Signed Wm. Draper WWII Painting, Battleship Applique

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Ancient & Ethnographic Art Through The Ages

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 10, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-02-10 10:00:00 2022-02-10 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient & Ethnographic Art Through The Ages https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-art-through-the-ages-8873
Join us for Part Two of a spotlight on two fabulous collections, one from Lumberton, Texas, and the other from Whisnant Gallery in New Orleans. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  William Franklin Draper (American, 1912-2003). Oil on wood and heavy gauge illustration board, ca. 1943. Signed on lower right. An action-packed scene by combat artist William Draper presenting soldiers engaged in a naval battle during World War II. Notice that Draper painted the scene as viewed through the window of a ship. In 1942, Draper joined the Navy, and served as a combat artist when stationed on the Aleutian Islands and in the South Pacific. He observed and painted battle scenes on Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and other locations, as well as genre scenes of soldiers not engaged in combat but rather between battles. This composition is particularly intriguing, because Draper used a creative collage technique. The battleship in the foreground was painted on a separate wooden cutout which was applied to the board, and the sea battle and surrounding grey windowframe were painted directly onto the board. This layering created a relief in the foreground that in turn contributed to the depth and expanse of the scene beyond. Size of sight view: 13.5" L x 34" W (34.3 cm x 86.4 cm) Size of frame: 15.375" L x 35.875" W (39.1 cm x 91.1 cm)
  
  William Franklin Draper was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts on December 24, 1912. A child prodigy, he studied classical piano at Harvard University. He later changed his focus to fine art and studied with Charles Webster Hawthorne and Henry Hensche in Provincetown, Rhode Island. Draper also attended the National Academy of Design in New York and the Cape Cod School of Art in Massachusetts. Then he traveled to Spain and studied with Harry Zimmerman, moved on to France and attended the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere. In 1937, he moved to Boston to study sculpture with George Demetrius and also studied with Jon Corbino in beautiful Rockport, Massachusetts. In 1942, Draper joined the Navy and served as a combat artist when stationed on the Aleutian Islands and in the South Pacific. He observed and painted battle scenes on Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and other locations, as well as genre scenes of soldiers who were not engaged in combat but rather at work and at play. National Geographic magazine reproduced 25 of his war images in four issues in 1944. In 1945, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. organized a group exhibition of works by five official war artists, including Draper. That same year the Metropolitan Museum of Art included Draper in an exhibition entitled, ''The War Against Japan.'' Draper was also featured in a PBS television show about combat artists entitled, "They Drew Fire" in May of 2000. After the war, Draper opened a studio on Park Avenue in New York City and continued to not only paint, but also play classical and jazz piano.
  
  Draper's career spanned seven decades. In addition to painting WWII battle scenes, he painted landscapes, floral still lifes, interiors, and was an accomplished portraitist. In fact, Draper's subjects included a portrait of John F. Kennedy that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. based upon an oil sketch for which the president sat in 1962. Draper was actually the only artist who painted JFK from life. Draper showed at Knoedler, the Graham Gallery, Portraits, Inc., the Far Gallery, The Findlay Galleries (New York, NY) and the Robert C. Vose Galleries (Boston, MA). His work has been included in shows at the National Portrait Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), The National Academy of Design (New York, NY), The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, (Boston, MA) the Fogg Art Museum, (one of the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA), the National Gallery, (London), Salon de la Marine (Paris) and in museums in Australia. Draper also taught at the Art Students League of New York, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Portrait Society of America in 1999.
  
  Provenance: The William F. Draper Collection, New York City, USA, acquired via descent from the late William Franklin Draper (1912-2003), an accomplished American artist whose career spanned seven decades. Known as the "Dean of American Portraiture," William Draper was the only artist to paint President John F. Kennedy from life, and his oeuvre includes marvelous landscapes from his world travels, military paintings as he was one of only seventeen Combat Artists in WWII, and portraits of illustrious individuals.
  
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  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #153870

  Condition

  Signed by the artist on the lower right. Draper Estate stamp on verso. Age wear to the frame with areas of loss as shown. Painting is in good condition save a few minor scuffs/stains. It is a bit loose within the frame. Frame could be removed if desired.
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