John Lear (1910-2008) Metamorphosis of the Young Dancer Framed Offset Lithography

John Lear, American (1910-2008)

Though he was not sent overseas during World War II, MacBride said, the surreal aspects of his art were influenced by "his horror at the destruction of life and the beauty of the world." His work portrays realistic yet disparate images in dream-like landscapes. His later work idealized male figures, reminiscent of the classical Greek form, displaying their youthful bodies amidst a landscape littered with architectural fragments and broken shards, suggest hope and reconstruction. Much of his work is drawn from memory. He described his work as telling no story, but instead focusing on the juxtaposition of his figures and objects in relation to the viewers' imagination.

Lear's work is in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the
Florida Gulf Coast Art Center in Clearwater, the Reading Museum, and the
Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill.

Sources:

https://daytonart.emuseum.com/people/6482/john-b-lear-jr/objects
https://woodmereartmuseum.org/explore-online/collection/artist/john-brock-lear-jr

Overall Size: 18" x 15"

Condition: Perfect; Not examined outside of frame.