Edward Marecak

Fertility Goddesses, Abstract Nude Figures 1950s Oil Painting, Pink, Blue, Green

1950

Oil on canvas painting from 1946 by Colorado/Woodstock modernist Jenne Magafan (1916-1952) titled 'Deserted Street'. Single figure portrayed in a ghost town with buildings and telephone poles, mountains in the back ground. Presented in a custom gold frame, outer dimensions measure 32 ⅜ x 38 ⅝ x 1 ⅞ inches. Image size is 24 x 30 inches. Painting is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a detailed condition report. Provenance: Private Collection, Denver, Colorado Expedited and international shipping available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Jenne and Ethel Magafan were identical twins, born in Chicago to a Greek immigrant father and a Polish mother. Due to health concerns about their father, the family moved to Colorado, living first in Colorado Springs and then in Denver. He was a proud supporter of their artistic ambitions but died suddenly 1932, a heavy blow to both of them. They attended East High School in Denver, where they found a mentor in their art teacher Helen Perry. She had studied at the Art Institute of Chicago but had later abandoned a career as an artist, making her all the more determined to help the Magafan twins succeed artistically. While still in high school, the twins impressed artist Frank Mechau, and Helen Perry paid for their lessons with him. He subsequently invited them to apprentice with him at his Redstone studio. In 1936, Jenne won the Carter Memorial Art Scholarship and shared it with her sister so that they both could attend the Broadmoor Art Academy in Colorado Springs. Once they ran out of money, Mechau, now teaching there, hired them as assistants. Through their involvement at the Academy, the twins entered into careers as muralists, working at first with Mechau and then with Peppino Mangravite. In 1939, Jenne was awarded her first commission for a mural at the Albion, Nebraska Post Office. Eventually she won a total of seven commissions. For the work, she traveled across the country in a station wagon. Her daughter has said of her mother’s experience that, "They saved up gas coupons as fuel was rationed and drove cross country on ‘retreads’‐‐ refurbished old tires.” Federally sponsored murals could stir up excited responses from local citizens. Jenne’s favorite mural was Cowboy Dance at the Anson, Texas post office, but the local newspaper took offense to a whiskey jug painted in the lower corner, citing that “Throughout the history of Anson there has never been an open saloon.” Meeting the artists Doris Lee and Arnold Blanch in Los Angeles, the twins learned of the art colony in Woodstock, New York, and in 1945 they went to visit. That same year, their work was exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum of Art and the National Academy of Design. Marrying her longtime love, Edward Chavez, Jenne moved to Woodstock along with her sister where, for the first time, the sisters didn’t live together. When Chavez won a Fulbright scholarship, the couple traveled to Italy. During this time, Jenne went to visit her sister in Greece, where Ethel was fulfilling her Fulbright. In 1952, the Magafans and their husbands returned to the States, and less than a week after their return Jenne died in Albany Hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage. Awards: State of Colorado Arts and Humanities Award, 1971; Received the first solo exhibition at the Denver Art Museum; Honored posthumously by Historic Denver as part of the Colorado 100. Education: Cleveland Schools of Art (B.E.A.); Western Reserve University with Henry Keller; Frank Wilcox, William Joseph Eastman...

"Ortez (Modernist Family Portrait)" is a gouache on paper abstract painting by Lewis Lee Tilley (1921-2005) from 1947 of five family members sitting on a couch. Painted in jewel tone...

The Dance of Salome or the Dance of the Seven Veils is a Triptych painted in 3 panels in oil on board. Each panel depicts a semi-abstract, cubist style individual figure: Herod, Herodias and Salome. Painted in bright colors of yellow, orange, red, green, fuchsia, purple, pink, white, blue, black and brown. Presented in vintage frames, framed dimensions of each panel measure 29 x 17 x 1 ½ inches, Image size is 23 ½ x 12 ¼ inches, each. Overall dimensions of the triptych measure 29 x 53 ½ x 1 ½ inches as displayed with 1 inch spacing between each panel. Based on the Dance of Seven Veils in which Princess Salome danced...

'Two Ladies Trying to Out-Mystify Each Other', Original 1969 semi-abstract cubist style oil painting portraying two female figures with still life. Figural abstraction, oil paint on ...

Expressionist style self portrait of the artist, Cornelis Ruhtenberg (1923-2008), oil on board painted in 1949. Signed by the artist on verso. Interior scene of the artist painted in...

Vintage 1950s original signed abstract painting of New York City by Charles Ragland Bunnell from 1951, cityscape mid century modern skyline. Presented in a custom black frame, outer dimensions measure 21 ⅜ x 26 ⅜ x 2 inches. Image size is 19 x 24 inches. Painting is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a complete condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the artist: Charles Bunnell developed a love for art at a very young age. As a child in Kansas City, Missouri, he spent much of his time drawing. When he was unable to find paper he drew on walls and in the margins of textbooks for which he was often fined. Around 1915, Bunnell moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He served in World War I and later used his GI Training to study at the Broadmoor Art Academy (later renamed the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center) during 1922 and 1923. In 1922, he married fellow student, Laura Palmer...

'Portrait of a Man Playing Guitar', oil on board, Berlin School (circa 1960s). Clearly inspired by Georges Braque's (1882-1963) and Juan Gris' (1887-1927) works, this painting is sim...

Le Comte “The Count” - This artwork depicts the 19th century poet, Lucien Ducasse, also known as Comte de Lautremont. After being enthralled by the literary work “Le chants de Maldoror” in one night, the artist dreamt of the poets face and was compelled to bring it to life on canvas. The portrait has a classic setting as “Mezzo Busto”, or half bust, and exudes timeless sophistication through the bold use of color and dense oils, creating a three-dimensional effect and giving immense life to the character. ABOUT THE ARTIST - Massimo Damico...

'The Power of Words', oil on board, Berlin School, (circa 1950s-1970s). A thoroughly modern depiction clearly in the style of Italian Futurist, Fortunato Depero (1892-1960). Futurism...

This painting by Ned Martin blends the artist's signature abstract style with portraiture that is reminiscent of the Old Masters. The softly-executed face and neck of the woman in this painting is contrasted by textured abstract shapes that compose the rest of the painting, namely, the figure's orange, red, and green clothing...

This abstract portrait by Ned Martin blends realistic and abstracted styles. Part of his Spirits Through Time series of female portraits, the woman's face is rendered realistically, ...

This painting by Ned Martin blends the artist's signature abstract style with portraiture that is reminiscent of the Old Masters. The softly-executed realistic face and neck of the woman in this painting is contrasted by textured, abstract shapes that compose the rest of the piece, namely, the figure's large, deep red headpiece...