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Surreal Illustration - Glamorous Blond at the Piano

Creator: Jon Whitcomb
Offered by: Robert Funk Fine Art

Description
Today's newly minted fine art stars are from the mid-century surrealism school and include Gertrude Abercrombie, Remedios Varo, and Leonora Carrington, who were mostly unknown five years ago. Right now, they are leading the fine art market, with sales soaring into the seven-figure range and garnering endless attention from museum curators and top collectors. So who's next? Could it be mid-century Surrealist Illustrators?
About the same time, these female surrealists were creating their fascinating pictures, illustrators like Jon Whitcomb were applying surrealist motifs to their work. The main difference is that fine artists worked for themselves, and for-hire artists were commissioned to illustrate stories for a mass readership. Jon Whitcomb was one of the most famous mid-century illustrators, with a steady stream of commissions from major magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies’ Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook. The present work could easily be defined by what I call "Surreal Illustration." Here is a glamorous blond at the piano, having a dialogue with a miniature man who seems to communicate with her via an antenna. What could be more surreal? Not all of Whitcomb's work is this weird. He mostly painted gorgeous women and handsome men. The portrait of the blond at the piano looks easy to execute. In reality, it's masterfully done and reveals a deep knowledge of academic training, combined with the artist's unique style, which, in some instances, was dubbed “Whitcomb Girls.”
Signed lower left. For a story: "Keys to His Heart."
Framed Dimensions 22 X 24.5 Inches - Framed under glass

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	United States, New York
Period:	1950-1979
Materials:	Gouache, Mixed Media on Illustration Board
Condition:	Good. A few pin point dots otherwise presents very well with saturated color - there appear to be no major visible condition issues to note;
Creation Date:	1950
Styles / Movements:	Surrealism, Contemporary, Illustration
Incollect Reference #:	839642

Dimensions

W.	13.5 in;	H.	16.5 in;
W.	34.29 cm;	H.	41.91 cm;

Message from Seller:

Robert Funk Fine Art in Miami offers an eclectic collection shaped by 45 years of experience, blending art with commercial perspectives. For inquiries or art advisory services, contact Robert Funk at decoypoet@yahoo.com or 305.857.0521.