Charles Newman (Pafa Mfa) Original 2008 Oil in Handcrafted Artist Frame – Pre-Gentrification Urban Landscape

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This is a museum-quality offering from celebrated contemporary artist Charles Newman (American, b. 1976). Dated 2008, this piece holds significant … Read more This is a museum-quality offering from celebrated contemporary artist Charles Newman (American, b. 1976). Dated 2008, this piece holds significant historical and professional provenance, as it was created during the same year Newman received his Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).

Unlike the rapid-fire alla prima sessions Newman is known for, this piece was painted from the artist's own Philadelphia backyard. This personal connection allowed Newman the luxury of time to deeply explore the interplay of light and shadow on the urban vernacular. The result is a more "studied" and layered composition that captures the soul of the neighborhood before the decade’s rapid gentrification. It is a historical snapshot of a lived-in Philadelphia that has largely been transformed by modern development.

The painting is housed in a bespoke frame handcrafted by Charles Newman. Newman is a renowned craftsman at Provenance in Philadelphia, where he specializes in architectural salvage. The frame is constructed from reclaimed old-growth wood—likely salvaged antique pine or oak from historic Philadelphia structures—creating a direct material link between the subject of the painting and the city’s physical history. See less