IMPORTANT LARGE ORIGINAL MARVIN CONE

MARVIN CONE (American 1891-1965)
Night Prowler - 1941
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right "Marvin Cone"
30 inches x 36 inches

Provenance
BY decent from the family of the artist to the present owner.

Literature
Joseph S. Czestochowski, Marvin D. Cone An American Tradition, New York, 1985, page 42 illustrated. Joseph S. Czestochowski, Marvin D. Cone: Art as Self Portrait, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 1989 catalog No. 413, page 135 illustrated.

Exhibited
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 137th Annual Exhibition, January-March 1942, No. 287. Davenport, Iowa, Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, "Exhibition of Paintings by Marvin Cone," March 1947, No. 9. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids Art Association, Paintings by Marvin D. Cone, April-May 1947, No. 20. Second Annual Exhibition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, location unknown, June 1947. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Coe College, An Exhibit of Paintings by Marvin Cone, Centennial Exhibition, March-April 1952, No. 4. Iowa City, Iowa, University of Iowa, Marvin Cone: A Retrospective Exhibition, October-November 1960, No. 3. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Coe College, Paintings by Marvin D. Cone from the Collection of Mrs. Marvin Cone, December 1971-January 1972, No. 6. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids Art Center, A Retrospective Exhibition, November1980-January 1981, No. 35. Additionally the offered work also was exhibited in the four year touring show "Grant Wood and Marvin Cone: An American Tradition," which ran from December 1984-December 1987 and included seventeen different venues including but not limited to: the Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio, the Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee and many others.

The offered lot is a prime example of Cones works comprised of interior scenes which he began in 1938. Cone remained interested with this motif for over 20 years. The offered painting exhibits the many elements Cone would include in these works; an interior devoid of human presence, a stairway to an unknown location and a quality of light that serves as a visual symbol for introspection - a retreat from the outside world. What distinguishes Cones interior paintings from similar treatment but other artists is the lack of a human figure and customary furnishings. Instead, the viewer is left in a dreamy emptiness. The painting would also seem to reflect Cones use of ethereal images such as the image hinted at on the wall above the cat rendered of wall texture shadows and, as some suggest, depicts a shadow of Cone himself with his well-known tuff of hair - a technique employed in an earlier painting by Cone titled "Myself" 1932. The Prescence of the cat, the ?Night Prowler" is unique to all of Cones interior paintings and perhaps an also reflection of Cone's interest in the spirit world. Ultimately, the viewer is keenly aware that the room was previously animated with human drama, and a nostalgia from this presence fills the room.

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Condition Report: Important Notice: The absence of condition information in the description does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition, a condition report is available by request.