An artichoke and cluster of dark grapes against a deep teal ground — a characteristically direct still life by self-taught Chicago modernist Copeland Burg, in its original heavily distressed painted frame.
ARTIST: Copeland Charles Burg (American, 1889–1961)
PERIOD: Mid-20th century, c. 1940s–1950s
CATEGORY: Painting / American Modernism
MEDIUM: Oil on board
DIMENSIONS: 12 × 14 inches (frame)
SIGNED: Upper left: Copeland Burg
CONTEXT: This small still life — an artichoke and dark grapes on a warm ochre ground, set against a deep teal — belongs to the genre Burg returned to throughout his career, rendering ordinary market produce with an economy and confidence that reads well above his largely self-taught origins. The original painted frame, heavily distressed to bare wood and brick red beneath, is as much a part of the object as the painting itself. Burg had a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, and his work is held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
CONDITION: Good; age-appropriate wear to frame consistent with its character. Paint surface stable.