A carved cherry screen by New Hope sculptor and woodworker James Martin.
This large sculptural screen comprises three narrow vertical panels featuring two bands of organic carved reticulated motifs resembling open cellular structures which continue through the separated panels. The three panels are set asymmetrically between two planks, the lower with live edges.
Like many of artists working in the Studio and Craft movements in the mid-20th century, Martin was a member of the armed forces during WWII and was stationed on the USS Santa Monica at the battle of Okinawa, Japan in 1945. After he was decommissioned, Martin returned to his native New Jersey and subsequently enrolled in art classes at Trenton Junior College of N.J. In the early 1950s, he settled in the artists' enclave of New Hope, Pennsylvania and worked in the studio of George Nakashima before striking out on his own in 1963. His work typically features biomorphic forms in carved wood.
PROVENANCE
Estate of the artist, New Hope, PA
Height: 73 inches (185.4 cm)
Width: 50 inches (127 cm)
Depth: 14 inches (35.6 cm)