Above: Full view of painting

Above: The artist’s signature

Above: The published painting as it appeared on the cover of Spicy Detective, May 1941

A sensational, action packed, original oil painting by Allen Anderson. Commissioned as a cover for the pulp title Spicy Detective this work illustrates the story “The Corpse is Yours” by Robert A. Garron in the May 1941 issue. The artist created a number of these spicy covers for Culture Publications in the 1930s and 1940s.

Above: Detail

Above: Detail

Anderson had some fun with this painting, presenting his signature on the canvas of the oil painting being ceated within the scene, he also employs a very thick impasto technique on the paint colors that appears on the artist’s palette at the bottom of the field to appear as fresh paint to be used on the canvas being created within.

Above: Detail

Above: Canvas relined view

Above: Relined back canvas on custom made stretchers

This work has been relined, has benefited from expert restoration and cleaning, and displays to great effect. This is a rare surviving and really spectacular example of a spicy pulp cover painting from the art deco era that has it all – danger, action, menace, a near nude damsel in distress – with lurid pulp fiction aesthetic.

Above: Detail