Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Italian, American, 1883-1962
Italian-born Francesco Spicuzza was primarily a Wisconsin painter who did portraits, still-lives and local landscapes. He spent the first part of his life in near-poverty to become a painter. An eternal optimist, in 1917, the artist reported: "I am happy and my only ambition now is to paint better and better until I shall have reached the measure of the best of which I am capable." (Spicuzza, 1917, p. 22). His predilection for beach scenes germinated early: reportedly, the five-year-old boy first drew the outlines of his father's fishing boat in the sand on the seashore near their home in Sicily. After setting himself up as a fruit peddler in Milwaukee, Spicuzza's father sent for his family when Francesco was eight years old.
In 1899 or 1900, Spicuzza began studying drawing and anatomy under Robert Schade (1861-1912), a painter of panoramas who had been trained in Munich under Carl Theodor von Piloty. Spicuzza was also taught by Alexander Mueller (1872-1935), a product of the Weimar and Munich academies.
The earliest influences in his work appear to be from Edward H. Potthast and Maurice Prendergast, though Spicuzza never mentioned either artist. Already in August 1910, Spicuzza was described in a newspaper as "one of the most talented of Milwaukee's rising workers." He undoubtedly received lasting inspiration from his one summer study period in 1911 with John F. Carlson at the Art Students League's Summer School in Woodstock, New York. Although he executed numerous still-lives and an occasional religious work, Spicuzza is best known for his Milwaukee beach scenes populated with frolicking bathers in multi-colored attire, not unlike the images of Potthast, who used a similar technique. These beach genre scenes reflect the attitude of American impressionists who depicted the more pleasant side of life.
Spicuzza manipulated a successful balance of rich pigment applied in varying degrees of impasto texture with subtle nuances of hue. Working all'aperto, he sought "the soft enticing shades of yellow, blue, green, pink and lavender . . . to get the effects of bright glistening summer air." (L.E.S., n.d.). As a painter whose color not only derived from direct observation but also from a personal theory of color symbolism, Spicuzza traded the linear approach of lithography for dynamic patches of brilliant color. Like Prendergast, he would often tilt the angle of the picture plane to bring the viewer's position above the scene.
Spicuzza spent a great deal of time painting en plein air and by 1925 he began summering at Big Cedar Lake, near West Bend, Wisconsin to gather his subject matter. During the difficult era of the Depression, patrons came to Spicuzza's aid and during the 40s, he taught housewives, businessmen and students at the Milwaukee Art Institute, the Milwaukee Art Center, and in his studio. In the following decade, although his kind of art was no longer popular in the "make-it-or-break-it" New York gallery world, Spicuzza enjoyed regular patronage and sales.
Bio by Richard H. Love and Michael Preston Worley, Ph.D.to
1
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
3
2
1
3
2
2
2
1
1
3
3
1
1
16
252
87
73
72
2
1
3
Artist: Francesco Spicuzza
20th century oil painting self portrait male subject glasses pipe signed
By Francesco Spicuzza
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Self Portrait" is an original oil painting on masonite board by Francesco Spicuzza. The artist signed the piece in the lower left. It depicts the artist holding a pipe in front of a...
Category
1940s Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
20th century oil painting portrait realism male subject dark background signed
By Francesco Spicuzza
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Signed lower right by the artist.
Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school. He attended classes at the Milwaukee Art Students League, where he studied under Alexander Mueller. There he learned to paint in the then-fashionable "Munich School" technique, with detailed realism in heavy browns and grayed-out hues. Spicuzza completed eight grades in four years, and then in 1911, three businessmen advanced him enough money to allow him to study in New York under artist and teacher John Carlson.
It was during this time that Spicuzza changed his style of painting, developing an impressionistic use of color, form and atmospheric renditions. After a period of grinding poverty, one of Spicuzza's pictures won a major New York competition. It was the first of 60 wins, both in the U.S. and Paris. He became a fashionable painter, and many of the leading collections have his work. Spicuzza's typical works were beach scenes, still life, landscapes and portraits done in pastels, oils, ink, charcoal and watercolors. Much of his work traced the history of Milwaukee in the early 1900s. He was probably best known for his scenes of women and children splashing in the waves...
Category
1910s Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
20th century oil painting portrait realism female subject dark background signed
By Francesco Spicuzza
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Signed lower right by the artist.
Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school...
Category
1910s Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Related Items
Basking in the Sun - Mid Century Modern Multicolor Female Figurative
By Jon Blanchette
Located in Soquel, CA
Multi-colored figurative oil painting of a woman in bikini bathing in the California sun by listed California artist Jon Blanchette (American, 1908-1987). The colorful background is...
Category
1950s American Impressionist Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
H 20 in W 24 in D 1 in
A Young Girl Reading a Book, Pointillist Artist
Located in Stockholm, SE
"A Young Girl Reading a Book" is a captivating portrait by Swedish artist Gustaf Arnolds.
Arnolds was a prolific painter whose roots began in Vingåker and later in Ronneby from his teenage years.
His educational journey in art took him through prestigious institutions such as Althins målarskola and the Tallbergska grafikskolan in Stockholm,
followed by a significant period at the Konstakademien, Stockholm, between 1904 and 1909. His talent and dedication were recognized early on, earning him a scholarship to Paris, a city that would deeply influence his artistic direction.
This particular work, likely painted shortly after his return to Sweden, reveals a profound influence from his time in Paris. It portrays a young girl absorbed in reading a book, a simple yet profound subject that Arnolds imbues with a sense of tranquility and introspection. The background hints at a serene landscape, dotted with quaint houses, a nod to the everyday beauty surrounding us. What sets this piece apart is Arnolds’ technique, reminiscent of pointillism but distinguished by longer, more expressive brush strokes that add a vibrant texture and depth to the canvas. This method showcases Arnolds' unique adaptation of the techniques he encountered during his Parisian studies, particularly during his interactions with Nils Dardel...
Category
1930s Pointillist Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Italian 18th Century Oval Religious Oil on Canvas Painting with Saint Dominic
By Francesco de Mura
Located in Firenze, IT
This beautiful Italian 18th Century old masters oil painting on oval canvas with giltwood frame is attributed to Solimena and features a religious scene.
In this splendid oval-shaped painting are depicted Saint Dominic...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"The Walk Back Home" A Monumental "Exhibition" Painting by Carl Lasch
Located in New York, NY
Carl Lasch (1822-1888 German) "The Walk Back Home" A Monumental Exhibition Painting,
Oil on canvas laid to masonite in original gilt-wood frame.
...
Category
19th Century Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Masonite
H 72 in W 85 in D 7 in
"Don't Cry Long" Abstracted and Distorted Self-Portrait, One Crying Eye
Located in Detroit, MI
"Don't Cry Long" is a self-portrait of the artist and an unusual one at that in which the artist portrays herself shedding tears. Perhaps it is an expression of some grief experienced by Ms. Woodlock, but it also admonishes her to not "Cry Long" while at the same time poking fun because of her elongated face and the one lone "long" tear tracing a pattern down her face. In addition to self-portraits, Ethelyn painted commissioned portraits. In this painting her head is cocked and her famous bangs hang down her forehead. Compare two self-portraits, “Up From Under”, and “M’Eyes" to "Don't Cry Long." The major differences are the close facial view and the brilliant blood red paint that fills the entire canvas.
This painting is included in the book, "Dreams Have Wings: An Artist's Journey into Magic and Mystery" printed in the United States, 1985. She describes "Don't Cry Long" as showing how funny looking we are, if we cry too long.
Ethelyn Woodlock...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Masonite
'Study of a Moor', Post-Impressionist Figural Oil, Othello, Moroccan, Tunisian
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
American school, Signed indistinctly lower right and dated 1988.
A bravura, psychologically-penetrating oil study of a man, shown wearing a turban and contrasted against a scumbled ...
Category
1980s Post-Impressionist Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Masonite
Portrait of a Gentleman
Located in New York, NY
Circle of Jacques-Louis David
(French, 18th Century)
Provenance:
Private Collection, Buenos Aires
Exhibited:
“Art of Collecting,” Flint Institute of Art, Flint, Michigan, 23 November 2018 – 6 January 2019.
This vibrant portrait of young man was traditionally considered a work by Jacques-Louis David, whose style it recalls, but to whom it cannot be convincingly attributed. Rather, it would appear to be by a painter in his immediate following—an artist likely working in France in the first decade of the nineteenth century. Several names have been proposed as the portrait’s author: François Gérard, Louis Hersent, Anne-Louis Girodet (Fig. 1), Theodore Gericault, and Jean-Baptiste Wicar, among others. Some have thought the artist Italian, and have proposed Andrea Appiani, Gaspare Landi...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lady in Red, Framed Oil Painting by Donald Roy Purdy
By Donald Roy Purdy
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - )
Title: Lady in Red
Year: circa 1962
Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r.
Size: 24 x 36 in. (60.96 x 91.44 cm)
Frame Size: 33 x 44 inches
Category
1960s Modern Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
'Rebekah at the Well', Follower of Luca Giordano, Early 19th Century Figural Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
An early 19th century, figural oil of a young woman with chestnut hair, shown wearing a headscarf and glancing towards the viewers left. A detail from a copy of 'Rebeca at the Well',...
Category
19th Century Baroque Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Masonite, Oil
H 16 in W 13.75 in D 0.13 in
Mid 20th Century Oil Portrait of a Fashionable Young Woman by Barrow c.1970
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mid 20th Century Oil Portrait of a Fashionable Young Woman by Barrow c.1970
Bright, bold and colorful painting - Classic vintage oil portrait
Or...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
H 37 in W 34 in D 2 in
Idle Hour, Impressionist figurative Garden landscape
By Donald Roy Purdy
Located in Greenwich, CT
Idle Hour is an intricately painted Impressionist depiction of woman with her pets on her veranda. It is exquisitely framed in a French Gold Leaf frame of quality and value. Paint...
Category
Late 20th Century Impressionist Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Masonite
H 25 in W 28.25 in D 3 in
Profile of a Young Girl, Modern Oil on Masonite Painting by Donald Roy Purdy
By Donald Roy Purdy
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - )
Title: Profile of a Young Girl
Year: circa 1960
Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r.
Size: 12 x 16 in. (30.48 x 40.64 cm)
Frame Size: 19....
Category
1960s Contemporary Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Previously Available Items
'Little Mary Spicuzza' signed oil painting of the artist's niece
By Francesco Spicuzza
Located in Milwaukee, WI
In this haunting yet adoring portrait, Francesco Spicuzza presents to the viewer his niece Mary. Her young face, probably from when about six years old, emerges from a hazy buildup o...
Category
1910s American Impressionist Francesco Spicuzza Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Francesco Spicuzza portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Francesco Spicuzza portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Francesco Spicuzza in oil paint, paint, masonite and more. Not every interior allows for large Francesco Spicuzza portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 38 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Xue Mo, Sir Godfrey Kneller, and Orovida Pissarro. Francesco Spicuzza portrait paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $18,500 and tops out at $33,000, while the average work can sell for $26,800.