William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
American, 1867-1949
William Sommer is seen as a key person in bringing European modernism to Northeast Ohio. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and in his youth apprenticed for seven years to a lithographer.
He briefly studied at an art academy in Germany and then worked as a lithographer in New York before moving to Cleveland, where he was awarded a major contract with the Otis Lithography Company. There he became friends with sculptor and painter William Zorach, and the two, determined to be fine artists, began painting together on weekends. They also became intrigued by avant-garde movements, especially after Zorach's trip to Paris in 1910.
In 1911, Sommer co-founded a group in Cleveland called the Kokoon Club, a mixed group of commercial artists and radical modernists who sought the freedom to pursue their independent tendencies. They converted a tailor's shop into a studio and held exhibitions and lectures and organized an annual masked ball that became the focus of Cleveland's bohemian life.
In 1913, he and his colleagues began painting at Brandywine, about 30 miles south of Cleveland and made a school house into a studio. They devoted increasing time to watercolor painting because they could work spontaneously and it would dry quickly. Rejecting the conventional ideas of beauty, they strove for the expression of emotion and spontaneity and fantasy. One of Sommer's most successful students was Charles Burchfield.
As he was perfecting his mature style, he had financial difficulties because he made his living from commercial lithography, which was becoming obsolete, and the Depression was hitting the nation causing him to lose his job. He became a WPA artist, doing murals in northeastern Ohio.
After his death at age 82, he was largely forgotten until 1980 when Hilton Kramer, a "New York Times" critic, praised his work. In May to July, 1994, the Ohio Arts Council held a retrospective of his work at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus. His work is found in many public collections including the National Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.to
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
16
82
69
40
30
2
Artist: William Sommer
Still Life with Tromp L'Oeil
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Still Life with Tromp L'Oeil
Graphite and watercolor on a book page.
Signed in ink by the artist lower right corner
(see photo)
Provenance:
Estate of the artist (Estate No. 00916 verso)
Ray Sommer (the artist's son)
Joseph M. Erdelac (No. 18 JME verso)
Book page verso is an illustration of a Durer woodcut...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
untitled (Still Life with Apples and Vase of Flowers)
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
[recto];untitled (Sketches for Still
Unsigned
9 1/2 x 12 inches (24.2 x 30.6 cm.)
Category
20th Century William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
Related Items
Antique American Floral Still Life of Roses, Delicately Rendered
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Antique Floral Still Life of Roses, Delicatly Rendered
American, 19th/20th Century
Signed: A. Ziffel 1906 (Lower, Right)
" Still Life of Roses ", 1906
Watercolor and Gouache on...
Category
Early 20th Century William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Graphite
Flower
By Robert Peterson
Located in Dallas, TX
Robert Peterson, "Flower," pastel on paper, 19 x 26 1/4 inches paper size, 27 1/4 x 35 inches including white mat and frame.
The artwork is floated in the mat and only hinged at the...
Category
20th Century American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel
Black and white still life flower drawing of Mimosas by artist, Yvon Pissarro
By Yvon Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Mimosas by Yvon Pissarro (b. 1937)
Graphite on paper
65 x 50 cm (25 ⅝ x 19 ⅝ inches)
Signed and dated lower left Yvon Vey 2002
Provenance
Studio of the artist, Montpellier
Artist b...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
$5,000
H 25.6 in W 19.69 in
A ca. 1938 Graphite on Paper Study of Classical Drapery by Modernist Jan Matulka
By Jan Matulka
Located in Chicago, IL
A ca. 1938 graphite on paper, study of a classical drapery by notable Modernist artist Jan Matulka. The image is drawn on the back of a typewritten, folded sheet of stationery, from...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Graphite
$520 Sale Price
20% Off
H 16 in W 20 in
Mandolin - Unique Drawing Pencil on Paper Hand Signed Surrealism, 1930
By Salvador Dalí
Located in New York, NY
Salvador Dalí
Mandolin, ca. 1930
Graphite on paper
6 × 8 in l 15.2 × 20.3 cm
Frame included - 11 x 13 in l 28 x 33 cm
The authenticity of this artwork has been confirmed by Mr. Desc...
Category
1930s Surrealist William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
Flower Bouquet
Located in Los Angeles, CA
(Note: This work is part of our exhibition Connected by Creativity: WPA Era Works from the Collection of Leata and Edward Beatty Rowan)
Watercolor on paper, 12 x 9 ½ inches unframed sheet, 15 x 12 ½ inches framed, signed lower left
About the Artist:
Nan Watson...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
'Fruit Still Life' original watercolor and gouache on board, signed Yolanda
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Though signed "Yolanda," the artist of this gouache and watercolor painting is unknown. The still life, contained and symmetrical, is dominated by the form of a pear. On either side,...
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache, Board
$875
H 22.5 in W 18.25 in
Ca. 1945 Cubist Graphite on Paper Still Life Drawing by Artist Stanley Bielecky
By Stanley Bielecky
Located in Chicago, IL
A ca. 1945, Cubist black & white graphite drawing of fruit by artist Illinois and Michigan artist Stanley Bielecky. Image size: 4" x 5". Archivally matted to: 13 1/4" x 16".
Stanley Bielecky was an Indiana artist who painted the American scene, from the factories and workers around East Chicago to the bucolic settings of Mackinac Island...
Category
1940s American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite, Paper
$485 Sale Price
25% Off
H 13.25 in W 16 in
Still Life
By Earl Horter
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Best known as an impassioned supporter and avid collector of modern art, Earl Horter was also an artist himself. Largely self-taught, Horter was a highly skilled draftsman and engrav...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel
White Poppies - Botanical Watercolor on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
White Poppies - Botanical Watercolor on Paper
Detailed floral watercolor by Harry Federico (American, 1922-2022). Several white poppies ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Laid Paper
$1,150
H 21.25 in W 27.25 in D 1 in
Morandi Bottle (Abstract, Cubist Still Life Graphite Drawing with Antique Frame)
By David Dew Bruner
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract modernist style still life graphite and acrylic painting inspired by Giorgio Morandi's bottle still life paintings
"Morandi II” by Hudson Valley artist, David Dew Bruner, m...
Category
2010s Abstract William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Graphite
$2,400
H 29 in W 22.5 in D 2 in
Study of horse and ox bones
By Salvator Rosa
Located in Middletown, NY
Graphite, ink wash and watercolor on handmade laid paper with a large, indistinguishable ovoid watermark with a bunch of grapes, 8 7/16 x 12 5/8 inches (225 x 320 mm), signed in brown ink in the lower left. With the Henry Scipio Reitlinger oval stamp in brown ink on the verso (Lugt 2274a).
The condition of the image and paper is consistent with age, there is minor toning on the recto and some attenuation of the green pigment. The drawing is laid down to an 18th century laid paper support and has a small pencil notation in the lower right corner (modern), and scattered notations in pencil on the verso of the support (also modern, perhaps auction/accession notes). On the paper support is an ink drawing in red and black of what appears to be the floor plan for the wing of a large building. The drawing is top-up, adhered facing the verso of the drawing. The architectural drawing on the support is visible through to the recto of the composition when the sheets are viewed through raking light. There is a small area of stipple point spotting in brown ink on the verso of the support. Examination under black light shows no indication of repairs or additions, expert or otherwise.
Provenance:
Henry Scipio Reitlinger was born in either 1882 or 1885, attended Kings College...
Category
Mid-17th Century Old Masters William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper, Graphite
Previously Available Items
Still Life (with pipe, apple, sugar bowl and cup and saucer)
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed with estate stamp C
Provenance:
Joseph M. Erdelac, Cleveland, Inv. # M.J.M.E. 29
Category
1920s William Sommer Still-life Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite, Watercolor
William Sommer still-life drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic William Sommer still-life drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of still-life drawings and watercolors to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Sommer in graphite, paint, pencil and more. Not every interior allows for large William Sommer still-life drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Dick Wray, Lou Fink, and Ian Hornak. William Sommer still-life drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $550 and tops out at $3,000, while the average work can sell for $1,775.