Skip to main content

Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

American, 1879-1956

Gifford Beal, painter, etcher, muralist and teacher, was born in New York City in 1879. The son of landscape painter William Reynolds Beal, Beal began studying at William Merritt Chase's Shinnecock School of Art (the first established school of plein air painting in America) at the age of 13, when he accompanied his older brother, Reynolds, to summer classes. Beal remained a pupil of Chase's for 10 years also studying with him in New York City at the artist's private studio in the Tenth Street Studio Building. Later at his father's behest, Beal attended Princeton University from 1896–1900 while continuing his lessons with Chase. Upon graduation from Princeton, Beal took classes at the Art Students' League, studying with impressionist landscape painter Henry Ward Ranger and Boston academic painter Frank Vincent DuMond. Beal ended up as President of the Art Students League for 14 years, "a distinction unsurpassed by any other artist." Beal’s student days were spent entirely in this country. Given the opportunity to visit Paris en route to England in 1908, Beal chose to avoid it, he stated, "I didn't trust myself with the delightful life in ParisIt all sounded so fascinating and easy and loose." His subjects were predominately American and it has been said stylistically "his art is completely American." Beal achieved early recognition in the New York Art World. Beal became an associate member of the National Academy of Design in 1908 and was elected to full status as an academician in 1914. Beal was known for garden parties, circuses, landscapes, streets, coasts, flowers and marines. This diversity in subject matter created "no typical or characteristic style to his work." Beal's style was highly influenced by Chase and Childe Hassam, a long time friend of the Beal family who used to travel about the countryside with Beal in a car sketching local sights. Both Hassam and Chase were famous for their impressionist views of New York City and Connecticut and Long Island coastlines. Beal's early work reflects his acquaintance with these painters and focused on the city's commercial and industrial growth. Beal's major influence, however, remained Chase, whose "greatness" Beal attributed to the "sheer fullness of his nature, his store of energy" and his dedication to the profession of painting. "When the story of American art is finally told," Beal predicted, "Chase's name will be high on the list of the great." Regarding his use of color, one art critic wrote: "On the whole, he is inclined toward color that is rich and strong. The garden scenes have masses of deep and gleaming foliage over the gay scenes below. The circus pictures are resplendent in hue. He takes the rich green that crowns the cliffs at Montauk and with it gives depth and richness to their tawny sides. The ocean in Sword Fisherman is an intense blue, neither light nor dark and full of almost imperceptible shadings." Beal found early success with his views of the Hudson Valley where his family had an estate called Willellen in Newburgh, overlooking the Hudson River. A gifted technician and draftsman, Beal did considerable mural painting including seven panels portraying the life of scientist John Henry; North Country and Tropical Country, Department of the Interior building, Washington, D.C and others. Renewing an early interest for the sea, a subject he had favored during his student years, Beal started to achieve recognition for his marine landscapes. In 1921, Beal began spending most of his summers on the Massachusetts coast, first at Provincetown and then at Rockport. Both Beal and his brother Reynolds had a strong attraction to the sea. In the 1940s, Beal, never one to rest on his laurels made a dramatic stylistic change, his painting technique became freer as he replaced naturalistic perspective with an intricately patterned and flattened picture plane. These more decorative works echoed ancient Persian paintings as well as the work of Maurice and Charles Prendergast whose art Beal greatly admired. In the end, Beal adopted a "less objective" style that was high key and "utilizing softer edges." This new work was said to be influenced by Raoul Dufy. However many influences one may choose to cite in Beal's work this is secondary to the fact that Beal throughout his artistic career derived a strong personal statement in his art that was "fundamentally sound and aesthetically pleasing." Beal was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Institute of Arts and Letters, the Architectural League of America and the National Society of Mural Painters. His work can be found in numerous museums and public collections across the country. Beal passed away on Feb. 5th, 1956 at the age of 75 in New York City.

to
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
6
514
313
283
234
1
1
Artist: Gifford Beal
Gifford Beal, Net Wagon – Signed American Maritime Etching
Gifford Beal, Net Wagon – Signed American Maritime Etching

Gifford Beal, Net Wagon – Signed American Maritime Etching

By Gifford Beal

Located in Rockport, MA

"Net Wagon" is a powerful etching by American artist Gifford Beal, depicting a group of fishermen hauling a heavy wagon of nets across a rugged coastal landscape, drawn by a team of ...

Category

20th Century American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Etching

Related Items
"Summer Day at Nice" French Beach Scene Impressionistic Oil Painting on Canvas
"Summer Day at Nice" French Beach Scene Impressionistic Oil Painting on Canvas

"Summer Day at Nice" French Beach Scene Impressionistic Oil Painting on Canvas

By Suzanne Demarest

Located in New York, NY

A stunning oil painting scene depicting figures by the beach in a sunny day at Nice, France done in the 20th Century. The vibrant colors and impressionistic brushwork is done with bo...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude Sitting
Nude Sitting

Howard RogersNude Sitting, c.1990

$2,700

H 17.75 in W 21 in D 1.5 in

Nude Sitting

By Howard Rogers

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Sitting Nude" c.1990, is an oil painting on hardboard panel by noted American artist Howard Rogers, b.1932. It is signed at the lower right corner by the artist. The artwork (panel) size is 8.85 x 11.85 inches, framed size is 17.75 x 21 inches. Framed in original wooden gold and grey frame, with fabric liner and gold bevel. It is in excellent condition, the frame have very small minor restorations, practically invisible. About the artist: Howard Rogers wanted to be an artist for as long as he could remember. "I had no idea what an artist was when I was a kid," he laughs. "But I had a distant cousin who had gone to art school and I saw some of his drawings. They really impressed me." Born and raised in San Diego, California, Rogers now focuses on the future: "I kind of enjoy today and tomorrow and to heck with yesterday." While in high school, Rogers took some art classes and served as an apprentice sign painter, eventually becoming a journeyman. He was also a member of his high school track team, competing in the high jump, the hurdles and cross-country, as well as doing some bike racing. Following a stint in the Army, he began training for the Olympics in bike racing, trying out in 1948, 1952 and 1956. Today, "I ride a stationary bike in front of my easel three times a week." After trying out for the 1956 Olympics...

Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Seascape" Henry Ward Ranger, Impressionist Coastal Scene, Atmospheric Sky
"Seascape" Henry Ward Ranger, Impressionist Coastal Scene, Atmospheric Sky

"Seascape" Henry Ward Ranger, Impressionist Coastal Scene, Atmospheric Sky

By Henry Ward Ranger

Located in New York, NY

Henry Ward Ranger Seascape, circa 1905 Estate stamp lower right Oil on academy board 11 1/4 x 13 7/8 inches A key person in the establishment of the Old Lyme, Connecticut art colon...

Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Winter Landscape with Stream" Carl Rudolph Krafft, Early 20th Century Landscape
"Winter Landscape with Stream" Carl Rudolph Krafft, Early 20th Century Landscape

"Winter Landscape with Stream" Carl Rudolph Krafft, Early 20th Century Landscape

By Carl Rudolph Krafft

Located in New York, NY

Carl Rudolph Krafft Winter Landscape with Stream Signed lower right and with thumbprint Oil on canvas 25 x 30 inches Carl Rudolph Krafft was born in 1884 in Reading, Ohio, and his ...

Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Flamenco
The Flamenco

James DurdenThe Flamenco, c. 1930

Price Upon Request

H 36 in W 30 in

The Flamenco

Located in Missouri, MO

**"The Flamenco" (Flamenco Dancer in an Interior)** James Durden (British, 1878–1964) Oil on canvas, 36 × 30 inches (42½ × 36 inches framed) Signed Lower Right A luminous and masterfully composed interior scene, this large-scale oil on canvas ranks among Durden's most ambitious and captivating works. A flamenco dancer, dressed in a richly tiered pink and green ruffled skirt, dark beaded bodice, and red hair ornament, stands with hands on hips in a moment of quiet confidence — poised between performance and repose. Her dark-eyed gaze is directed toward the light-flooded window, creating a compelling sense of psychological presence. The room itself is a tour de force of English interior painting: a crystal chandelier catches the diffused afternoon light filtering through gauze curtains; a gateleg table set with green-trimmed porcelain and a vase of pink hydrangeas anchors the foreground; a gilded Oriental screen glows warmly behind a teal wingback...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"View of Arizona Desert near Wickenberg" Will Foote, Impressionist Western Scene
"View of Arizona Desert near Wickenberg" Will Foote, Impressionist Western Scene

"View of Arizona Desert near Wickenberg" Will Foote, Impressionist Western Scene

Located in New York, NY

Will Foote View of Arizona Desert near Wickenberg, circa 1927 Signed lower center; titled and dated on the reverse Oil on artist's board 12 x 16 inches Foote was born on June 29, 1874 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and died on January 27, 1965, in Sarasota, Florida. He was in Old Lyme, 1901-65; and in Cos Cob, 1903. Will Howe Foote was one of the earliest artists at Old Lyme and one who adopted the town as home. He first went there the summer of 1901 with his uncle, William H. Howe, a painter of cattle, who had been told about the beauties of the countryside by Henry Ward Ranger. Foote had himself heard of Old Lyme when he had met Clark Voorhees in France. He and his uncle were both from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Foote's father was an executive in the furniture industry that made the city famous. Encouraged to be an artist by his father, he began his professional training at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1894. He became friends there with a fellow Michigan student, Frederick Frieseke, who would study with him again at the Art Students League in New York, where Foote worked in 1895-96 under H. Siddons Mowbray and Kenyon Cox. In 1897 he and Frieseke went to the Academic Julian in Paris, where Foote studied under Jean-Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. He was at Julian's until 1900, except for an Italian trip, summers at Laren, Holland, or Etaples, France, and a short period at Whistler's school in Paris. He exhibited twice at the Old Salon, and when he returned to the United States in 1900, he had a one-man exhibition in his hometown. Will Howe Foote's paintings were well received on his return from abroad. He exhibited frequently at the National Academy of Design and became an associate member in 1910. His awards included a bronze medal at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904 and a silver medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Once he visited Old Lyme, Foote returned every summer. In 1902 he was hired as assistant to Frank DuMond at the Lyme Summer School of Art, which was sponsored by the Art Students League of New York. Sometime in 1903 he also taught a session in Cos Cob. After 1906, when the League moved its Lyme classes to Woodstock, New York, Foote continued in Old Lyme as a private instructor. In 1907 he was married to Helen Kirtland Freeman, whom he had met a year or two earlier when she had come to the Lyme art colony as a student of Henry Rankin Poore. Fellow artist William Chadwick was best man at the wedding. The Footes began building a house on Sill Lane in Old Lyme and upon its completion in 1909 spent every spring, summer and fall there, where Foote devoted full time to painting. The Gregory Smiths, old friends from Grand Rapids, arrived in Old Lyme in 1910 and became neighbors. Foote's early works in Connecticut, such as A Summer's Night reflect the artist's interest in soft, atmospheric scenes dominated by a single, overriding tone. The arrival of Childe Hassam and Walter Griffin...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Rockport" William Lester Stevens, North East Coastal American Landscape
"Rockport" William Lester Stevens, North East Coastal American Landscape

"Rockport" William Lester Stevens, North East Coastal American Landscape

By William Lester Stevens

Located in New York, NY

William Lester Stevens Rockport Signed lower right Oil on canvas 20 x 24 inches Born on June 15, 1888, in Rockport, Massachusetts, Stevens displayed his artistic abilities from a y...

Category

1920s American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Stone Wharf, Brittany" Jane Peterson, American Impressionist, Boats in Canal
"Stone Wharf, Brittany" Jane Peterson, American Impressionist, Boats in Canal

"Stone Wharf, Brittany" Jane Peterson, American Impressionist, Boats in Canal

By Jane Peterson

Located in New York, NY

Jane Peterson Stone Wharf, Brittany, circa 1910 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 18 x 24 inches Provenance Private Collection, New York Born Jennie Christine in Elgin, Illinois, s...

Category

1910s American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Barcelona Point" Oil Painting, Landscape of Sag Harbor Bay, Wetlands, Framed
"Barcelona Point" Oil Painting, Landscape of Sag Harbor Bay, Wetlands, Framed

"Barcelona Point" Oil Painting, Landscape of Sag Harbor Bay, Wetlands, Framed

By Terry Elkins

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

"Barcelona Point" is a contemporary landscape painting of the Sag Harbor Bay from the surrounding wetlands in summer. A peninsula of land hosts a line of green shrubs and small trees, which reflect onto the water below it. The blue sky blends into a soft pink as it meets the horizon. Frame Dimensions 24 x 30in Framed in a traditional style, white gold frame. Signed "Terry...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
Hauling The Nets
Hauling The Nets

Gifford BealHauling The Nets

Sold

H 43 in W 93.5 in D 2 in

Hauling The Nets

By Gifford Beal

Located in Milford, NH

A wonderful huge WPA painting of working fishermen hauling the nets by American artist Gifford Beal (1879-1956). Beal was born in New York City The son of landscape painter William R...

Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist Gifford Beal Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Gifford Beal figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Gifford Beal figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Gifford Beal in oil paint, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Impressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Gifford Beal figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Tim McGuire, Albert Van Nesse Greene, and Donald S. Vogel. Gifford Beal figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,800 and tops out at $7,800, while the average work can sell for $7,800.