Stevan Dohanos (American, 1907-1994) 'Two Dories' Wood Engraving

Lot description

Stevan Dohanos (Connecticut/Ohio 1907-1994) "Two Dories, 1941" Wood Engraving Signed in pencil lower right numbered 29/50 12 1/2" L 10 1/2" H Art visible 6" L 3 3/4" H Americana Realist in Overall Great Condition We Provide Efficient and Economical In-house Shipping US & Worldwide also including White Glove Door-to-Door Delivery Service with Personal Drivers Across the Tri-State Area For Further Details Please Select 'Buyer Arranged Shipping' and Contact our Office. Please View all Photographs Closely Out of a Well Refined New York City Estate Thank you for Bidding with Gold Coast Auctioneers 50 Werman ct Plainview NY 11803 tel. 516-586-3992 We are now accepting Consignments for our future auction Search words: Fine Art for collectors mid-20th century art port scene harbor scene boat scene fishermen fishing scene nautical landscape beach landscape fishing scene Contemporary art modern decor whimsical wall decor home decor interior design impressionist scene realism natural art 20th century art coastal scene woodcut Born in the steel mill town of Lorain, Ohio, Stevan Dohanos, called the 'American Realist' was a founder of the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut. One cannot discuss the illustration art of Dohanos without mentioning Norman Rockwell because their Saturday Evening Post cover images are invariable compared. Whereas Rockwell was noted for idealizing Americans and their way of life, Dohanos had an all-consuming love for the common everyday things in life. He stated "As an artist I have always gloried in finding beauty in the ordinary things of life." Dohanos was influenced by 'The Eight' (Henri, Sloan, Glackens, Shinn, Prendergast, Davies, Lawson, Luks) and the realistic depictions they painted, saying, "the truth and quality of the art could not be long denied." He was more true to fact and form than Rockwell who tended to over indicate and exaggerate. The difference between the two illustrators is more obvious in their choice of subjects rather than in their techniques. It is said that Dohanos focused more on the locale of the people he portrayed rather than the people themselves, making him more objective than Rockwell. Norman Rockwell once described the privilege of painting for the Post, "the greatest show window in America for an illustrator. If you did a Post cover, you had arrived." The proof of Dohanos success was that he painted over one-hundred and twenty-five Saturday Evening Post covers during the 1940's and 50's, illustrating scenes of American life including baseball games, ice cream, mobile homes, gas stations, children with toys or butterfly collections, barns, and of course, Harley-Davidsons. Dohanos also illustrated for Esquire magazine amongst other magazines and designed forty-six stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. Later in his career, he did advertising commissions using still-life subjects rather than lifestyle images, showing people employed in various poses. Dohanos was considered the Cultural Spokesman for the Saturday Evening Post because of his clear visual images and their poignant messages of Americana revealed. He cherished his relationship with the Post, and relished the differences between his work, Rockwell's and other Post favorites. Dohanos along with Rockwell came to represent the quintessence of American magazine illustrators. His images were generally slightly humorous, optimistic, manifesting the best of American ideals, and they were always familiar to the reader. Stevan Dohanos is considered "The Delineator of the Heart of America." His paintings are in the collections of the Avery Memorial of Hartford, The Cleveland Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Whitney Museum of American Art and more.