Paul Chidlaw Abstract Expressionist Coastal Town Landscape Oil Painting

Item Details

Paul Chidlaw (Cincinnati, Ohio; 1900 – 1989)
Untitled
Oil painting on board
Signed “Chidlaw” to lower edge

An oil painting on board by well-listed American artist Paul Chidlaw (Cincinnati, Ohio; 1900 – 1989). This abstract expressionist painting features a seaside village surrounding a harbor filled with sailboats. Viewed from above, the scene is rendered in spontaneous brushwork and a cool palette with occasional accents of vivid warm hues. This work is signed to the lower edge and is housed in a gold-tone wood frame with a linen liner.

Provenance
Private collection, Cincinnati, OH
Purchased from Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2013

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

Item #

18CIN517-064