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Ben Shahn Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

American, 1898-1969
Ben Shahn (1898 – 1969) was a Lithuanian-born American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content. Shahn began his path to becoming an artist in New York, where he was first trained as a lithographer. Shahn's early experiences with lithography and graphic design is apparent in his later prints and paintings which often include the combination of text and image. Shahn's primary medium was egg tempera, popular among social realists. Shahn mixed different genres of art. His body of art is distinctive for its lack of traditional landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. Shahn used both expressive and precise visual languages, which he coalesced through the consistency of his authoritative line. Shahn is also noted for his use of unique symbolism, which is often compared to the imagery in Paul Klee's drawings. His art is striking but also introspective. He often captured figures engrossed in their own worlds. Although he used many mediums, his pieces are consistently thoughtful and playful.
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Artist: Ben Shahn
Nurse and Patient, Original Drawing by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Nurse Medium: Pencil on Paper, signed l.r. Image Size: 7 x 5 inches Frame Size: 15 x 13 inches
Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Ben Shahn Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Untitled - Mixed Media by Ben Shahn - 1950s
By Ben Shahn
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an drawing realized by Ben Shahn (Kovno 1898-New York 1969) Pen drawing on paper applied on canvas. Hand-signed lower right: Ben Shahn. Some light folds and discoloring...
Category

1950s Contemporary Ben Shahn Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Paper

Untitled (Double sided watercolor) Recto: Figures seated at a table
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Watercolor on paper Most probably related to the artist's creation of images surrounding Haggadah (Passover) which he started in 1930 and finished with the publication of his book in...
Category

1960s American Modern Ben Shahn Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

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Ben Shahn figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ben Shahn figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ben Shahn in graphite, ink, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Ben Shahn figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of William Gropper, Bradley Kerl, and Indra Dugar. Ben Shahn figurative drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,500 and tops out at $3,500, while the average work can sell for $3,250.
Questions About Ben Shahn Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 7, 2024
    The style of art of Ben Shahn is social realism. Artists working in this movement sought to highlight social issues by depicting scenes that showed the struggles of modern-day life. For example, Shahn produced four paintings and more than 100 drawings inspired by a 1947 mining accident that killed 111 people in Centralia, Illinois. Arguably the most famous of these works is Miner's Wives, which shows the widows of the miners in mourning. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of Ben Shahn art.

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