William Draper Painting - White Lilies, 1999

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Summer Art Auction | Fine | Folk | Fun

By Artemis Gallery

Sep 2, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-09-02 12:00:00 2021-09-02 12:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Summer Art Auction | Fine | Folk | Fun https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/summer-art-auction-fine-folk-fun-7395
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• Lot Description
  William Draper (American, 1912-2003). Oil on canvas, 1999. A striking composition of white lilies - also known as Lilium candidum or Madonna Lilies - painted by American artist William Draper. This flower has been cultivated since antiquity - for 3,000 years or more. Many ancient civilizations associated it with deities, and in later times, Christianity upheld the lily as a symbol of the Virgin Mary (see more about this in the extended description below). Draper was an observant nature lover as well as a master of plein air painting. In addition, he was a founder of the American Orchid Society. This composition certainly demonstrates Draper's keen observatory eye, as he not only captured the beauty of these flowers, but also meticulously delineated the anatomy of each bloom. According to the artist's family, this painting was created by Draper in 1999, just prior to undergoing heart surgery. Size: 20" L x 23.75" W (50.8 cm x 60.3 cm)
  
  The lily has been coveted for its symbolism by many ancient civilizations. To the ancient Egyptians, the trumpet-shaped lily symbolized upper Egypt. This flower was also associated with Astarte (also known as Ishtar) goddess of fertility and creation, in the Near East. Furthermore, the ancient Greeks and Romans associated the lily with the queen of the gods, Hera and Juno respectively, as well as the Roman goddess Venus. Later in history, the white lily symbolized chastity in the Catholic Church as well as some Orthodox churches. As a symbol of purity, the lily has been most often associated with the Virgin Mary. For example, depictions of the Annunciation traditionally show the Archangel Gabriel offering the Virgin Mary a white lily, and the flower also has been an attribute of other chaste saints such as Francis of Assissi, Saint Anthony of Padua, and Saint Joseph.
  
  William Draper's career spanned seven decades and his 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. He also taught at the Art Students League of New York, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Portrait Society of America in 1999.
  
  More on the artist's background: 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.
  
  Provenance: The William F. Draper Collection, New York City, USA, acquired via descent from the late William Franklin Draper (1912-2003)
  
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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.
  
  #152330

  Condition

  The painting is in overall excellent condition, and there is a Draper Estate stamp on the verso.
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