Double Portrait of Performers by Josef Presser (1909-1967)

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Description

This fine original painting on paper is a classic example of gouache (opaque watercolor) painted and signed lower left by … Read more This fine original painting on paper is a classic example of gouache (opaque watercolor) painted and signed lower left by Polish-American artist Josef Presser (1909-1967) in the 1950s and featuring the heads of his iconic circus performers or shamans. The framing is tight and claustrophobic, typical of Presser’s psychological portraits, and the color scheme is moody and cool—dominated by slate blues, teals, and grays—but punctuated by the earthy ochre and gold of the faces and the acidic yellow highlighting the hair and head covers.

The figures likely represent The Performer (or The Harlequin or The Clown), a recurring archetype in Presser’s work. He often used circus imagery to symbolize the tragic performance of everyday life—a common theme in 1950s Social Realism and Expressionism. This work shows the unique "Woodstock Style"—a blend of European Expressionism (brought by immigrants) and American grit. Woodstock was a haven for leftist and progressive thought. In the context of the Woodstock Artists Colony and the post-war era, the Shaman represented the role of the artist in society.

This artwork measures 13 inches x 15 inches or 20" x 26" matted under glass in a black metal frame, ready to hang.

About the Artist:
Joseph Presser (1907–1967) was born in Lublin, Poland, and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1913, settling in Boston, where he was admitted to the prestigious Boston Museum School of Art at a young age. Presser soon left to travel Europe, working on freighters and with traveling circuses, experiences that would permanently shape his empathetic, humanistic artistic vision: the horses, clowns, and performers he lived with became the central "Harlequin" and "Shaman" archetypes that dominate his later work.

In the mid-1930s, Presser moved to New York City, where he met fellow artist Agnes Hart, whom he married in 1941. During the Great Depression, he became a key figure in the Social Realist movement. Like many artists of his generation, he was employed by the WPA (Works Progress Administration), a government program designed to employ artists. While many specific WPA mural locations from this era have been lost or painted over, his WPA-era sketches and paintings are held in major museum collections like the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Presser was also a highly influential teacher in New York City during the birth of Abstract Expressionism, holding prominent faculty positions at New York University (NYU) from 1947 to 1952, the Cooper Union School of Visual Arts (SVA), and the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Presser and Hart established a studio in Woodstock, NY, becoming active members of the Woodstock Artists Association. See less