Lot 318: RUSSELL VERNON HUNTER (1900-1955)

RUSSELL VERNON HUNTER (1900-1955)
Departure, 1925
Oil on canvas
18in. x 22in.
Signed and dated lower left
Signed and titled verso

Russell Vernon Hunter studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Denver Academy of Art. He then studied with Stanton MacDonald Wright while teaching at the Otis Art Institute. During this period, Hunter absorbed the color theories of synchromism (pioneered by MacDonald Wright) and his canvases came alive with color.

This painting, dated 1925, is from the same period as the cover piece titled Cowman from Michael Grauer's book, Dictionary of Texas Artists, 1800-1945. Both paintings were shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of of Art, and both were shown at a one-man show held for Hunter in a local gallery in the mid-1920s.

Russell Vernon Hunter oil paintings rarely come to the market, especially those from this formative early phase of his career.

Exhibited:
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (label attached verso)

Excellent condition on relined canvas with minor inpainting.