John B. Lear Wall Decorations

John Lear was a contemporary of Paul Cadmus and like him, highly focused on depicting the male figure in various settings and positions. However, Lear never gained fame beyond his circle of admirers in the Philadelphia area. Unlike Cadmus, Lear depicted nude or half-nude figures set in fantastic or exotic environments such as the circus, carnival, deserted beach, or Dali-esque setting. This richly-detailed watercolor, depicting a tall, lean male figure straddling a pole holding a Medieval banner...

This early and ambitious watercolor painting by John B. Lear shows the growing scale and detail of his best work, here incorporating three nude and semi-nude male figures in a surrea...

Although John Lear entitled this drawing "Confrontation," the half-nude male figure and the falcon on the other end of his bright red leash are contemplating each other with placidit...

This fine and very early drawing by John B. Lear shows the care with which he captured the beauty, strength and character of the men he admired. Lear's earliest works are often in o...

Early, important and finely drawn, this piece by John B. Lear depicts two fully nude male figures suspended among the branches of two trees, each figure demonstrating the care with w...

One of the finest, and certainly the earliest painting by John Lear that we have seen or offered, this image depicts three male nude figures connected by a trailing line of red ribbo...

A contemporary of Paul Cadmus, and like him, highly focused on depicting the male figure in various settings and positions, John Lear never gained fame beyond his circle of admirers ...

Large John B. Lear watercolor, "Aftermath". Painted in the early 1960's, probably one of his most provocative and important works! Jesus on the Cross is a common theme in LGBT Christ...

Finely and beautifully captured, this depiction of a shirtless young man, handsome and pensive, sitting on the beach with his legs grasped in his ...

Over his long career, John Lear liked to depict nude or half-nude male figures set in fantastic or exotic environments such as the circus, carnival, deserted beach, or Dali-esque set...

Much like Salvador Dali, who continued to create his mysterious and puzzling landscapes long after Surrealism had lost its popularity, John Lear drew and painted in the same manner f...