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Grapefruit Moon Gallery

Original Art from the Grand Age of American Illustration

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Sorry, It's Sold

Wanton by Night

Artist:George Gross
Date:1951
Medium:Oil on stretched canvas
Dimensions:Sight Size 14" X 18" Framed 22" X 26 1/2"
Condition:Excellent
Original Use:Ecstasy Books Cover Art
Full view
Framed and matted view in handsome gallery frame

A feisty redhead is caught in a private moment in this voyeuristic and menacing published pulp painting that was used as the cover of Ecstasy Books #15 “Wanton By Night.” The image is filled with classic pulp iconography, from the scantily-clad femme fatale hurryingly drawing down her shade in the close confines of urban apartment living, to the whisky drinking man glancing through the window. In 1950s America there were a number of publishers that aimed to build on the 1930s pulp art tradition. With titles like Manhunt, Conflict, and Pursuit, digest-sized editions–typically with cover art like this –bridged the gap between the pulps and the 1960s men’s magazines that were to come later. While unsigned it has been confirmed that this cover illustration was painted by George Gross.

Detail
View of canvas unframed with publication marks in margins

Wanton by Night

Artist: George Gross

Filed Under: Paperback & Pulp Art, Sorry, It's Sold
Tagged With: damsel in distress, Ecstasy Books, George Gross, paperback, pin up, pulp, Pursuit, True Crime
Added to Gallery: May 22, 2019

 

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