Lot 241, Auction 4/3/2026: Mid 20th C. Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting

$715.00

In stock

Anonymous (probably American, active XX century). Untitled (Abstract Expressionist Composition). Oil on board, n.d. Unsigned. A storm of line and shadow surges across the surface, where arcs, scaffolding strokes, and fractured planes collide in a dark, theatrical space. This mid-20th century abstract expressionist composition is built from sweeping curves and forceful linear accents that appear to both construct and dismantle a central form. The eye catches fragments – circular masses, rib-like arcs, laddered verticals – yet no single image resolves fully. Instead, the painting pulses with tension between structure and improvisation. The palette is predominantly black and umber, punctuated by flashes of ochre, muted green, and abrupt slashes of red that flicker like embers within the composition. Size of painting: 15.75″ W x 23.75″ H (40 cm x 60.3 cm); of frame: 21.5″ W x 31″ H (54.6 cm x 78.7 cm)

These restrained but strategic color interventions energize the otherwise shadowed field, recalling the dramatic tonal contrasts associated with Franz Kline, while the layered, calligraphic complexity evokes the gestural density of Gene Charlton. At the same time, the emotive, almost symbolic interplay of curved forms and angular grids anticipates qualities later seen in Carlos Alfonzo, where abstraction feels charged with psychological or spiritual undertones.

The paint handling varies from scraped, incised passages to thicker, impasto-like deposits, suggesting a process-driven approach. Lines appear etched into wet pigment, as if the artist drew directly into the surface to carve out rhythm and structure. The composition feels architectonic yet unstable, a framework in flux. Vertical striations along the right side resemble window bars or a scaffold, while the central mass curves inward like a coiled instrument or mechanical torso, hovering between figuration and abstraction.

Executed on board, the work possesses a certain physical immediacy. The rigid support amplifies the sharpness of the incised lines and reinforces the painting’s graphic authority. Though unsigned, the piece confidently inhabits the vocabulary of mid-century American abstraction – bold, gestural, and uncompromising in its embrace of ambiguity.

Condition: Mounted in frame on fabric-lined matte panel board; verso has not been viewed. Some discoloring, staining, and frays to fabric and frame; none of which affects painting. Small area of loss to paint at lower left and some small chips to upper right. Some surface grime and small areas of possible loss, but, otherwise, nice presentation. Unsigned. Suspension hook on verso of frame for display.

Provenance: Private collection of important Hollywood family, collected between 1930 and 1980

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