Davy Crockett by William Gropper
This is a lithograph by noted American artist William Gropper. It is from a set of works taken from American folklore that Gropper produced for Associated American Artists in the early 1950s. This example depicts an ecstatic Davy Crockett riding his pet alligator during an electrical storm to the dismay of startled onlookers. This is drawn from a story, Crocketts Wonderful Escape, by Driving his Pet Alligator up Niagara Falls that appeared in a collection dating from 1846.
Davy and the alligator take up most of the image with the villagers squeezed to the extreme right of the image. It is framed to the upper left by tree branches and to the upper right by what appear to be clouds and lightening bolts that mirror the spines on the tail of the alligator. The print is in excellent condition with no fading or other issues. The mat is not archival. It is signed Gropper in pencil lower right. The original AAA label is included. A great example of his graphic work.
William Gropper (1897-1977) Primarily known for his work as a cartoonist, Gropper was a classically trained artist who was a noted muralist, painter, and graphic artist. Gropper studied with Robert Henri and George Bellows, founding members of the “Ash Can School” that led to the first truly American artistic movement, Regionalism. His style was influenced by his work as a radical cartoonist and like other iconic Regionalists such as John Stuart Curry and Thomas Hart Benton his work always had an undertone of social commentary. His work was recognized as significant with his receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1937 and several awards including the Harmon Prize, the Collier Prize, and the Wanamaker Prize. His work is held in many collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Whitney Museum, the Chicago Art Institute, and, interestingly, the Museum of Western Art in Moscow. One might speculate that the latter institution was interested given the radical nature of his work, particularly work that emphasized the role of the worker as depicted in murals that hang in the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC, Post Offices in Detroit and Freeport Long Island among others. He is the author of several books including Alay-Oop a novel in pictures, one of the earliest examples of a modern graphic novel. His graphic work was published by Associated American Artists.
Price: $150
Size: 18 x 14 inches
Plate Size: 12.5 8 inches
Condition: Excellent
Medium: Lithograph
Subject: Mythology/Fictional Characters
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