Maria (WPA)

 

Harry Rein

  1908 - 1969 (biography)

c.a 1935 

lithograph 

11 1/4 x 14 3/8" image 

pencil, lower right 

about 28 impressions 

pencil titled in lower center margin 

 

cream wove 

published 

Federal Art Project WPa 

AFAE146 

$350.00 

In this unusually casual and charming scene, Harry Rein depicts a woman, Maria, lounging akimbo on a bed with a game of chess laid out beside her. She clutches a knight in one hand - elbow out as though she's just about to make a move - while her other hand is tucked lazily beneath her head as she eyes the viewer with sly determination. The scene presents like a candid snapshot of a familiar friend or lover, and while there is an overt sensuality to the pose, it is tempered by an attitude of casual comfort. This work is remarkable for the artist's appreciation of an everyday moment, and the subject's willingness to be portrayed without inhibition.