Emlen Etting. Ink and watercolor. Portrait Sketch. Philadelphia Modernist / Gay interest / Signed Start Price USD 125.00 Current Price USD 125.00 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, July 06, 2008 End Time Sunday, July 13, 2008 Location Berkeley, CA See more about 'Emlen Etting. Ink and watercolor. Portrait Sketch.' Description (If you're not familiar with this notable artist, read his biography below the item description. KEYWORDS: Listed Artist. Philadelphia. Modernism. Mid Century. Eames. Watercolor. Drawing. Gay Interest.)   DESCRIPTION   Here is a beautiful portrait, a perfect example of Etting's style. He calls it a "Sketch for a small oil," but it is really a complete work in itself. It is executed in ink, pencil, and watercolor on bond paper. Note the well executed face, which expresses the personality of the young girl, her bright blue eyes, and such classic Etting touches as the curved shapes on the back of the chair, which echo the girl's blond curls. You could not get a better Etting portrait, short of buying one of his oils.    The paper has some light uneveness as a result of the watercolor drying, but this texture is consistent throughout and the piece is vitually flat. This drawing / painting will frame nicely.     The paper is 11.5 x 9.75 inches. It is signed, along with the description at lower right. The name "Angela Hollins" (the sitter, no doubt), is written on the girl's bodice at left.  It is hard to date the piece, because Etting's portrait style remained relatively consistent even as he experimented with his other painting. But based on the paper type and general look-and-feel, I am assuming this work is from the 50s or later.   It is a great example of an intriguing Modernist artist. See also the second Etting drawing / watercolor I have listed -- a fantastic little study of horses, also executed in a combination of ink, pencil, and watercolor.   CA residents will be charged 8.75% sales tax.   THE ARTIST    Emlen Etting was born in Philadelphia in 1905, and died there in 1993. Etting is now gaining renewed recognition as one of the true "originals" in 20th century American art.   The son of a prominent family, Etting lived a charmed life. He graduated from Harvard, and then studied for several years in Paris, where his teachers included the cubist Andre Lhote. While in Paris, he was exposed to the pioneering filmmaking of such figures as Bunuel.   On his return to Philadelphia, Etting began painting and filmmaking – indeed, he is recognized as among the first American artist-filmmakers. (His experimental short-films of the '30s are now shown at festivals around the world.) He traveled to Mexico, and also to the arts colonies in Taos and Santa Fe. His paintings were acquired by the Whitney Museum, among others. He won commissions for book illustrations. And he was represented by the Midtown Gallery in New York, a prominent gallery (since closed) whose artists included Paul Cadmus.   Meanwhile, Etting taught. He maintained a private school in his home for a time, and later taught at Temple University's Tyler School of Art, the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts), and Florida Southern College. He was also the national president for Artists Equity in 1955-57.   Etting was gay, and there is a homoerotic tone to much of his work (male nudes, images of sailors, and so on). Yet he was married. His wife Gloria was from an aristocratic and artistic transatlantic family (Italy and the US). Together, she and Emlen lived a glamorous life. They traveled extensively. Gloria wrote magazine articles and books that Emlen illustrated. They hosted a radio talk show. They were renowned for their entertaining, and were friends with the artists and "jet setters" of the day. And both enjoyed the company of attractive, intelligent young men.   Etting’s work has great variety – figural, surreal, abstract, erotic. The first book-length biography of the artist has recently been published.    Place a Bid!