1960s Vincent Cavallaro (American, 1912–1985), "Profeta" (Prophet) | Signed Oil on Canvas

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An abstract composition in a restricted earth palette of umber, ochre, sienna and dusty rose, with black gestural passages and … Read more An abstract composition in a restricted earth palette of umber, ochre, sienna and dusty rose, with black gestural passages and small reserves of cream. The surface is worked in scraped, mottled and dabbed layers that read as weathered fresco or corroded metal, a technique consistent with Cavallaro's experimental handling. The title suggests a buried figural armature: a hooded or robed presence occupies the left-center field, flanked by darker vertical forms. Horizontal register of pale rectangles at center reads as tablets or a scroll. Painted in New York, likely 1950s–60s.

Cavallaro was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on November 8, 1912, raised and educated in Milan, and died in New York City on May 22, 1985. He received an award from MoMA for a war poster in 1941, a commission from the National Gallery of Art for its "Man in Space" program in 1968, and numerous public and private mural and monument commissions, including New York City public schools circa 1963–1975.

Image 25" H x 30" W; framed 27.25" H x 32.25" W x 1.5" D. Provenance: Central Park South estate, New York. See less