Sunday, March 11, 2012

Time for a little art 2 (Status: sequel)

My previous post named "Time for a little art" has been a perennial top five post, even hitting the top spot for a while, so it's time for a sequel.  Three pieces of vintage consumer grade artwork for your viewing pleasure.
These were all snagged at various thrift store over the last four or five months
From the left:
Nice paint by numbers sea shanty or fishing shack.  Despite the run down appearance of the shanty/shack I think the colors are rather cheerful without being "in-your-face".  The natural finish of the frame contributes nicely to the feel of the painting, almost as if it is made of wood from the shack/shanty.  I think I found this at the Ohio Thrift in Grove City.
This piece reminds me of Pablo Picaso's painting "Don Quixote"except that it's just the horse, it's very dark and busy.  This image appears to have been made by painting over a printed image (I forget the name for that) using an impasto technique (using a palette knife or brush to apply a thick application of paint to the canvas) then adding some sand for extra texture.  Found this one in my home town on 50% off day at the Salvation Army store.  17" by 25".
I can't quite make out the artist's name ...Van Oaartt or Van Vaamtt, Van Vaartt... Van Dammitt!
The last one os a nice print, probably a lithograph, of the New York skyline, that is nicely framed with a cloth matt.  I remember seeing this behind the counter at the Morse Rd. Goodwill; someone else had taken it to the counter to buy it and then decided against it.  The cashier knocked 25% off for me so she didn't have to lug it back to the art wall.  17 1/2" by 36".
Yup, there it is... "Skyline lower N.Y. City from Brooklyn"
Hmmm, can't make out that signature... Ahhh, it's John Haymson.
John Haymson was born in Vienna, Austria in 1902, eventually studied art at the Vienna Academy of Fine Art.  In the early 1930s he painted and sketched stage and costume designs for Max Reinhardt who was a famous theater producer of the time.  In 1938 John and his wife were forced to flee from Germany by Hitler and escape the Holocaust.  In the U.S. John worked for Warner Brothers then taught painting at the Parsons school of Design. 
This print probably comes from the 1960s/ early 1970s when Mr. Haymson was the most reproduced artist in America; his work was wildly popular and is probably something he painted for the New York Graphic Society and Aaron Ashley, Inc.
He painted all of his life until his death in 1980.
For more information on John Haymson please visit 
(where I found all of this information)





9 comments:

  1. "...Van Oaartt or Van Vaamtt, Van Vaartt... Van Dammitt!"

    Dude! It's Van Guard!
    Sort of the "C. Jere" of paintings.

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    1. I thought Carlo of Hollywood was the C. Jere of paintings

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    2. Lee Reynolds Burr worked for Vanguard Studio, and among the many names he used for his paintings, Van Gaard was one. I think what looks like two Ts at the end of the name is a D and part of the design that looks kinda like a lightning bolt. Van Hoople is another name you'll see on mass produced art of this kind. I still like Van Dammitt better. haha

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  2. Very nice! They'd all look great in my store...

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  3. YAY for thrifted art, I have so many thrifted art pieces that I've run out of wall space (oops). I especially like the unusual abstract painting, it seems rather dreamlike.

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  4. http://artillerymag.com/the-legend-of-lee-reynolds/ I have a very very similar oil painting by Van Gaard except my horse is facing the other direction. He has the same saddle and large black swirl splash which I interpret aas the mane of the horse moving. On the back on the painting it is marked 406B which identifies the actual repro artist (see link above)

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