Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans

Pompeian Woman by Pierre Olivier Joseph Coomans

1870

Jean-Gabriel Domergue 1889-1962 French Aux Courses (At the Races) Signed "Jean Gabriel Domergue" (lower right) Oil on canvas This exceptional oil by French artist Jean-Gabriel Do...

Federico Zandomeneghi 1841-1917 Italian Les deux soeurs (The two sisters) Signed and dated "Zandomeneghi 95" (lower left) Oil on canvas Two sisters enjoy a quiet moment in a rich green landscape in this intimate oil on canvas from Federico Zandomeneghi. An Italian painter by birth who became a fixture in the Parisian Impressionist scene, Zandomeneghi is best remembered for his sentimental and affectionate scenes of women in both domestic and public spheres. Zandomeneghi’s creative and technical prowess in composition is highlighted in this painting. The artist deftly frames the young pair in the lower register of the canvas, imbuing the work with a remarkably observational feel. The girls pensively gaze off to the right, lost in thought; Zandomeneghi allows the viewer to witness a natural moment of discussion and contemplation shared among the sisters. The soft palette employed by the artist gives the whole scene an atmospheric glow, with dappled rays of sunshine breaking through the lush foliage. Though the girls remain in the shaded areas of the landscape, Zandomeneghi’s skillful application of paint allows a brightness to remain nevertheless. Federico Zandomeneghi was born in Venice to a long line of neoclassical sculptors. As if created to be an artist, Zandomeneghi began his artistic education early, enrolling in the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice at just 15 years old before transferring to the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. By 1862, the artist had arrived in Florence, where he became fast acquaintances with several Italian artists dedicated to executing landscape paintings en plein air. Zandomeneghi embraced the spontaneity, seeking to bring unparalleled luminosity to his works. When Zandomeneghi arrived in Paris in 1874, he found kindred spirits...

William Clarke Wontner 1857-1930 British Portrait of a Beauty Signed and dated "W. Wontner 1918" (lower left) Oil on canvas Classical beauty a...

A Salvation Army Santa looks on with a mixture of fatigue and disinterest as a group of children tell him their Christmas gift wish lists in this lighthearted composition by leading American illustrator Leslie Thrasher. This painting was created for the December 20, 1930 issue of Liberty Magazine, for which the artist illustrated covers on a weekly basis for six consecutive years. Thrasher is known for his scenes of everyday American life imbued with a sense of humor, qualities represented to great effect in this charming painting. Born in 1889 in Piedmont, West Virginia, Thrasher studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as a teenager and received a scholarship to study art abroad in Paris. Upon his return, he began studying under Howard Pyle, known as the “father of American illustration.” Thrasher sold his first cover illustration to the Saturday Evening Post in 1912, four years before Norman Rockwell’s first Post cover, and he would go on to produce over 360 magazine covers throughout his career. He painted humorous, relatable scenes of everyday life in America with colorful characters set against white backgrounds. He was also a successful commercial artist, painting advertisements for Cream of Wheat, Chesterfield Cigarettes...