"Finished Drawing of a Man in Medieval Costume" Lot no. 696
By Rockwell Kent (1882-1971)
1956 (Estimated)
19.50" x 12.50"
Pen & Ink with White Gouache Heightening on Paper
Monogrammed Lower Right
REQUEST PRICE
PURCHASE REQUEST
Finished Drawing of a Man in Medieval Costume, 1956
Monogrammed and dated at lower center in blue ink and pencil: 19 K [inscribed by a circle] 56
PROVENANCE:
Private collection.
Kent, Rockwell:Kent was trained as an architectural draftsman and studied architecture at Columbia University. He is best known for his illustrations of adventure stories, such as Melville's "Moby Dick," and his landscapes of remote places, such as Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. He favored a precise rendering of forms, with strong contrasts of light and dark.. American painter, illustrator, 1882-1971
Explore related art collections: Historical / 1950s / Men / Portraits / Fashion / $100 - $5,000
See all original artwork by Rockwell Kent
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rockwell Kent won fame outside of illustration as an engraver, lithographer, mural painter, writer, lecturer and political activist.
As an illustrator, Kent was equally noted for his own books: Wilderness, Voyaging, N. By E., Salamina, and This is My Own, as well as for those of others, such as Candide, Moby Dick, Leaves of Grass, and Canterbury Tales.
Kent also made a great many distinguished illustrations for advertisers, among them Marcus & Company, Jewelers; Steinway & Sons; Rolls-Royce, and American Car and Foundry Company. Some of his advertising and humorous pictures were signed “Hogarth, Jr.”
Born in Tarrytown Height, New York, Kent studied art with Robert Henri, Abbott Thayer and William Merritt Chase. Much of his work was based on personal experiences in his travels to such remote areas as Greenland, Alaska, and Patagonia.
During his lifetime, Kent was a controversial political activist, and his open sympathies with leftist causes resulted in his being blacklisted during the McCarthy era. In retaliation, Kent refused his title of National Academician when elected.
A retrospective exhibition of Kent’s work was shown at the Hammer Galleries in 1977, and he was elected to the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame in 1986. A major retrospective exhibition, “The Odyssey of Rockwell Kent” relating to the artist’s sojourn in the wilderness, traveled to several museums in 2000 and 2001.