•  Wishlist
0

Your Cart is Empty

Circus Performer with Horse
1949 Watercolor

#B5164

Leo Saal 

This 1949 watercolor on paper figure scene with horse is by Russian-born artist Leo Saal (1912-1996). Saal was born in Petrograd (now Saint-Petersburg), Russia shortly before the Bolshevik Revolution. He endured three years in The Gulag, and was captured by Germany during WWII. He worked in the circus and theater and was trained in photography and filmmaking. He moved to Washington DC when he was invited to work for the CIA in 1953. Throughout all this, and over six decades, Saal managed to draw, sketch, do printmaking, make collages and paint - often inspired by early references to turn-of-the-century Russian paintings. Recurring themes were frequently related to European history, the circus metaphor, mother and child, and the beach. Saal was primarily self-taught and created thousands of pieces with strong influences from Beckman, Picasso, Manet, Feininger, Velasquez and Goya.

1949
Watercolor on Paper
19.5"x23" framed, 8"x12" unframed 

Excellent vintage condition. Framed in a restored vintage ornate wood frame with a brass finish using archival matting linen behind conservation clear glass.