Raul Mina Mora (American 1915-1996) Gouache on Board 'Venice' - Signed

a serene impressionistic sunlit scene of a couple in the foreground seated in a gondola facing the viewer with a typically-dressed gondolier standing at the stern; with the towering St. Mark's Campanile and striking Basilica softly lit in the background; signed lower right; site dimensions: 11.5" x 11.5", overall dimensions: 16.5" x 16.5"; Raul Jose Mina Mora (Minamora) was born in Santa Ana, El Salvador in 1915, the son of a wealthy coffee plantation owner. Minamora came to San Francisco in 1924 where he studied at the California School of Fine Arts (San Francisco). He continued at the Art Students League in New York under Howard Trafton and later in Austria under Hart. After serving in the army in Europe during World War ll, Minamora returned to San Francisco where he was active as a commercial artist. In San Francisco he served as Art Director for Hanna Advertising Agency and worked actively as a free-lance artist for several of the major advertising agencies in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.