John Franklin Sommers Art

"Spirit" a bold and thoughtful cubist oil on canvas was painted in December of 2001 by African American artist William (Bill) Cooper. William Y. Cooper was a writer, painter, muralist, illustrator, and art teacher. He moved to Western New York in 1954 from Birmingham, Alabama, to pursue work, and Buffalo has been his home ever since. In 1975, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University at Buffalo; he was also a state certified art teacher. Cooper woked primarily in oils and acrylics, but also creates drawings on paper. He has painted several commissioned murals and has had more than fifteen one-man shows in Western New York and Ghana, West Africa, and has participated in more than twenty-five group exhibitions since he began his professional career in 1969. His paintings and drawings address both his African heritage and his experience as an American through symbolism and metaphor. He observes, “I am an Afrocentric artist. My worldview is rooted in an African frame of reference and a deep, abiding sense of the creator from whence I draw my inspiration, strength, and a sense of who I am. The use of symbols allows me to explore literal ideas.” Among Cooper’s published works are two children’s books, 77 Jackson Street, Rear and Nakai and the Red Shoes, and a novel for adults, The Mopane Tree. Cooper founded the Afrocentric Artists’ Collective and ran the organization from 1979 to 1981. In 2013 he was designated a “Living Legacy” artist by the Burchfield Penney Arts Center, the latest in a series of honors which has also included awards from the Arts Council of Buffalo & Erie County, the New York State Council on the Arts, and Alpha Kappa Alpha...

Antique American modernist abstract painting. Oil and encaustic on canvas, circa 1980. Signed on verso. Displayed in a period frame. Imag...

Antique American exhibited cubist nude portrait oil painting. Oil and casein on board. Framed. Signed. Exhibition label verso.

Mid-century oil on canvas of a still-life tablescape by French artist F Descamps. This artwork presents a captivating still life composition characterized by bold geometric forms an...

Zion Mor (Israeli, born 1958) "The Station" 2021 Oil Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed in the middle right of the painting. "The Station" offers the viewer a sense of ...

Taro Yamamoto Untitled, 1954 Signed lower right; signed and dated on the reverse Oil on canvas 25 x 30 inches Taro Yamamoto was involved in the Abstract Expressionist movement in N...

Jean Xceron (1890 – 1967) is a modernist artist who was born in Isary, Greece with the birth name of Yiannis Xirocostas. In 1927, he went to Paris to further his art career, which in...

The painting is a reflection on a philosophical idea of not always having control over one’s life. The two halves of the painting suggest that the reality of what is happening may be an illusion, and the puppet master is someone else entirely. The nakedness of the woman and the elaborate costume of the jester make us wonder at which is more powerful. Dolls are an excellent decoration that can captivate the curiosity of the viewer. The painting is signed on the back and on the front. The painting is framed. Framed dimensions: 54" x 42" x 2" Unframed dimensions: 48" x 36" x 1.5” Sergiy Andreyev...

Midnight vision. canvas/mixed media, 120x80cm

Late 20th century abstract oil on canvas of flowers by Russian artist Yuri Vassilievich Titov. Signed, titled and dated 1975 to the reverse ...

Zion Mor (Israeli, born 1958) "Urban Cityscape" 2021 Oil Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom left of the painting. "Urban Cityscape" captures the quiet poetry...

Deirdre Murphy's Nest Alchemy series explores the connection between neuron dendritic structures and songbird cup nests. The research was done at Lehigh University’s neuroscience dep...