Fight Night

This oil on canvas scene by George Biddle is one heavy hitter. It pictures several boxers leaving the ring. You can just make out the silhouettes of the observers to the match in the forefront of the work. This powerful painting from 1956 is another highlight from the remarkable Pantages Portfolio being offered by The Plymouth Exchange in late September, 2018.

George Biddle (1885-1973) started out his career as a lawyer, but left the USA to study art in 1911 in Paris. He spent the next few years studying art across Europe and the USA. He enlisted as a soldier in WWI. Post war, he again traveled and painted extensively, including a 1928 sketching adventure with Diego Rivera in Mexico. In the 1930's he was instrumental in establishing the Federal Art Project - part of the WPA - through his longtime friendship with Franklin Roosevelt. He was appointed the chairman of the US Department of War's Art Advisory Committee during WWII. Biddle is best known for his thoughtful murals and combat related paintings.  These were featured at the 1939 New York World's Fair as well as pictured in Life Magazine. His most famous mural, a five panel fresco, appears in the 5th floor stairway the RFK Department of Justice Building in Washington, DC and is called Society Freed Through Justice. 

Back In Black

This oil on canvas painting from the Pantages Portfolio of a woman holding a pet bird is certainly a bit cagey! She's dressed in black, the room is furnished with black table, chair, table settings, and birdcage. Only the tablecloth, fruit basket, and the tiny yellow moon in the background add a spot of color to this pensive piece. What do you think is on her mind?

This work is by artist Bernard Rosenquit (1922-1991) who was born in Romania but grew up in New York City. He is best known for his oil paintings and woodcuts. He studied art in the United States and France, attending the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts, the Institute of Art and Archeology at the Sorbonne, the Brooklyn Museum School of Fine Art, the Art Students League, and Atelier 17. He had several solo exhibits over his career, which ended abruptly when he was killed in a car accident at age 68. Rosenquit's work is in the permanent collections of important institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art, the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others.

Blue Belle

This lovely painting of a "blue belle" is another highlight from the Pantages Portfolio. Painted in 1930's, the girl's hairstyle and dress style align perfectly to the period. Jim Pantages has a great eye for fine portraits, and this oil on canvas example by Eben Comins is certain to turn many heads.

Eben Comins (1875-1949) was born in Massachusetts and spent much of his personal and professional life around the Boston area. A Harvard graduate, he would go on to paint as well as teach for most of his career. Comins taught for over three decades at St. Paul School of Fine Arts, Wellesley College, the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, as well as through his own studio in Boston. He won a gold medal in 1915 at the Panama Exposition for his contribution to art instruction. Comins is best known for his landscapes and fresco paintings; his "Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, Massachusetts" sold at Christie's in New York in 2009 for $32,500.