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"Summoned Reverie, " Superb Surrealist Painting with Nudes by Ames, 1939

$9,750
£7,403.41
€8,466.35
CA$13,622.16
A$15,150.82
CHF 7,911.29
MX$184,369.36
NOK 101,039.21
SEK 94,756.95
DKK 63,187.60
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About the Item

Painted in soft, dreamlike colors and depicting a magical landscape of attenuated nude figures dominated by a painter and his muse, this extremely fine Surrealist work was painted by Arthur Ames in 1939. Here he used egg tempera on gesso-finished board -- a favorite medium among painters such as Paul Cadmus, Jared French and others in the 1930s, 40s and 50s -- to create a highly detailed view of an imagined landscape. Behind the central couple and the painting on its easel, there is a retreating woman in a flowing, Classical robe, and in the far distance a couple embracing on a mountain top. Ames was born in the Midwest but studied on the West Coast and became a California artist through and through; he participated in the Federal Art Project, and worked with his fiancée, Jean Goodwin, to design mosaic panels for Newport Harbor High School in 1937, just two years before this painting. The frame is beautifully executed, and was probably painted by the artist as well.
  • Creator:
    Arthur Ames (Painter)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 23 in (58.42 cm)Depth: 0.75 in (1.91 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1939
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Painting is in excellent condition; frame shows wear and losses.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865124378962

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