STEVAN DOHANOS (1907-1994) "Men Working." [COVER ART /
STEVAN DOHANOS (1907-1994)
"Men Working." Preliminary study for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, published April 12, 1947. Mixed media, including watercolor, tempera, and graphite on board. 350x272 mm; 13¾x10¾ inches. Unsigned. A tear sheet of the printed cover accompanies the lot.Dohanos is best known for the cover images that he produced for The Saturday Evening Post, creating 123 of them during the 1940s and 1950s. It was during this period that he became a household name. According to his family, he was extremely methodical when bringing a cover from concept to final draft; Dohanos sketched his ideas, researched his subjects, and skillfully utilized models to translate his visions of everyday American life into compelling works of art. This study shows his creative process.The magazine describes the cover as follows: "The poets sing of spring as a great awakening, and for the flowers, the trees and the birds - who have been resting up all winter down South - it may be. But when spring waves her magic wand over mankind, the effect is about the same as if she had used a blackjack, and the gentle spring zephyrs operate as if they contained a light general anesthetic. As the sap rises, ambition sags, and as the birds rejoice, men and women greet the annual revival with a heartfelt yawn. Exemplifying this seasonal languor in Stevan Dohanos' cover painting is Sgt. William McDonough, of the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Police Department, a hard-working man when not posing for a spring-fever picture. He runs the department's sign shop."
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
STEVAN DOHANOS (1907-1994)
"Men Working." Preliminary study for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, published April 12, 1947. Mixed media, including watercolor, tempera, and graphite on board. 350x272 mm; 13¾x10¾ inches. Unsigned. A tear sheet of the printed cover accompanies the lot.Dohanos is best known for the cover images that he produced for The Saturday Evening Post, creating 123 of them during the 1940s and 1950s. It was during this period that he became a household name. According to his family, he was extremely methodical when bringing a cover from concept to final draft; Dohanos sketched his ideas, researched his subjects, and skillfully utilized models to translate his visions of everyday American life into compelling works of art. This study shows his creative process.The magazine describes the cover as follows: "The poets sing of spring as a great awakening, and for the flowers, the trees and the birds - who have been resting up all winter down South - it may be. But when spring waves her magic wand over mankind, the effect is about the same as if she had used a blackjack, and the gentle spring zephyrs operate as if they contained a light general anesthetic. As the sap rises, ambition sags, and as the birds rejoice, men and women greet the annual revival with a heartfelt yawn. Exemplifying this seasonal languor in Stevan Dohanos' cover painting is Sgt. William McDonough, of the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Police Department, a hard-working man when not posing for a spring-fever picture. He runs the department's sign shop."
