Lot 1B
William Franklin Draper (American, 1912-2003). "Tikal Guatemala" oil on canvas, ca. 1970s. Draper Estate stamp on verso. A wonderful painting of a pyramid in Tikal, Guatemala by William Draper. Draper depicted the famous Maya ruins of the monumental Seven Temples in Tikal, one of the largest Classic period cities and archaeological sites of the Mesoamerican Maya civilization, inviting the viewer to take in the impressive limestone pyramidal structures erected for both ceremonial and burial purposes, rising amidst northern Guatemala's lush tropical flora. Temple I (Temple of the Giant Jaguar) is the temple-mausoleum of Hasaw Chan K'awiil (d. 732 CE), one of Tikal's most revered rulers. The pyramidal structure was built with nine levels, a reference to the nine levels of the Underworld, and a three chambered temple. In addition, a beautiful sculpted roof comb that once bore the ruler's portrait rendered in stucco surmounts the temple. Size of painting: 36" W x 35.125" H (91.4 cm x 89.2 cm); of canvas: 39" W x 41.5" H (99.1 cm x 105.4 cm).
William Franklin Draper was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts on December 24, 1912. A child prodigy, he studied classical piano at Harvard University. He later changed his focus to fine art and studied with Charles Webster Hawthorne and Henry Hensche in Provincetown, Rhode Island. Draper also attended the National Academy of Design in New York and the Cape Cod School of Art in Massachusetts. Then he traveled to Spain and studied with Harry Zimmerman, moved on to France and attended the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere. In 1937, he moved to Boston to study sculpture with George Demetrius and also studied with Jon Corbino in beautiful Rockport, Massachusetts. In 1942, Draper joined the Navy and served as a combat artist when stationed on the Aleutian Islands and in the South Pacific. He observed and painted battle scenes on Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and other locations, as well as genre scenes of soldiers who were not engaged in combat but rather at work and at play. National Geographic magazine reproduced 25 of his war images in four issues in 1944. In 1945, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. organized a group exhibition of works by five official war artists, including Draper. That same year the Metropolitan Museum of Art included Draper in an exhibition entitled, ''The War Against Japan.'' Draper was also featured in a PBS television show about combat artists entitled, "They Drew Fire" in May of 2000. After the war, Draper opened a studio on Park Avenue in New York City and continued to not only paint, but also play classical and jazz piano.
Draper's career spanned seven decades. In addition to painting landscapes, WWII battle scenes, floral still lifes, and interiors, he was an accomplished portraitist. In fact, Draper's subjects included a portrait of John F. Kennedy that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. based upon an oil sketch for which the president sat in 1962. Draper was actually the only artist who painted JFK from life. Draper showed at Knoedler, the Graham Gallery, Portraits, Inc., the Far Gallery, The Findlay Galleries (New York, NY) and the Robert C. Vose Galleries (Boston, MA). His work has been included in shows at the National Portrait Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), The National Academy of Design (New York, NY), The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, (Boston, MA) the Fogg Art Museum, (one of the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA), the National Gallery, (London), Salon de la Marine (Paris) and in museums in Australia. Draper also taught at the Art Students League of New York, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Portrait Society of America in 1999.
Provenance: The William F. Draper Collection, New York City, USA
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#152756
- Condition: Draper Estate stamp on verso. Some fraying and folding to edges; none of which affects painting. Painting is in excellent overall condition. Has been rolled for transport and retains rolled form.
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