Dublin Core
Title
Description
Across a field we see two small buildings next to a larger one mostly obscurred by trees at left. Given their size and delapidation, it can be inferred that the lives within the homes are humble ones—perhaps agricultural workers, given the pile of hay at right. Telephone or electrical poles are visible near a road at right, along with an unreadable sign. Ramer’s subtle composition emphasizes the things we don’t know about the woods house(s), but they’re tucked into the center of his painting. Note: the line across this painting is due to broken glass in the painting’s frame.
About the Artist: Born in Lemberg, Ukraine, Ramer immigrated to the US with a family holding strongly progressive views (a younger brother, Aaron, was killed in the Spanish Civil War while serving in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade). During the 1930s Ramer’s work was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1934), the Corcoran Gallery (1935), and the Montross Gallery (1936), among other venues. Reviews of his work suggest a protean sensibility, of choosing “to experiment in different fields of painting and “submit[ting] them all to public scrutiny” (Offin). Another visitor thought his “more imposing” figures and still lifes were “not as inviting as his lighter and more fluent” landscapes—an opinion seemingly shared by those who allocated three works to the Mt. Morris sanatorium (“The Critic”). Ramer continued to evolve, in the 1950s influenced by abstract expressionism, in the 1960s and ‘70s according to his nephew “doing some large lucite cast abstractions with found objects that had a La Brea tarpits kind of quality” (Friedman). All this while he maintained a studio upstairs from Max’s Kansas City on Lower Park Avenue, sometimes teaching art classes at Brooklyn College. Much of his work suffered fire damage from the club below or was not preserved after his death. 1 more image at FAP.
About the Artist: Born in Lemberg, Ukraine, Ramer immigrated to the US with a family holding strongly progressive views (a younger brother, Aaron, was killed in the Spanish Civil War while serving in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade). During the 1930s Ramer’s work was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1934), the Corcoran Gallery (1935), and the Montross Gallery (1936), among other venues. Reviews of his work suggest a protean sensibility, of choosing “to experiment in different fields of painting and “submit[ting] them all to public scrutiny” (Offin). Another visitor thought his “more imposing” figures and still lifes were “not as inviting as his lighter and more fluent” landscapes—an opinion seemingly shared by those who allocated three works to the Mt. Morris sanatorium (“The Critic”). Ramer continued to evolve, in the 1950s influenced by abstract expressionism, in the 1960s and ‘70s according to his nephew “doing some large lucite cast abstractions with found objects that had a La Brea tarpits kind of quality” (Friedman). All this while he maintained a studio upstairs from Max’s Kansas City on Lower Park Avenue, sometimes teaching art classes at Brooklyn College. Much of his work suffered fire damage from the club below or was not preserved after his death. 1 more image at FAP.
Sources Consulted: Charles Z. Offin, “Introducing Nat Ramer,” Brooklyn Daily Eagle 23 Feb. 1936: C13; “The Critic Takes a Glance Around the Galleries,” New York Post 22 Feb. 1936: 24. For additional information, a special thanks to Alan Friedman.
Creator
Ramer, Nathaniel (“Nat”), 1904-1987
Publisher
Date
Contributor
Source
Format
Type
Identifier
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Watercolor painting
Physical Dimensions
17.5 x 11.5 in.
Condition: slightly buckled paper