By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
This original 1940s grayscale watercolor by Charles Ragland Bunnell depicts a semi-abstracted view of the Golden Cycle Mill in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Rendered in subtle gradations of black and gray, the composition reflects the influence of WPA-era Modernism, combining industrial subject matter with expressive abstraction. The work is a notable example of mid-20th-century American Regionalism, capturing both a sense of place and a forward-looking artistic vision.
Bunnell’s restrained palette and simplified architectural forms transform the industrial landscape into a dynamic modern composition, emphasizing structure, rhythm, and atmosphere. The subject references the Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Company, a major contributor to Colorado’s early 20th-century mining industry, located in what is now Old Colorado City. Through this modernist lens, the painting documents an important chapter of Western industrial history.
The watercolor measures 8 1/8 x 9 5/8 inches (sight size) and is presented in a custom black frame measuring 18 x 19 ½ x 1 ⅜ inches, making it a refined, display-ready piece for collectors of American Modern art, WPA works, and industrial landscapes.
Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897–1968) was a pioneering Colorado modernist, New Deal art...
Category
1940s American Modern Thom O'Connor Art