Recent Painting. Need a little help

[iloveshinythings]

Hey everyone!

I'm a yard sale and flea market junkie, and recently I picked up this big 1938 oil painting by Warren Long with a killer ornate carved wood frame. It's quite large at 38 by 31 inches.

I'm totally in love and it fits right into my house! It's cheerful, sort of naive, and I found a few posts on the artist the day I got it, but can't seem to locate any additional information now. Any help would be great if you guys can point me in a good direction for learning more about the artist and the area he worked in. I'm guessing New York. It has something illegible scribbled on the back, likely the place it was painted. But for being from the depression, it's an awfully happy little painting!

It was just sitting on the side of a trailer, all sad and alone - so I had to have it! Keep your eyes open, ya'll. You never know when you'll almost trip over your next treasure!

 

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[artslinger]

Beautiful painting! I love it! That to me is not "naive", but well done! The artist was definitely very talented in my personal opinion! I love the details on the canoe, the water, the sky, all of it! I recently scored this one, similar to yours, but I like yours better! Congratulations!

P.S. I have never heard of Warren Long, but If I find anything I will let you know. :-)

RJA

 

[RustyGold]

Beautiful painting! Snapshot in time..congratulations on such a fine painting.

 

[JimDon]

I agree with Artslinger. There is a real depth to the painting. Great painting.

 

[thewatchers]

Now I don't mean to offend and I kind of figure you already know this and much more than I do. Have you pulled them from the frame to check to see if it's an originals yet? My mother collects paintings, and I don't mean the usual one or two. She literally has one on every square inch in her house that will holding a painting. Straight up the sides of the staircase, on up to the upstairs walls. Anyways, I'm saying this cause you'd be surprised how good a print can be. Textured and looks that can fool most. Machines just usually don't fool up the edges of the painting where the paint stops under the frame. Brush strokes go past naturally then YAY, you got a goodie. But if they all stop at a perfect straight line, well then I'm afraid its a print. Don't let that get you down though. She's gotten several prints that were worth a few hundred themselves. Well good luck. Hope its worth millions.

 

[artslinger]

Iloves, please show us the back! The back of the canvas should give us a lot of info. Is the canvas brown/dark brown, does it have nails instead of stapes? Does the back show uneven paint on the edges where it's nailed down? I'm very confident that it's an original!

RJA

 

[iloveshinythings]

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for weighing in! I'm excited for this painting!

I am positive that it is an original, but great info watchers! The paint is thick and textured (you can see in the canoe photo I uploaded below)

RJA, here are the photos of the back of it. I'm still trying to decipher the location, "The banks of the N______." It's hard to get a proper photo of the writing because the pencil is very light. Any guesses?

The painter is still hiding in mystery too!

 

[Opiate]

Here ya go American School, 20th Century Winter Splendor | Sale Number 2517B, Lot Number 482 | Skinner Auctioneers

The American Artists School was a progressive independent art school in New York City associated with socialism and the American Radical movement.

The school was founded in April 1936 at 131 West Fourteenth Street. Its founders and board of directors included members and former members of the John Reed Club such as William Gropper, as well as contributors to the New Masses and the Daily Worker, and notable artists such as Margaret Bourke-White and Louis Schanker. Harry Gottlieb was its first director.

The school emphasized art that was not only technically excellent but also alive to the social and class realities of the day, and stressed socially relevant content. A statement from the school's brochure of 1936 reads,
"The American Artists School established [as] its fundamental premise...that the student must be developed as an independent thinker at the same time he is trained to be a competent artist. We believe that America contains infinite painting material, and that the student who learns to understand and appreciate it cannot but evolve into a socially constructive artist."
The school suffered from financial difficulties and closed in the spring of 1941; however, the significant role it played in integrating art and society in the thirties was recognized by both the liberal and radical press.

 

[artslinger]

Excellent research, Opiate! You can tell by just looking at the brush strokes that the piece is high end, and extremely well made! Congratulations on the phenomenal score, Iloves! That just motivates me even more! :-)

RJA

 

[2Minnesota]

Could it say "The bank of Niagara"?

 

[JimDon]

It is titled the Banks of the Niagara. I would believe that is the Niagara River. Great research OP.

 

[iloveshinythings]

Here ya go American School, 20th Century Winter Splendor | Sale Number 2517B, Lot Number 482 | Skinner Auctioneers

The American Artists School was a progressive independent art school in New York City associated with socialism and the American Radical movement.

The school was founded in April 1936 at 131 West Fourteenth Street. Its founders and board of directors included members and former members of the John Reed Club such as William Gropper, as well as contributors to the New Masses and the Daily Worker, and notable artists such as Margaret Bourke-White and Louis Schanker. Harry Gottlieb was its first director.

The school emphasized art that was not only technically excellent but also alive to the social and class realities of the day, and stressed socially relevant content. A statement from the school's brochure of 1936 reads,
"The American Artists School established [as] its fundamental premise...that the student must be developed as an independent thinker at the same time he is trained to be a competent artist. We believe that America contains infinite painting material, and that the student who learns to understand and appreciate it cannot but evolve into a socially constructive artist."
The school suffered from financial difficulties and closed in the spring of 1941; however, the significant role it played in integrating art and society in the thirties was recognized by both the liberal and radical press.

NAILED IT OPIATE! Thanks a million.

We found our man!

 

[iloveshinythings]

Could it say "The bank of Niagara"?

YES! THANK YOU!

I don't know why I couldn't see it!

 

[iloveshinythings]

It is titled the Banks of the Niagara. I would believe that is the Niagara River. Great research OP.

You guys are the best! Thanks so much for making the mystery - a mystery no more!

I just love this painting and am proud to have rescued it out of the dirt! This makes me even more convinced there is still so much treasure to find out there, in all kinds of forms and in all kinds of places!

Happy Hunting YALL! Hope you find something wonderful!

 

[Opiate]

You are welcome Iloveshinythings. It was fun looking it up, I thought it was going to be a long adventure but my trail took me 10 minutes.

 

[FC-Treasure]

Congrats ILoveShinyThings! I collect paintings and I have to say you scored on this one. It is a very nice piece that I think would bring over $1K at auction. What did you end up paying for it?

 

[diggummup]

Great painting, great research and an overall great thread. Two-

 

[iloveshinythings]

Congrats ILoveShinyThings! I collect paintings and I have to say you scored on this one. It is a very nice piece that I think would bring over $1K at auction. What did you end up paying for it?

I paid $100.00 for it because I loved it so much. I'm not mad at that return at all! (Now if I could only sell the things I buy….)

 

[FC-Treasure]

I paid $100.00 for it because I loved it so much. I'm not mad at that return at all! (Now if I could only sell the things I buy….)

$100 for a painting worth over a $1,000 is an awesome return! BTW, I never sell paintings nor sculptures, nor carvings, nor art glass, etc. We have reached the point where we have to rotate collections for display....