405

Howard Norton Cook

(1901 - 1980)

Prismatic Night #1, 1951

oil on canvas
signed lower right: HOWARD COOK
inscribed verso: PRISMATIC NIGHT / (#1) / OIL- Howard Cook / 1951
24 x 40 1/4 in. (61 x 102.2 cm.), frame: 30 3/8 x 46 3/8 x 1 7/8 in. (77.2 x 117.8 x 4.8 cm.)

  • Provenance: Robert L. Parsons Fine Art, Taos, New Mexico
    The Gregory Warren Nelson Collection, New Mexico
  • Exhibited:
    Howard Cook: Paintings of New York, Grand Central Moderns Gallery, New York City, New York, October 17 – November 7, 1951
    Stables Gallery, Taos, New Mexico, September 1959
    Taos Art Museum, Taos, New Mexico, 2022 (label verso)
  • Literature:
    Martin Elkort, "About the Arts | Cook," The Santa Fe New Mexican, September 20, 1959, p. 26
    Art Notes, "The Taos News," Taos, New Mexico, September 24, 1959, p. 5
    Howard Devree, "Diverse Modernism: Semi-Abstract in Approach," New York Times, October 21, 1951, p. 105
    "Howard Cook's Work Impresses N.Y. Critic," The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, October 27, 1951, p. 18

    Painted in 1951, "Prismatic Night #1" by Howard Cook is a striking representation of New York City's dynamic energy which exemplifies Cook's fascination with urban architecture and the constant motion of the metropolis. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Cook moved to New York in 1919 to study at the Art Students League, and the city's ever-changing skyline had a significant role in his artistic development.

    In this painting," Cook transforms the towering skyscrapers of New York into angular, geometric forms, using prismatic colors to evoke the vibrancy and rhythm of the city at night. Architecture is broken down into a series of fragmented shapes and vibrant hues, with the vibrant color palette and fractured forms reflecting the city's pulse and ultimately capturing its ceaseless motion and the contrasts between light and shadow.

    The painting first appeared in the exhibition "Howard Cook: Paintings of New York," which ran at the Grand Central Moderns Gallery in New York City in 1951. A New York Times critic noted that in "Prismatic Night, "the artist has turned to horizontals and given the effect of lights and color as if the facets of crystals with brilliant effect."

    He goes on to describe the works in the show as "some of the best work of his career, making his graphic training stand him in good stead in adapting it to the semi abstract approach of the paintings." The painting would go on to appear in an exhibition at the prominent Stables Gallery in Taos, New Mexico in 1959.
  • Condition: The condition reports for the lots offered by Santa Fe Art Auction (SFAA) are provided as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers. The reports are not intended to nor do they substitute for physical examination by a buyer or the buyer's advisors. The condition reports are prepared by SFAA staff members who are not art conservators or restorers, nor do they possess the qualifications needed for comprehensive evaluation. Each condition report is an opinion of the staff member and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply anything as to the condition of a particular lot. Buyers are reminded that the limited warranties are set forth in the Terms and Conditions of Sale and do not extend to condition. Each lot is sold as-is.

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November 9, 2024 1:00 PM MST
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