🔥 RARE Important Early Russian Modern WPA Portrait Painting, Roman Chatov 1942

This is a fine and historically significant RARE Important Early Russian Modern WPA Portrait Painting, pastels on paper, by pioneering Russian - American modernist and New York WPA artist Roman Chatov (1900 - 1987.) This work is one of his earliest known, as he was documented to have started painting portraits in 1942, which were carried by Garibaldi Galleries in New York. Chatov's early portraits depicted the high-class socialites of New York City. A decade earlier, Chatov had befriended Willem De Kooning, and the two artists shared a studio together. This painting depicts the portrait of a beautiful young blond woman, with brown eyes and bright red lipstick. Her expression displays a somber undertone, despite her cheerful expression. Signed and dated: "R. Chatov 42" in the lower right. Approximately 16 x 20 1/2 inches (including frame.) Actual visible artwork is approximately 25 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches. Good condition for age, with some light spots of staining to the underside of the glass (not on the painting itself), and some speckles of light foxing to the matting from age. Original period frame has moderate paint loss and edge wear. The flaked off white paint reveals that the frame was originally an ornate gilded frame which had been painted over at some point in the past. Acquired in San Gabriel Valley, California. This work is being offered at a fraction of what Chatov's original pieces sell for in galleries, 1stdibs and at auctions such as Christies (RUSSIAN PAINTINGS AND WORKS OF ART, April 2007,) and is priced to sell. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks! About the Artist: Roman Chatov Born: 1900Died: 1987Known for: Oil paintings, portraits, murals Roman Gregory Chatov was a Russian émigrés who enjoyed an accomplished career and captured the faces of high society from New York, Palm Beach and finally Atlanta. Roman was born in Rostov, Russia in 1900. Upon the rise of Lenin, in 1922, the Chatov family fled for New York. At this time Roman had prepared drawings for backstage productions which had appeared in Russian theatre magazines. President Roosevelt's Works Project Administration (WPA) commissioned Roman to paint murals for the Ford and Palestinian Pavilions at the 1939 New York World's Fair which led to many more commissioned murals throughout the country. One such mural was the commissioned mural for New York's famous Russian Tea Room. Roman Chatov Paintings RUSSIAN, 1900-1987 Roman Gregory Chatov was a Russian-born American artist, painter, designer and illustrator. Chatov was born in Rostov-on-Don, southern Russia, on June 11, 1900. The son of a theater impresario, he began to draw at the age of 14. By age 16 he was already illustrating for magazines. In 1918 Mr. Chatov was a military correspondent-painter, making his drawings on the battlefields. After the Russian Revolution when Lenin gained power in 1922, Roman, his brother, Constantin and his parents fled their homeland for New York. “With the horrors of the revolution, our family decided to leave Russia because of communism”, he said. He received his early training as an artist in Russia and Paris. He later studied at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Arts and was a noted mural painter and costume designer before turning his talents to portraiture. President Roosevelt’s Works Project Administration commissioned Chatov to paint murals for the Ford and Palestinian Pavilions at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. One of his most notable works is his murals commissioned for New York’s Russian Tea Room. Working in a Fifth Avenue studio, he designed costumes for the famous Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld of Ziegfeld Follies. When dancer Isadora Duncan admired some of his Spanish costumes, he made a large hand-painted shawl for her, the one that strangled her when it got caught in the wheels of a car. Roman was acquainted with Manhattan’s most successful and dynamic artists and musicians including abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning, with whom he shared a studio in the 1930s. In 1942 he began working primarily on portraits. His portraits were carried by the Garibaldi Galleries in New York. In 1959 he ventured to Atlanta to paint the mural for the Cabana Hotel opening. Two years later, he moved to Atlanta where he and his brother Constantin opened a studio together and taught art classes in addition to their commissions. Mr. Chatov’s works have been shown in galleries and museums on both continents and are represented in many private and corporate collections. Chatov received the Governor’s Award from the Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities in 1983. He died in 1987. Roman Chatov1900 - 1987Roman Chatov was an accomplished painter who studied in Russia and Paris before escaping to the U.S. in 1922. He began his career as a mural painter and costume designer, and he befriended and shared a studio with Willem de Kooning. Chatov became an influential member of the arts community, receiving many awards including The Governors Award in the Arts which he shared with his brother, Constantin in 1983. Chatov also had paintings exhibited at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, and numerous other galleries, museums, and collections. One of his most notable works is his mural commission for New York’s Russian Tea Room. In the 1920s, brothers Roman and Constantin Chatov fled the Soviet revolution for the greener pastures of New York. Former costume designer Roman reportedly created the scarf that strangled dancer Isadora Duncan when it was caught in the wheels of a car. An accomplished portraitist like his brother, Constantin painted screen idols including Veronica Lake and Clark Gable. As longtime Atlanta art instructors, Constantin and Roman also influenced countless local artists.One day before the opening of a Chatov exhibition at Mason Murer, Roman's son Marc milled around the gallery, the living witness to three painters in the family.In isolation, none of the many Chatov works on display are mind-blowing; all three are skilled painters who share a romantic approach including a love of women and color. Lovely, bare-breasted women have their pudenda judiciously covered, à la Austin Powers, by bowls of fruit or softly draped fabric. And all three painters have had their circus moment, embracing the sad-eyed circus folk, clowns and Pierrots beloved by devotees of tortured, despondent kitsch.The Chatovs are clearly influenced by movements from cubism to impressionism, and artists from Picasso to Velázquez to Cézanne. Some may find value in Constantin's and Roman's demonstration of classical technique and old-school skill. But just as many will delight in how the painters' work changes over time and reflects the cultural and artistic values of various eras. Constantin's almond-eyed African-American beauty, "Florda‚" from 1965 and Roman's giraffe-necked couple rendered in the glass-shard cubist manner in "Abyssinians" (1967) drip with the ethos of a melancholy, lean and angular 1960s style. It's a style that has since been absorbed into the culture in venues both unholy and sacred, in hotel art and museum collections.Roman is the artist's artist, playing with form. His style evolves over time from tobacco-stained, elegant portraits of women in the '30s and '40s to '70s work with the moody, soft-focus character of an Eagles rock ballad. In contrast, Constantin's work shows a remarkable consistency throughout the decades, favoring bold impasto, jewel tones and portraits of women whose guarded body language consistently conveys emotional distance.Marc clearly drew from both men's influence. He has embraced a classical style (represented here by a heavy emphasis on still life) and continued in the Chatov brothers' tradition of portraiture. And there is an unfortunate detour into harlequin psychodrama – one family tradition it might have been best not to resurrect.Marc, Constantin and Roman Chatov. Through Jan. 20. Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., noon-5 p.m. Mason Murer Fine Art.CHATOV RETROSPECTIVE: 100 YEARS OF PAINTINGThe Museum of Arts and Sciences is proud to present “Chatov: 100 Years of Painting,” a retrospective featuring the works of Roman (1900-1987), Constantin (1904-1993), and Marc (b. 1953) – two generations in a prestigious family of gifted artists. The Chatov family, with its Russian heritage, is a unique unit that includes highly successful artists, musicians, and stage professionals. From concert pianist to portrait artist and muralist, each of the world-renowned Chatovs has a unique story that influenced his artistic style. From realistic portraits and figure studies to abstract expressionism, the thirty works on display explore the varying interests, styles, and eras of three talented artists.Brothers Roman and Constantin Chatov were born in Southern Russia but fled to the United States after the Russian Revolution in 1922. Roman studied at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Arts and was a noted mural painter and costume designer before turning his talents to portraiture. President Roosevelt’s Works Project Administration (WPA) commissioned Roman to paint murals for the Ford and Palestinian Pavilions at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. This led to many commissions for murals throughout the country including a mural commissioned for New York’s Russian Tea Room. Of his many murals, ‘’Cornucopia’’ may still be seen in the Edison Hotel in New York City.Roman’s brother, Constantin, was a concert pianist before he became an acclaimed painter. He also studied at the Art Students League and by the 1960s was acclaimed for his figure studies, paintings, and portraits. The Chatov brothers were commissioned by MGM to paint portraits of Hollywood greats such as Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. They moved to Atlanta in 1961 and became prominent figures in the art community, both being honored with the Governor’s Award in the Arts from the Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities.Marc Chatov, son of Roman, was a fine art major at Georgia State University and also studied at the Art Students League in New York before beginning an apprenticeship with his father and uncle. Marc is represented by Portraits, Inc. in New York and has been with Portrait South since 1987. He is a member of The Salmagundi Club of New York, Oil Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, and is an Advisory Board Member with the Portrait Society of Atlanta. He has painted many notable portraits including Senator Paul Coverdell (whose portrait hangs in the Georgia State Capitol) and Georgia Writers Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Ferrol Sams. Money Magazine featured Marc as one of the top eight portrait artists in the country. Marc has received the Governor’s Artist of Excellence Award and is represented in numerous private, corporate, and museum collections across the country.