American Art - A Tragic Discovery - Andrew LOOMIS - Illustration Oil Painting

This large, almost expressionist oil was probably an illustration for a fiction magazine. The diagonal formed by the two characters and the play with light and shadows make for a dynamic composition where light and darkness seem to be fighting over the dead man’s soul. But the cross on his chest leaves no doubt as to the issue.

American illustrator William Andrew Loomis (1892–1959) was hugely influential on his colleagues of the Golden Age of Illustrations, and he remains influential to this day through his art instructions books. In addition to his extensive career in editorial and advertising illustration, he was on the faculty of the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He was inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame in 1999.  

Photos courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries

Item ID: 122