Maurice Freedman (American, 1904-1985) oil on canvasboard landscape painting of a forest of pine trees, portrayed with gestural, colorful brushstrokes. The focal point is the mid-section of a singular tree in the left foreground, rendered with a thick and textured impasto to convey the appearance of bark. Signed and dated "Maurice Freeman '55" lower right. Painted wood mat and natural oak frame. Canvasboard – 20" W x 16'H. Frame – 23"W x 19"H.

Biography: Maurice Freedman was born in the Boston area and studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Massachusetts College of Art, and the Art Students League of New York. His main influencers were his teachers in France during the 1920s, the Fauvist/Cubist painter Andre Lhote and Ferdinand Leger. The New York Times wrote that "his generally painted cityscapes, landscapes, and still-lifes look like collaborations between Marsden Hartley and Max Beckman… with simplified details, exaggerated colors and contrasts of light and dark." Freedman's work was included in the Carnegie International, the Whitney Museum's Annual Exhibition, and the Corcoran Biennial during his lifetime, and is in numerous museum collections today including the Denver Art Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Los Angeles Art Museum. (Sources: Ken Johnson, The New York Times, Sept. 9, 2005, and the Maine Arts Commission).

CONDITION: Excellent condition, no damage noted.