Coreen Spellman 1933 Provincetown Modernist Watercolor - Early Texas Artist

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Coreen Spellman (1905-1978) "Provincetown House" 1933 Modernist Watercolor This watercolor was among a group of works Spellman completed in the summer of 1933 in Provincetown, Mass. while studying with noted modernist and watercolorist Charles James Martin ( /wiki/Charles_James_Martin_(artist ) ). Several other professors of fine art at Texas Womans University including Marie Delleney and Thetis Lemmon were students of Charles Martin. Martin was considered one of the finest instructors of modernist watercolor and among his students was Georgia O'Keefe who considered his opinions of such value that she continued to send him examples of her work for critique long after she had ceases taking lessons with him. "Martin's work is after the New Modernist School, the art that seeks essence rather than form, interpretation rather than faithful representation." All of the watercolors by Coreen Spellman from her summer of study with Martin were documented and illustrated in a book titled "The Artwork of Coreen Spellman (1905-1978) and written by James Graham Baker, a noted Early Texas Art historian. The book is out of print, but I will include copies of the cover, title page, and the page on which this watercolor is illustrated. This fine watercolor shows bold confident application of paint, and spontaneity of the moment characteristic of a mature painter. Spellman's modernist paintings of this period are completely fitting with Charles Martin's philosophy and were concerned with the "essence" rather than exact form, interpretation rather than a slavish adherence to faithful representation. In a few short gestural brushstrokes Spellman is able to "distill" the subject down to its core elements. The result is a painting with strong modernist and expressionist elements. This watercolor was purchased from the Estate of Mick Spellman the artist's younger brother. It is being sold non reserve with a low starting price! It is an excellent opportunity to purchase a fine piece of Early Texas Art and a piece of Texas Art history by one of Texas' most important artists. Coreen Spellman was one of Texas' most renowned artists in the 1930's through the 1960's, and probably the most important of all the Early Texas Woman artists. Among the Texas Woman artists of her era, Coreen Spellman's desirability is unmatched with auction results of up to $40,000! Her major Exhibitions include the Edgar B Davis Wildflower Competition, the 1936 Texas Centennial, Texas General Exhibitions (numerous), Dallas Allied Arts Exhibitions (numerous), the Witte Museum, the Kansas City Art Institute (numerous), the Southern States Art League Circuit Exhibitions (numerous), the National Exhibition of American Art - Rockefeller Center New York, the 1939 Worlds Fair (American Art Today, 1939), the Whitney Museum, the National Academy of Design, the Chicago Art Institute (numerous), the Brooklyn Museum, the Joslyn Museum among many others. Spellman was also a charter member of the Texas Printmakers and participated in their circuit exhibitions for many years. Her primary media were watercolor and printmaking. Besides her own art, Coreen Spellman influenced countless numbers of younger woman artists as professor of painting, illustration, and drawing at the College of Industrial Arts from 1925 until 1974 (which later became known as Texas Womans University). She also taught art at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Title: "Provincetown House" Media: Watercolor Size: 19 1/2" x 24 3/4" Signature: Estate Stamp on Verso Literature: This watercolor is illustrated in "The Artwork of Coreen Mary Spellman" by James Graham Baker. Photocopies of the cover of the book, the frontspiece, and the illustration of this watercolor will be provided to the purchaser. Framing: Unframed; Unmatted; Never Mounted (no tape) Provenance: Estate of Nick Spellman (Coreen Spellman's Brother) Biography of Coreen Spellman (1905-1978) Coreen Mary Spellman ... read more

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