Pennsylvania - Paintings

An elegant and sophisticated example of high style Art Deco eglomise painting, this depiction of a stylized Orpheus figure with lyre and cape is painted in rich tones of gold, black ...

Brilliantly painted in tones of blue, green and warm brown, this fractured view of a church and palm trees along the Mediterranean, the building's tower and apse depicted in a golden...

Large and dynamic, this 1947-vintage painting depicts a shirtless man handling a high-spirited Percheron horse that won a blue ribbon at the Indiana st...

Full of color and movement, this detailed study for a room dominated by a monumental Art Deco mural was painted by a French artist, perhaps for an interior design firm in Bordeaux. T...

This masterful and extraordinary painting, filled with ghostly nudes in various poses in a dark interior, with Orpheus playing the lyre in the garden outside lit in an otherworldly golden light was clearly created by Pavel Tchelitchew, Eugene Berman or another Mid-Century master of Surrealism. Full of symbolism and allegory, the interior features sheep and nude figures who are in deep sleep or some kind of euphoric stupor. Some figures are painted in a silvery white, as if lit by the moon, and others are suffused in a golden lifelike...

A finely detailed bucolic landscape capturing two sheep in the foreground and a pair of goats just behind them on a pasture of green grasses with golden billows of wheat in the background. In the distance we see hints of a windmill at the unusually low horizon beneath brilliant bright skies. The work is signed in his typical manner lower left. ARTIST Read about the life of Eugene Verboeckhoven...

This is a mid-century vintage oil on canvas male nude painting. This painting has beautiful tones of amber, cream and brown. The painting is presented in his original naturalist blon...

Large Vintage French Style 58" x 70" Gold Frame Still Life Oil Painting with Bouquet of Flowers. Item features a large gold carved wood frame, oil on canvas, stately impressive size,...

In an era when the circus provided an affordable and exotic form of entertainment for the Everyman, this vivid painting, glowing with the colors of red clay, slate and dusty pink, ca...

Clearly influenced by Raoul Dufy, Marie Laurencin and Hollywood set designs, this striking depiction of two nude female figures around a table with a bowl of fruit was painted in 194...

Striking in conception and execution, this half-portrait of a handsome, blue-eyed young man -- his back to a mirror and his arm folded over a chair -- was painted by Marion Huse, who...

Mid-Century Modern oil on canvas by listed artist George Barrel depicting a ballerina in several overlayed poses. In original frame with paperwork still taped to back. Measures 37.25...

A superb example of American allegorical painting celebrating the nation's trade and commerce, this gorgeous, high energy view of a major port, bustling with sailing ships, steam shi...

CIRCLE OF KAREL BREYDEL (ANTWERP, 1678-1744) Flemish School, circa second quarter of the 18th century Cavalry Battling Along the River Banks Oil on panel right panel signed illegibl...

A very well done Signed "Ship in Storm" Gouache on Paper Artwork. Newly professionally framed and ready to hang. In the style of Edward Hopper & Win...

This fresh and vibrant portrait of a young woman with glowing blond hair and a blue 1940s frock is one of the finest World War II vintage portraits we have ever offered. Her complex...

A very interesting and unusual Lancaster Covered Bridge Original Oil Painting by artist J. Earle Pfoutz. The painting is produced on artist board and comes complete with what appears to be an original artist decorated/painted frame. The painting is signed on the front by the artist and is dated 1936 on the rear. Overall frame Size approximately 28″ wide x 2″ deep x 22″ high J. Earle Pfoutz had a long and distinguished career as a self trained artist. More can be learned about him from reading this article produced by Gary Hawbaker at askART Earle Pfoutz Born: 1891 – Lancaster, Pennsylvania Died: 1957 Known for: Landscape, figure, still life painting An image of J Earle Pfoutz Biography from the Archives of askART J. Earle Pfoutz (John Earle Pfoutz) – (Oct 23, 1891-Nov 9, 1957) “A seventh generation descendant of a Swiss family which arrived in America early in the 17th Century, J. Earle Pfoutz was born in Lancaster, PA, son of John Bachman and Susan Allison Pfoutz. He painted houses for a living and pictures for a life. A self-taught artist, described as a primitive, he was distinctive for his vivid imagination and bold color application. He painted hundreds of Lancaster County scenes. Pfoutz traveled through the hills near his home and along the Susquehanna River in search of scenes. He began painting with a brush when he was fourteen, but added a palette knife after suffering an eye injury. He completed eighth grade in the Lancaster Public Schools and there his formal education ended. However, the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Pennsylvania thought so highly of his work as an artist that officials certified him as an art instructor and he taught for a year in the York (PA) public schools. He also was an art instructor under the program for disabled veterans, sponsored by the Veterans Administration, when he gave private instruction to veterans in their homes. In 1947, J. Earle Pfoutz finally earned national recognition as an artist. His painting, Opalescent October, was chosen by the Museum of Art of Dayton Ohio, to travel all over the country for a year with its Group Exhibition. Described as a “very colorful, calm scene, iridescent in color, sweeping in design,” the painting started on its journey around the country early in 1948. In an interview with the Sunday News (Lancaster, PA – Nov 2, 1947), Pfoutz stated that he didn’t know whether he was a “primitive” or an “impressionist.” No master taught him, no school channeled his style. “Sometimes I didn’t eat, but I always managed to paint,” he recalled. Many of his hundreds of canvases -most of them not sold, but given away to friends – found their way to other parts of the country. “I never remember the day when I did not love color,” Pfoutz said. “I was about 12 years old when I saw my first palette – a string of different colored paint paddles that graced the stores of that day. As a boy I had two great desires. One was to be able to eat all the strawberry jam I could, and the other to possess a string of those beautiful paint paddles. Well, I’ve got my fill of jelly, but I’ve never yet got my fill of beautiful colors.” In 1950, Pfoutz’s one man show of paintings made front page headlines in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal: “Most of the twenty oil paintings on exhibition are landscapes, although there are several interesting figure studies. Colors again, as in all Pfoutziana are rich and full-bodied, but for the most part not as startlingly as in some of the earlier work. Most of the paintings were done during the past year, and also reveal the painter’s characteristic heavy impasto technique, in which the rich swirls of paint carry their own message. Among the figures, The Banjo Picker, and The Magician, are the most provocative. Both are character studies; the first being of a tramp musician whose drab clothing is set-off by a luminous aqua blue background. Modern in feeling and treatment is The Magician, a clown-faced wizard whose spinning ball in the air suggests the fourth dimension – space. The use of the primary colors in this picture serves to emphasize the theme effectively. A large colorful landscape, Opalescent October, depicting rolling hills against a late afternoon sky is new to Lancastrians, as it has just returned from Dayton, Ohio, where it hung in the Dayton Art Institute. Another landscape with soft dreamy colors is Fantasie D’Autumne, and one of the loveliest pictures in the show. Pennsylvania Dutch Country is another with eye appeal, and was one of the works which was hung in the Old Customs House in Philadelphia during Pennsylvania Week, and before that in a collection of Pfoutz work in the same place. In deep contrast to the sunny skies and brilliant foliage of many of the pictures, is the somewhat morbid Worry, in which the center of interest is a tremendous rat. This, the painter explains, was symbolic of 1948 in China, which was ‘The Year of The Rat’ in the Chinese calendar. Background material for the picture was furnished to Pfoutz by author Pearl Buck. Other pictures include Autumn Prelude, Miners Village, painted at Cornwall, PA; Humid Day, Saint Peters Kierch, at Middletown, PA; Lady Pfoutz, inspired by the painter’s wife; Sun Flowers, Sentimental Journey, Gyne, Luzon Woman, Old Bridge, The Cow Path. Lemures, based on Roman mythology, and Ethiopian, painted from an ebony wood carving from Kenya Province, S. Africa.” In 1953, Pfoutz was installed as President of the Lancaster County Art Association. A. Z. Kruse, New York City artist, writer and member of the faculty of the Brooklyn College and the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, Manhattan, was the guest speaker. In January of 1953, thirty-five Pfoutz oils were exhibited at the Old Custom House in Philadelphia, PA under the sponsorship of the Carl Schurz Memorial Foundation. Several Lancaster County landscapes and covered bridges were included as well as Katy, a Pennsylvania Dutch scene. Symbolic paintings included End of the Second Day, the artist’s visualization of the second coming of Christ, and Twilight, typifying the grief of mothers of all lands for sons lost in battle. In June of 1953, a Pfoutz oil made history in Lancaster. From the Lancaster New Era: “For the first in local art history, a painting has been withdrawn from an exhibition because of objections from viewers and hostesses serving at the show. The painting, Jeune Fille, a standing nude done by Pfoutz, was one of the paintings in the annual spring exhibition of the Art Association and had become the center of the controversy. Pfoutz said he took the painting down… ‘graciously but reluctantly.’ ‘From an artistic standpoint, there is nothing offensive about the painting,’ Pfoutz said. ‘This community just wants its nudes with clothes on.’ “It is most brilliant in color, and because it is so brilliant I thought it would make a nice lively spot for the show. This is the first time I’ve had to take a picture off the walls. I substituted a seascape for it.’ Pfoutz said he felt the painting brought a lot of viewers to the show because it was so controversial. It had never been exhibited before. ‘If this had been shown in a metropolitan city,’ he commented, ‘people wouldn’t have given it a second glance. But the viewpoint here is more conservative, even though I don’t think moderns would have minded.’ He said he felt the painting was neither ‘objectionable nor pornographic,’ but had complied with the wishes of fellow members of the Art Association who telephoned him to relay the protests they had received. The art controversy was the first to arise here publicly since the showing of Amish Grandmother, an oil by William Gropper which was part of the Gimbel Pennsylvania exhibit at the Griest Building several years ago. — Numerous viewers of Amish Grandmother, [a painting showing an Amish woman holding a white goose], expressed themselves quite vocally, calling it an affront to the Plain Folk. But it stayed on exhibit throughout the length of the Gimbel show. Pfoutz expressed no rancor, implying that if Gropper could take it so could he.” After his death, there were several shows of Pfoutz’ work organized by his son J. Earle, Jr. J. Earle, Jr. also saw to it that President Eisenhower would receive an oil called The Cow’s Path. The president first saw the painting in 1950 when, as president of Columbia University, he visited Lancaster to address a student assembly at Franklin and Marshall College. After his address was over, the then Gen. Eisenhower stopped at the Fackenthal Library on the campus to view an exhibition of Pfoutz’s paintings. The Cow’s Path intrigued him. For some time, as his aides fumed to get him back on his time schedule, Eisenhower and Pfoutz talked, as artist to artist. Prior to his death, Pfoutz requested that The Cow’s Path be given to the President if he wanted it. The painting was presented to Ike at the White House in November of 1959. Mrs. Eisenhower owned a Pfoutz painting titled, In the Manor. Though house painting was his livelihood, he worked for Millersville State Teachers College (now a university) for a time during World War II, and called himself “the Chimney Sweep of MSTC.” During that period he knocked out a dizzying canvas in the surrealist style (he thought it was terrible) and got into the campus newspaper when one of the students spotted it. Earle Pfoutz was not the humble, downtrodden artist, not the Douanier Rousseau type at all. As he developed his skill and style through the years, he also fashioned a resilient confidence in himself as an artist. Whether he was building his own home (he built two) or painting one for somebody else, he never lost faith in his ultimate recognition—though he was never sure he would live to see it. Whether he was working as a rigger for a hoisting company, in the Stehli Silk Mill of Lancaster, carving Cloister-style chairs, decorating old chests, cementing bricks from the old Safe...

- Signed and dated '89 - Framed in ornate gold frame - Framed dimensions : 25.5 in x 16 in.

Finely painted in gouache by J. Collazzi, who did a series of landscapes and fantasy paintings in the 1930s, this scene of two classical figures restraining a horse is classic Art De...

"A Fields View", Depicting green bushes in a large field. - Oil on Canvas , signed lower right - Unframed

LAI FONG OF CALCUTTA Hong Kong/India, active 1875-1910 "County of Caithness" (1897) Oil on canvas signed lower right "Lai Fong / Calcutta / 1897" Item # 403ZMN11W A very fine oi...

Although she is famous for her genre scenes such as "Bleeker Street Fire Hydrant" and "New Year's Eve in Greenwich Village," Kyra Markham began her career...

Executed in gorgeous shades of coral, dove gray and olive, this scene of two nude women perched on folding chairs was painted by Dorothy Van Loan, a c...

One of the most vividly painted and striking portraits of Native Americans ever painted in the 1920s, this oil on canvas depiction of a mother and child -- clearly reflecting centuries of painted Madonnas in Europe -- was made by Jean Hanau...

Frederic Montenard (FRENCH , 1849-1926) "Fishing Boats in a Harbor" Fishing boats docked at port in Mediterranean town. Oil on Canvas, sign...

Dramatic and gripping, this pair of original paintings served as illustrations for “Slave Story” a book or magazine story. Pendexter may ha...

Absolutely lovely, almost translucent in its use of color -- as if painted on glass or silk -- this very rare gouache painting was created by William Hentschel, one of the master art...

Lovely 19th Century Painting by Italian Artist Alessandro Sani (1856-1927). Lovely Painting by Alessandro Sani from 19th Century. Similar one sold in...

Absolutely winning and full of charm, this book illustration depicts a bunny rabbit running across the land, the hilly landscape rich with browns and greens, and the sky a perfect blue. Painted in gouache on illustration board, the Sphinx mark -- one of the brands of the Weber company -- is visible on the reverse. This would make a perfect addition to the walls of a children's room, or a collection of American illustration art.

This brilliant Surrealist composition, with the stylization and exaggerated plant forms of Art Deco, was painted by Jan Matulka in 1944. Both Surrealism and "Moderne" decorative arts thrived in the 1940s, and here the artist draws from both styles. Matulka was born in Prague and came to America as a young man, and trained here and in Paris, where he became exposed to Cubism. He exhibited in New York, created illustrations for New Masses which advanced the interest of American workers...

An expansive view of the flood plains of the Nile with people, palm trees, buildings and camel along the banks in the foreground and Pyramids in the background. - Oil on Canvas, sign...

This important and very rare mural study, executed in oil on canvas, was painted by Dunbar Beck in the 1930s, evidently for a project that was never completed. The painting depicts i...

Masterfully painted in tones of green and coral, this scene of an exotic knight fighting a fearsome dragon is full of energy. The dragon's snout and cresting suggests the influence ...

JOHN FAULKNER, R.H.A. Ireland, 1830/35-1894 "The Smeltery" Oil on canvas signed lower left original label verso titled "The Smeltery / John Faulkner R.H.A." Item # 909KRP13 A wond...

This very large and energetic sketch, depicting several nude figures stepping forward through a circular opening, was painted by Raoul Pene du Bois, probably as a preparatory piece f...

Dramatic and bold, this painting of a shirtless man restraining a bull -- his skin dark as night, and the bull's hide as pale as moonlight -- is a classic example of Art Deco design....

This strong and dignified portrait of the great Cherokee leader, Junaluska, painted by one of America's leading illustrators long after the Native American's death, uses a palette of black and mossy green to capture its subject. Junaluska lived in western North Carolina in the early 19th century and served as an ally of Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812, saving his life during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. Despite his heroism, he was exiled from his native land, participating in the Trail of Tears...

ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN SMITH OF CHICHESTER England, 1717-1764 "The Second Premium Landscape, a copy" oil on canvas unsigned, attributed posthumously verso in pitch "jno Smith of Chichester 1716-1764" Item # 208DEJ23W In 1760 the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce initiated a prize to be awarded to artists based on the judgement of their work by the society. George Smith of Chichester one the First Premium award for his landscape submission and John Smith of Chichester was awarded the Second Premium for his own landscape. That painting would be acquired by the Goodwood House of Chichester where it remains in their collection today. It is a magnificent painting measuring 6' 4" x 4' 6" and it was included in the collection of engravings executed by William Woollett in 1763 for "Picturesque Scenery of England and Wales", a work that showcased many of the Smith Brothers' paintings reversed as engravings. Executed in oil on canvas, the present example remains in fine original condition over its original stretchers, the canvas being unlined and still presenting beautifully. It depicts a sweeping landscape that is clever in its melding of a classical pastoral ideal together with the intricacies of the Dutch landscape paintings of the seventeenth-century (Pallant, p. 49). The scene is anchored by a river with a trio of figures congregated in the center while a flock of sheep and some cows are herded over the arched bridge in the distance; sheep rest in the shade of the woods on the right while in the distance under pink sky is a hint of the coastal waters that border a small town. The spires of a church rise into the blue-ish hues of distant mountains. This example of the Second Premium is notable in that it includes elements of the scene along the left side of the painting that were left out of the original example at Goodwood: the boulders along the water, the castle on the hill and all the detail in between. And also that it was executed in the same orientation as the engraving, rather than the reversed scene originally painted. For a similar orientation, see the relatively low-quality painting after the engraving in oil on copper that was offered at Sotheby's in 2017, a small painting attributed to John Smith of Chichester that was offered with an estimate of $ 5,000 - $ 7,000. The painting is inscribed in black pitch on the reverse in a period script "jno Smith of Chichester 1716-1764", "FG6981" and in chalk "LOT 333"; it retains a label from Richard Feigen & Co of New York and the upper right corner is retained an early loan label that was never filled out. The painting is housed in an ebonized and parcel gilded frame from the middle of the 20th century. It is unknown whether the painting was executed by John Smith of Chichester or was completed by a follower of his work. As discussed by Brian Stewart in the Pallant House catalog of The Smith Brothers of Chichester, the exquisite engravings of works by the Chichester Brothers were incredibly popular and widely distributed. As an interesting annecdote, when their contemporary Thomas Hearne produced paintings of "The Improved Landscape" and "The Unimproved Landscape" that were engraved for Richard Payne...

Dominic "Don/Dom" Mingolla Enamel on Copper Framed Equestrian Painting Horse Jockey Race Derby. Item features enamel on copper painting, distressed w...

Vintage Chinese Watercolor silkscreen Framed Painting of Cats and Flowers. Circa Mid to late 20th Century. Measurements: 21.5" H x 13.5" W x...

The American public was fascinated with all things exotic in the 1930s and 1940s, including aquatic and seaside themes and Art Deco hotels and residential interiors often featured pa...

Culinary still life, "Eggs and Garlic" painted by Bucks County artist, Valerie Von Betzen. Von Betzen is a regional artist well-known for her even...

Brilliantly painted in a palette of canary yellow, orange-red, browns and blues, this WPA-period painting of an open-air market under the Market-Frankford elevated train line ("the El") in Philadelphia was executed by Dorothy Van Loan...

Large blue abstract Venetian plaster painting, Carol L.Post, 2019. In this soft blue textured painting by artist Carol Post subtle strokes of plaster blend with the background and gracefully dance...

This warm and vivid painting -- probably made in response to the opening salvos of World War II -- depicts the mythological Eros figure, with wings outspread, placing his arm on an i...

Depicting a bountiful still life of flowers, fruit, and lobster under the watchful eye of a perched parrot and cherub, all in the foreground with a garden landscape in the background...

Bomolo oil on canvas abstract painting signed bottom right 1960. Known in it's day as Airport Art, Local Artists would sell their paintings to Tourists. Ma...

A riot of color and movement, much like the experience of walking around the circus in its heyday in 1930s America, this scene by Iver Rose depicts a barker at his podium, positioned...

JOSEPH JANSEN German, 1829-1905 "A Dutch Homestead" (1884) Oil on canvas signed lower right "J. Jos. Jansen 1884" Frost & Reed label verso with title Item # 308EPG23Z An exceeding...

A rare and magnificent example of a mural influenced by both the Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau movements, this painting of a plumed knight on horseback...

Lovely and ethereal, reminiscent of the pale, ideal compositions of Puvis de Chavannes in France and America, this utopian vista depicts a series of figures gathering fruit and grain, all in formal classical poses like an ancient, early Renaissance painting...

A very interesting and unusual Cornwall Iron Banks Original Oil Painting by artist J. Earle Pfoutz. The painting is produced on canvas and comes complete wit...

Incredibly detailed whimsical large canvas of a circus coming to an old American town, by artist Jullian Rockmore, signed lower left. Rockmore came from a family of artists and his w...

One of the most brilliantly-hued paintings by Albert Gleizes we have seen, this highly abstract Cubist work is a rotating knot of curving forms in periwinkle, carmen, olive green, sky blue, burnt sienna and grey flannel, as vivid now as when it was painted a hundred years ago. Early in his life he was influenced by Fernand Leger, Robert Delauney...

Alfred Pollentine (BRITISH , 1836-1890) Venice in Spring - Oil on Canvas , signed lower right - Large Venice canal with boats and dome seen in far background.

This bucolic woodland scene is one of the most charming pieces that Lee Woodward Zeigler produced over a career that focused largely on mural painting. Z...

Rich with color and evocative of a woodland setting with nude Classical figures, this lovely watercolor painting was made by Boris Solotareff in 1928, in Paris. The artist was born ...

Brilliantly painted in striking shades of tomato red, green-blue and chalky white, this painting was made by Béla Kádár, increasingly appreciated and collected today as Hungary's ...

One of the finest examples of illustration art and Art Deco painting we have ever offered, this elegant and sophisticated view of New Yorkers skating arm in arm on a frozen pond or l...

"Alle", - Depicting a large treelined street with couple strolling down the sidewalk. - signed lower right - Unframed