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Oil on canvas abstract painting; signed and attr. Leonard Nelson (American, 1912-1993); 16 x 18.5 inch (40.64 x 47 cm). Nelson was unique amongst his fellow Abstract Expressionists in that he spent the majority of his career in Philadelphia rather than staying in New York. While there, he was able to venture toward angles of his artistic skills that included media as diverse as welded sculpture and printmaking. Nelson also taught at the Moore College of Art in Philadelphia for thirty years, retiring as a Professor Emeritus in 1977. Nelson’s main artistic focus during his career was painting, and his style and technique transformed greatly through the decades. Around the 1950s, he was creating figurative pieces that shared the same primitive aspects that the early works of Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning brought to the forefront of the avant-garde movement of the time. In the subsequent decades he progressed to his luminous color-field canvases, which became his quintessential works and the cornerstones of his artistic legacy. Leonard Nelson was very proud of the role that he played in the art education of the next generation’s promising youth. His lasting impact from his teaching roles amplified the prowess of the remarkable body of work that he left behind. His paintings are some of the most significant examples of work done by the Abstract Expressionists, and solidify his place as one of the most redoubtable American artists of the 20th century. PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario Estate