Mid Century Modern Framed Oil Painting Figures

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Mid Century Modern Oil Painting on Canvas by Dominican Artist, Julio Susana.

Features a depiction of vibrantly colored Mother and … Read more Mid Century Modern Oil Painting on Canvas by Dominican Artist, Julio Susana.

Features a depiction of vibrantly colored Mother and Child embracing (detailed description below)

Set in gilded original wood frame and signed on the bottom left:"Julio Susana 69"

Retail Gallery Appraisal $10k to $12K

CIRCA: 20th Century

ORIGIN: Dominican Republic

38.5"H x 32.5"W

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Julio Susana was a prominent Dominican painter, sculptor, educator, and cultural promoter. He was born in La Vega, Dominican Republic, on July 27, 1937, and graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo in 1963. His artistic achievements earned him a scholarship to study at the San Fernando School of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he specialized in painting and sculpture.

Susana was a student of the Spanish muralist José Vela Zanetti, whose influence can be seen in the monumental forms and strong anatomical treatment of his work. However, critics also noted the distinctive tenderness, romanticism, and Caribbean character that made his style uniquely his own.

Art critics have described his work as deeply humanistic, combining strong figurative composition with romantic and symbolic elements rooted in Dominican identity and Caribbean culture.

ABOUT THE PAINTING
This vibrant, modernist painting presents an intimate and emotionally charged scene of three figures intertwined in a moment of care and quiet tension. Rendered in bold, saturated hues—fiery oranges, deep blues, lush greens, and rich purples—the composition draws the viewer into a compact, almost sculptural arrangement of bodies and drapery.

At the center, a seated woman cradles a small bouquet of fruit or flowers, her gaze steady and contemplative. Her elongated limbs and angular features echo the stylized forms of early 20th-century modernism, where realism gives way to expressive distortion. To her left, another figure leans inward, gently touching the head of a child nestled between them. The gesture suggests protection, tenderness, and generational continuity.

The figures are constructed through strong contour lines and faceted planes, creating a rhythmic interplay of curves and angles. Draped fabrics sweep across the canvas in dynamic folds, guiding the eye through the triangular composition. The warm palette dominates, conveying vitality and intimacy, while cooler tones in the background provide depth and contrast.

The painting evokes themes of motherhood, resilience, and communal strength. Its stylized anatomy and emotional intensity align with modernist explorations of the human condition—where form, color, and composition serve not merely to depict, but to express. Enclosed in an ornate carved frame, the work bridges classical presentation with a boldly contemporary sensibility, inviting viewers to reflect on the enduring bonds between figures bound by care and shared experience. See less