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Charles Ragland Bunnell
Charles Ragland Bunnell 1939 WPA Man His Search for God Modernist Painting

1939

$7,000
£5,272.88
€6,152.12
CA$9,901.80
A$9,962.46
CHF 5,782.54
MX$121,415.40
NOK 66,745.56
SEK 68,489.91
DKK 45,985.31

About the Item

This powerful 1939 WPA-era work by American modernist Charles Ragland Bunnell, titled Man in His Search for God, is a deeply expressive figurative painting that explores themes of spirituality, existence, and human introspection. Created during one of the most pivotal periods in the artist’s career, the composition reflects Bunnell’s transition from American Scene painting toward a more abstract and symbolic modernist language. Executed in gouache or ink wash on paper, the work is defined by a restrained, monochromatic palette that heightens its emotional intensity. Stylized figures and abstracted forms emerge through layered tonal shifts, creating a sense of psychological depth and spiritual searching. The composition feels both structured and ethereal, balancing figuration with early modernist abstraction. Charles Ragland Bunnell is recognized as one of the key figures in early American modernism and a significant contributor to WPA-era art in Colorado. After training at the Broadmoor Art Academy and working on federal art projects, he developed a distinctive style that evolved from representational landscape and figurative work into increasingly abstract and expressionist compositions. His WPA period works are especially valued for their emotional gravity and historical importance in American art history. Created in 1939, this painting belongs to Bunnell’s celebrated Black and Blue period, in which he explored existential and spiritual themes through simplified forms and symbolic abstraction. Works from this era are widely regarded as foundational to his later development as a pioneering Colorado abstract expressionist. Highly collectible and historically significant, Man in His Search for God is an important example of WPA-era modernism - ideal for collectors of early American abstraction, figurative modernist works, and museum-quality 20th-century art.
  • Creator:
    Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897-1968, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1939
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 26.25 in (66.68 cm)Width: 26 in (66.04 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Frame Included
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Denver, CO
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 141091stDibs: LU27315612852

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