The Tent
1940's Gouache

#C7743

Sydney Engelberg

Entitled The Tent this 1940's ink on paper painting is by Sydney Engelberg (1912-1997). Engelberg was a painter and illustrator who primarily worked within the American Scene tradition during the first half of the 20th century. He blended aspects of Regionalism, Social Realism, and occasionally Magic Realism to create uniquely American narratives. Active during the peak of American Scene painting, Engelberg was a contemporary—and at times a student—of the movement’s key artist, Thomas Hart Benton (1889–1975). Engelberg combined the more conservative Regionalism with elements of the left-leaning Social Realism, while also occasionally incorporating the surreal, dreamlike qualities of Magic Realism. Most of Engelberg’s work was created during his active service in WWII and through his illustrations for The New Yorker magazine, both before and after the war. However, like the mischievous harlequins that appear and disappear throughout his oeuvre, Engelberg hid a secret: he was a closeted gay man until he met his lifelong partner in the early 1950s. His hidden identity would influence how he experienced and depicted the "American Scene," both at home and at war. 

C. 1940-1945
Gouache on Paper
11"x9" unframed 27"x22" framed 

Signed and titled lower right. Excellent vintage condition. Framed in a restored vintage wood frame with a subtle burgundy and dark green finish using 8 ply birch and smoky hill linen archival matting behind conservation clear glass.