Francis Quirk Leads Lehigh in Purchase of A. Mark Datz Painting "Across the Hudson"

According to an article in the Pocono Record on March 4, 1966, Francis Quirk announced the acquisition of three new works for the collection. 

Three new oil paintings had been added to Lehigh University’s permanent collection, announced Dr. Francis J. Quirk, head of the fine arts department.

The new acquisitions, which would be part of the Edward K. Driebe Collection, included “Studio Interior” by Walter E. Baum, “Courtship of the Snowy Owl” by Sterling Strauser and “Across the Hudson” by A. Mark Datz. Edward K. Driebe was a successful businessman who capitalized on the growing market for frozen vegetables and in 1997 became a member of the Frozen Food Hall of Fame joining Clarence Birdseye, Vernon Stouffer and Murray Lender. 

*****Since the initial posting of this article the responsive team at Lehigh University Art Galleries graciously found images of all three works. Naturally, it is a delight to have them and we will include the Baum image on our next post.***** 

Mark A. Datz (American, born Russia, 1889-1969), Across the Hudson, 1938, Oil on canvas, Gift of Edward K. and Mary R. Driebe, LUP 66 1002, Lehigh University Art Galleries

This post focuses on A. Mark Datz an expressionist artist of modest success who is largely forgotten.  His AskART biography is very brief. 

Abraham Mark Datz was a Russian Jew who came to the United States in 1903 to settle in New York. He is known as a painter, a sculptor, and an etcher. His works very rarely come on the market. Syracuse University maintains a Datz archive. His works are held in many museum collections, including the Whitney Museum of Art.

Datz had a palate of bright colors and our survey of his work on-line provided many floral still life images and scenes of New York. 

Gladiola and Chrysanthemums by A. Mark Datz  Worcester Art Museum

  

Hands of Fate by A. Mark Datz 1955
Whitney Museum

A Medley of Shapes 1956  A. Mark Datz

Fort Independence Park  Etching  A. Mark Datz Funded by the WPA

We decided to dig a bit further to learn about this man and had to go to the Syracuse University Archives where his papers are stored. 

Born on October 2927, 1889 in Russia, he emigrated to New York in 1903. He attended Cooper Union from 1908-1912, The National Academy of Design 1912-1915 and Beaux Arts (New York) 1916-1918. 

In the 1930's his work was supported by the Works Progress Administration program funded by the Federal Government. 

He had almost a dozen one-man shows in New York City institutions including the Eighth Street Gallery, The Dorothy Paris Gallery, The Montrose Gallery and the Hartert Gallery. The Paris Gallery was active from 1930-1936 and her papers are in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian. 

In addition to Lehigh University his work is in the following museums, Whitney, Smithsonian Atlanta, Worcester, Los Angeles, Norfolk, Newark, Osh Kosh, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, NYU, Syracuse University, Evansville, US General Services Administration and Biro Bidjan, Russia. 

Personally, He was married in 1919 to Rebecca Fiensilver. Rebecca died in November 1934 at Creedmore Hospital in Queens, NY and is buried at Mount Richmond Cemetery on Staten Island. Abraham married again in December 1934 and his wife, Lillian, had one child, Israel Mortimer Datz who became an accomplished systems engineer working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, NASA and the US Military. Mark Datz died in 1969.  

Henry Strator Paintings Show Edward Hopper Influence

Two delightful Henry Strator works are being deaccessioned by the ING Group's collection at the Atlanta Office at auction on December 7. Strator achieved considerable fame for his Time Magazine cover portrait of Ernest Hemingway who was a personal friend. Earlier we had written a post focused on the artist and that portrait.  

Strator was a prolific artist, and we frequently see his work coming up for auction. The pieces include full paintings and have extended down to include ephemera such as decorated Christmas cards and painted envelopes. But this post concentrates on two fine paintings from 1964, one of which brings to mind the work of Edward Hopper. 

Morning Inspection-   Henry Strator 1964

Morning Inspection brings to mind the work of Hopper for several reasons. The similarity begins with the basic layout of an angular seaside building with the planar surfaces neatly laid out. Even more striking is the color palate, which includes pink and yellow under direct sunlight as well as shadow. To see Hopper's use of yellow you can visit our post explaining the true meaning of Nighthawks. Strator's treatment of the sea in which he incorporates green into the blue water is typical of his own work, but also has similarities with Hopper's technique. Morning Inspection also includes a solitary figure like so many of Hopper's paintings. Below we have included Hopper's iconic morning sun painting from 1954. 

Morning Sun  Edward Hopper 1954

The second work is a classic marine scene painted in York Maine near Strator's home in Ogunquit. It captures a placid harbor on an autumn day with fluffy clouds in the sky. It is a creditable work that Strator executed well. He seemed to be focus on delivering quality in this painting as it has a tighter technique than many of his other works. 

Incoming Tide York   Henry Strator 1964

Francis Quirk Brings Roy Lichtenstein's George Washington to Lehigh

Each year Quirk organized an exhibition of Contemporary American Painting at Lehigh and worked with 4-5 East Coast galleries to provide paintings for display. The works were for sale and usually a favorite was selected for purchase with funds provided by the exhibition alumni supporter Ralph Wilson and his wife.  (You can learn more about Ralph Wilson here.) 

In the 11th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting in 1964 was a painting by Roy Lichtenstein. The work "George Washington" was on loan from the Mi Chou Gallery who had acquired some of Roy's work from the Leo Castelli Gallery. Mi Chou generated some notoriety for itself and Roy through an exhibition of Lichtenstein's works interspersed among Hudson River School paintings. 

George Washington, 1962 Roy Lichtenstein Private Collection

The painting is sizable, measuring 51 by 38 inches and presages Lichtenstein's more mature style in two notable ways.  First, the content is of a prominent image that of our respected first president who graces our one-dollar bill. But it is not just a copy of the original Gilbert Stuart portrait, instead it is a copy of a woodcut of that portrait found in a Hungarian national newspaper.  Already, he was reaching into published graphics for inspiration. Second, it uses some classic Lichtenstein techniques- Ben-Day dots on the face and background along with graphic brush strokes on the right side of the face and collar. This is the infancy of the artist's signature graphic style.

George Washington, 1962 Roy Lichtenstein Private Collection    Close up of eye forehead and hair

In the close-up one can see the red Benday dots in the forehead, the black Benday dots adding gradients of shadow in the background, the brushstroke effect of the shading on the forehead, and the solid lines to delineate the locks of hair. The elements of Lichtenstein's mature style are all here. 

There is an interesting blog post, which hypothesizes that this painting contains elements of a self-portrait. The writer theorizes that Mr. Lichtenstein is fusing the image of the revered leader with himself saying.

The president's face, as so often in portraits of iconic figures, has been fused with the artist's.¹ Lichtenstein presents himself as an American icon. "I have always had this interest in purely American subject matter", he once said. And later: "I had a feeling about official painting...I still do. It's their reliance on great subjects for their force that interests me.."² 

The blogger then provides the following image. 

Is this a strong similarity? That is for the reader to decide. But we have found another Lichtenstein self-portrait that makes his case even stronger.  In our research we found a Lichtenstein self-portrait from 1951-52.

Self Portrait 1951-2,  Roy Lichtenstein

When we add in a close-up of the face from the 1951-2 self-portrait, the bloggers observation seems to have more substance. But is it a similar face or a similar style? 

George Washington (close-up) Photo of Roy Self Portrait 1951-2 (Close-up)

It is worth noting that Lichtenstein had earlier mined the George Washington idea with a painting of him crossing the Delaware.  We leave that digression out as already we have wandered a bit far from Lehigh and Francis Quirk's exhibition. 

Somehow, Lichtenstein's painting went unpurchased, nor did the school select it for addition to the Lehigh University Art Gallery collection. It was listed for sale as painting number 8 at the respectable sum of $500, which was towards the low end of the range of prices. 

Translating the 1964 $500 price into 2023 dollars factoring in inflation that price would be equivalent to $5000 today.  But the market value for a Lichtenstein such as this would be in the range of $30-$40 million today. 

Kiss III 1962,  Roy Lichtenstein

For comparison, in 2019, Kiss III sold for $31.1 million at Christies in New York. Alas, Francis Quirk and Mr. Wilson missed the Pop Art boat.  Later the Lehigh University Art Galleries would acquire a Lichtenstein print and display it prominently on a catalog cover for a print exhibition.

Finally, Lichtenstein executed another self-portrait in 1976. We show it below. 

Self Portrait   1976,  Roy Lichtenstein

Beautiful Quirk Watercolor "The Poppy Field" to be Auctioned July 27th at Eldred's in East Dennis, Mass

A fresh watercolor painting of the French countryside will be auctioned on July 27th in East Dennis Mass. 

"The Poppy Field" by Francis Quirk

Quirk was adept with oils, pastels and watercolors and this painting illustrates his mastery of that medium with lovely color and delicate draftsmanship.  We suspect it is a location in France, but that is merely a suspicion based upon the village church and flowered fields. We have no knowledge of him traveling and painting in France. However, our knowledge of him is not complete. 

You can reach Eldrid's and the lot listing here on the online catalogue. 

Close up of Quirk Signature on "The Poppy Field"

Jesus Painting and a Silhouette of a Young Girl by Francis Quirk

Through the Francis Quirk Facebook page we have received word of a painting of Jesus by Francis Quirk. The owner graciously provided photographs of it and a close up of the signature from 1962. It is typical of his work with a three quarter frontal view. The signature is a solid match. 

Earlier we had posted a bit about his work related to the Christian Faith and a portrait sketch of a religious figure.

A Portrait of Jesus by Francis Quirk

Portrait of Jesus Close-up of Francis J. Quirk Signature

On EBay we found this undated silhouette by Francis Quirk. The piece is undated and it may be from his days at Ogontz College when he provided images of students as prizes. 

Beautiful Stanley Woodward Painting of the Red Barn and Farm Coming to Auction

We had previously posted about Stanley Woodward and his relationship with Francis Quirk. You can see the post here. 

Stark was a talented artist and a kindred spirit to Quirk. Perhaps it was that they both painted Maine and nautical scenes. 

We have found Stark's fixation on a red house barn complex fascinating. He appears to have painted it many times from different angles and in different season.  And when we saw this painting coming up for auction, we felt it warranted another post for two reasons. First, it is a fine painting of considerable beauty. And second, it features his "motif number one."  The painting below is titled "Shadowed Past".

Stanley Woodward "Shadowed Past," 20TH CENTURY, oil on canvas, signed L/R; 25'' x 30''

STANLEY WOODWARD (American 1890-1970) , "Shadowed Past," 20TH CENTURY, oil on canvas, signed framed 33 3/4'' x 38 1/2''

STANLEY WOODWARD Signature

What makes this painting work?

There is a great deal going on in this painting, so there is much to discuss. Our eyes are naturally drawn to white spaces. Thus, when this painting is first viewed the eye is drawn to the vertical white trim board in the center. This lightness pulls forward and gives the house a 3-D affect pulling that end of the main house tout of the canvas and toward the viewer like the prow of a ship.

Diagonals in "Shadowed Past"

Since, the composition is like a series of diagonal lines pointing to the left our eye is taken that direction to the tree. It then follows up the tree and out its branch delivering us back again to the center of the painting. 

There is a lot of subtle technique in this painting. Imagine how it would look without the chimneys, the dark green patch in the lower left or the overhanging branches.

The softer color palate is striking with softer reds in the house, yellowish greens in the fauna and even some pale oranges. The tree branches and their shadows add interest to the farm house; forcing the viewer to spend time discerning its nuances. 

All of this activity is well executed in a painterly plein air fashion, but with a steady hand where it matters. 

You can bid on the painting in person in Houston on May 20 at Simpson Galleries or you can bid online through Liveauctioneers. Somebody is going to walk away with a lovely work of art.

Francis Quirk Drawing of Religious Figure to be Auctioned

Echoes Antiques and Auction Gallery in Seaford, New York will soon be auctioning a 1971 drawing that is listed as being of Pope John Paul I on May 24, 2022. 

The drawing appears to be in pencil, charcoal or crayon and illustrates a religious figure interacting with a female. The drawing encompasses the heads of the two individuals focusing on the left figure shown in profile and the right female figure shown from slightly behind profile.  Because she is drawn in a lighter hand and from behind the focus shifts to the religious silhouette that is outlined with a heavy line. 

An important aspect of the drawing is actually undrawn. And it is the line of eye contact between the two individuals. They are clearly engaged, and the invisible sight line crosses the plane of the left figure's silhouette at a right angle giving it a sense of 'directness' or connection. 

1971 Drawing by Francis Quirk

The description lists the drawing as being of Pope John Paul I, but this attribution is questionable for three reasons. First John Paul I did not become Pope until 1978, well after Quirk's death in 1974. While it is possible the image could be of John Paul I before he became pope, this is unlikely given the next two reasons. The figure does not look like John Paul I as he had larger ears and a more hawkish nose. And third John Paul I frequently wore glasses in his later years. 

Pope John Paul I

This begs the question as to the identity of the religious figure, but alas, our research has not been able to solve that question. There was no other papal visit to the US in 1971 and we are unaware if Quirk traveled overseas at this time. We also executed a brief and fruitless search of the owner of the drawing according to the label on the reverse, Margaret M. DuBois.  

The close up of the signature appears to be that of Quirk executed in pen. Looking at it closely, one can almost see a pencil signature below the ink or it may be a reflection from the frame glass. There also has been some toning of the drawing paper where it touches the matting.

The label on the back lists Margaret M.(?) DuBois as the owner.
It was framed in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania