Paul Chidlaw Clown Figurative Oil Painting
Item Details
Paul Chidlaw (Cincinnati, Ohio; 1900 – 1989)
Untitled (clown with figure)
Oil painting on masonite
Signed “Chidlaw” to lower left
An oil painting on masonite by well-listed American artist Paul Chidlaw (Cincinnati, Ohio; 1900 – 1989). This abstract painting features three clown-like figures standing against a dark red background. They are loosely rendered in expressionistic brushwork. This work is signed to the lower right. It is housed in a simple wood frame that stands on a small bamboo display easel.
Provenance
Private collection, Cincinnati, OH
Purchased from Main Auction Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2011
Paul Chidlaw, an early proponent of abstract expressionism, had a long and distinguished career in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born in Cleves, Ohio, and studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. In 1927, after working as a commercial artist for several years, he left for Europe where he worked, traveled and studied, including a period at L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Fontainebleau. After returning to Cincinnati in 1935 he painted several commissions for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and served in the US Army Corps of Engineers during WWII before settling in to a long teaching career at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. There he was known for his modernist aesthetic, and mentored many students including notable American Pop artists Jim Dine and Tom Wesselmann. In fact, he was so revered that the institution named the Chidlaw Gallery after him in 1986. Chidlaw’s work resides at the Cincinnati Art Museum, Xavier University and in many private collections.
Dimensions
- painting measures 5.5″ × 7.25″.
Item #
18CIN517-031