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"First Bloom, " Large, Important Art Deco-Magical Realist Ptg. by Calif. Artist

About the Item

Bold and extraordinary and clearly influenced by Diego Rivera, Frieda Kahlo and the Mexican muralists, this large painting by John Greathead depicts a nude American Indian woman face to face with a human like cactus, rising like a TOTEM amidst a sea of Art Deco zigzags and chevrons that draw on the Southwest American landscape and Navajo and other Native American traditions. Sensual, mysterious and stylized, this is one of the most remarkable paintings we have seen from 1930s, California. Greathead lived in Vallejo and San Francisco, and worked at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard as an engineer. He exhibited at the California State Fair in 1930 and this painting was exhibited in the San Francisco Art Association's annual show in 1935. Greathead also exhibited with J. M. Sheridan at the San Francisco Art Center that year.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 47 in (119.38 cm)Width: 33 in (83.82 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1935
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU86514983663
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