1941 TOM LOVELL OIL PAINTING BEAUTIFUL GIRL WESTERN

1941 TOM LOVELL OIL PAINTING BEAUTIFUL GIRL WESTERN FRONTIER ILLUSTRATION ART
DETAILS:
- ARTIST: TOM LOVELL
- BIRTH: American, 1909-1997
- TITLE: Meeting Mother
- SIGNATURE: Tom Lovell (lower left);
- MEDIUM: Oil on canvas
- SIZE: 27 x 38 In. (Artwork) / 45-1/2 x 34-1/2 In. (Framed).
- CONDITION: Very good to excellent condition, light normal wear to the frame.
BACKGROUND:
TOM LOVELL (Feb 5th 1909 – June 29th 1997) was an American illustrator and painter. He was a prolific creator of pulp fiction magazine covers and illustrations, and of visual art of the American West. He produced illustrations for National Geographic magazine, and many others, and painted many historical Western subjects such as interactions between Indians and white settlers and traders. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1974.
In the early 1930s Lovell shared a studio space in New York with Harry Anderson and Al (Nick) Carter. He eventually moved to the artist colony of New Rochelle just outside of New York City. New Rochelle was home to a number of other illustrators, including Norman Rockwell and Mead Schaeffer.After 1936, Lovell progressed into providing illustrations for advertising agencies and slick magazines such as Redbook, Life, Collier’s, The American, Woman's Home Companion, and Cosmopolitan. From 1940 onwards Lovell produced covers for several magazines including Ace-High Western, Clues, Complete, Detective Tales, Dime Detective, Rangeland Romances, Star Western, and Top-Notch. He also drew pen and ink interio illustrations for The Shadow, Courtroom Stories, Popular Western, Triple Western, and Clues.
Lovell served for two years in the Marine Corps Reserve during World War II and was sent as a Staff Sergeant to Washington DC, with John Clymer, to illustrate the Marine Corps magazine, Leatherneck.
On returning to Westport Lovell produced a set of historical drawings for National Geographic Magazine, including depictions of the Norman invasion of England, the career of Alexander the Great, and the conquests of the Vikings. Lovell took great care in reproducing what he considered to be historical accuracy in the illustrations, including making models of weapons and ships, visiting historical sites and carrying out other research.
In 1969, under commission from the Abell-Hanger Foundation, Lovell produced a series of paintings commemorating the history of the SouthWest that are now on permanent display at the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, Midland, Texas. These works, a historical series about Native Americans, represent a turning point in the subject matter of Lovell’s work and from this point on he concentrated on depictions of Native American life, exploration of the West, and Western art. He also created several paintings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 1973 he was invited to become a Charter member of the National Academy of Western Artists, and is the only artist to twice receive their Prix de West Award. In 1974 he was elected to the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame, and in 1975 became a member of the Cowboy Artists of America. In 1992 he received the Robert Loughweed Award from NAWA as well as their Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1994 he displayed several pieces at the National Academy of Western Artists Show in Oklahoma City.
The Tom Lovell Collection of personal letters, photographs and scrapbooks containing tear sheets of his completed paintings are currently held at the Norman Rockwell Museum Archives - Reference Center Collection In 2006, the NRM put several of Lovell's paintings on display as part of the National Geographic: The Art of Exploration exhibition.
Condition Report: Very good to excellent condition, light normal wear to the frame.