas. Signed on stretcher, c. 1940s. Frame is likely original to the painting. Realist painter-printmaker Kyra Markham...
Canvas, Oil
$6,800
H 31 in W 37 in
NYC Subway Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Contemporary
Located in New York, NY
NYC Subway Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Contemporary David Atkins (1910 – 2012) Subway Train Departure 24 x 30 inches Oil on can...
Canvas, Oil
$2,840Sale Price|20% Off
H 48 in W 48 in D 0.75 in
The Artist's Apartment - Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene, Oil on Canvas 48x48
Located in Soquel, CA
The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas Vibrant interior scene by Santa Cruz California artist Frances Rinaldo (American, b. 1943). A bright...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$3,500
H 40.5 in W 50.5 in D 1.25 in
A Large, Fabulous Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Chicago Night Club, Burlesque
By Rudolph Pen
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fabulous, Large and Dynamic Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Chicago Night Club by Notable Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen (Am. 1918 - 1989). Painted circa 1948, this is a large, a...
Canvas, Oil
$1,800
H 15.5 in W 31.5 in D 1.25 in
A Dynamic 1930s Boxing Match Painting by Famed Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A dynamic, colorful 1930s painting of a boxing match in Mexico by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin. Painted during one of the artist's early trips to Mexico, an exceptional painting showing Chapin's steadfast interest in sporting scenes, particularly boxing matches. Image size: 12 x 28 inches. Framed size: 15 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches. Estate stamped on reverse. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Francis Chapin, affectionately called the “Dean of Chicago Painters” by his colleagues, was one of the city’s most popular and celebrated painters in his day. Born at the dawn of the 20th Century in Bristolville, Ohio, Chapin graduated from Washington and Jefferson College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1922. He would set down deep roots at the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibiting there over 31 times between 1926 and 1951. In 1927 Chapin won the prestigious Bryan Lathrop Fellowship from the Art Institute – a prize that funded the artist’s yearlong study trip to Europe. Upon his return to the United States, Chapin decided to remain in Chicago, noting the freedom Chicago artists have in developing independently of the pressure to conform to pre-existing molds (as was experienced by artists in New York, for example). Chapin became a popular instructor at the Art Institute, teaching there from 1929 to 1947 and at the Art Institute’s summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan (now called Oxbow) between 1934 – 1938 (he was the director of the school from 1941-1945). Chapin’s contemporaries among Chicago’s artists included such luminaries as Ivan Le Lorraine Albright...
Canvas, Oil
$22,000
H 31 in W 37 in D 2 in
Get Change Here - American Modernism Scene WPA Mid-Century Realism NYC Cityscape
By Max Arthur Cohn
Located in New York, NY
Get Change Here - American Modernism Scene WPA Mid-Century Realism NYC Cityscape Max Arthur Cohn (1903-1988) "Get Change Here" 20 x 25 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1930s Signed lower le...
Canvas, Oil
$33,000
H 56 in W 47 in
Industrial Mid-20th Century WPA Modern Men Working American Scene Social Realism
Located in New York, NY
Industrial Mid-20th Century WPA Modern Men Working American Scene Social Realism George Pearse Ennis (American, 1884-1936) "Forging a Gun Tube #1...
Canvas, Oil
$2,650
H 40 in W 28 in D 3 in
Mid Century Modern Jazz Ensemble -- The Band Box Quartet, Signed
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Modern Jazz Quartet Figurative -- "The Band Box" Signed A vivid, mid-century modernist interpretation of a jazz ensemble by Louis M. Centofanti (American, 1921-2018). "B...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$1,600
H 24.5 in W 23.75 in D 2 in
A Stylish Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Young Woman in a Pink Dress
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, colorful Mid-Century Modern portrait of a seated young woman in a pink dress by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. A fashionably dressed, young model is seated ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,800
H 19.25 in W 32.25 in D 2 in
An Exceptional Mid-Century Modern 1950s Chicago Night Club Scene of Showgirls
By Rudolph Pen
Located in Chicago, IL
An Exceptional, Vibrant Mid-Century Modern 1950s Chicago Night Club Scene of Dancing Showgirls. Titled "Dancers #2", the painting depicts a dynamic, sta...
Canvas, Oil
$600
H 27.5 in W 23.5 in D 1 in
A Mid-Century Modern Painting, "Refreshment" by Lucille Leighton, ca. 1958
Located in Chicago, IL
A dynamic ca. 1958 Mid-Century Modern painting titled "Refreshment" by Woman Artist, Lucille Leighton. Oil on canvas, in original frame. Artwork size: 22" x 18". Framed size: 27 1...
Canvas, Oil
$2,400
H 31 in W 37.25 in D 1 in
William Fisher Classic American Illustration on Canvas
By William Fisher
Located in New York, NY
William Fisher (American, 1891-1985) Untitled, 20th Century Oil on canvas/illustration 23 3/4 x 29 3/4 in. Framed: 31 x 37 1/4 x 1 in. Signed lower right: William Fisher William Fis...
Canvas, Oil