Charles Wysocki (American, 1928-2002). New England Skating Party. Oil on canvas. 36 x 48 inches (91.4 x 121.9 cm). Signe...

Description

Charles Wysocki (American, 1928-2002)
New England Skating Party
Oil on canvas
36 x 48 inches (91.4 x 121.9 cm)
Signed lower right: © Charles Wysocki
Signed and titled on the stretcher: By Charles Wysocki / New England Skating Party

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York;
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1978.

LITERATURE:
C. Wysocki, An American celebration : The Art of Charles Wysocki, New York, 1985, p. 176, illustrated.


Charles Wysocki's New England Skating Party is a vibrant celebration of Americana, steeped in nostalgia and folk tradition. Painted in Wysocki's distinctive style-a blend of naïve realism and decorative precision-the work conjures a communal winter idyll, complete with skating couples, carolers, and the glow of a bonfire beneath a crescent moon. The painting is a study in rhythmic motion and narrative density, offering a mosaic of interconnected scenes set against a frozen river and a covered bridge, one of Wysocki's favored emblems of rural tranquility.

Born in Detroit in 1928, Wysocki trained as a commercial illustrator and found significant success in advertising before turning full-time to painting. Deeply inspired by 19th-century New England, Wysocki painted not with strict historical accuracy but with affectionate idealism. His scenes are imaginative re-creations-visual love letters to small-town life and seasonal traditions. In New England Skating Party, Wysocki flattens perspective and sharpens contours, creating a theatrical tableau that recalls both fraktur art and early American folk painting.

Wysocki's work shares a kinship with fellow American folk artist Grandma Moses, who also depicted rural life with nostalgic warmth and narrative detail. While Moses's compositions emphasized agrarian rituals and homey simplicity, Wysocki's paintings lean more toward decorative elegance and structured complexity. Yet both artists invite viewers into idealized visions of American life, imbued with a sense of joy, tradition, and belonging.

More than just a nostalgic vignette, New England Skating Party reflects Wysocki's mission to preserve an imagined American past defined by harmony and communal festivity. It exemplifies Wysocki at his best-meticulous in detail, rich in narrative, and deeply rooted in the American scene.


More information about Charles Wysocki. See also: Wysocki, Charles Artist.



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