William H. Harnden (1920-1983) American, Oil on Board. Depicts a nude figure with a cloth draped over her midsection, sitting and turned away from the artist. 

Condition: Small spot in upper right corner. Frame commensurate with age. 

Overall Size: 27 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. 

Sight Size: 19 x 15 in. 

#4014 . 

William Hershall Harnden was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 14th, 1920. He first started painting while serving as a Motor Transport Sergeant with the U.S. Marines in Europe during World War II, inspired both by the dynamic and harrowing scenes of battle he witnessed as well as his exposure to the work of combat artists and Old Masters. He developed a loose Impressionist style, and when he returned to America he studied painting for five years at the Art Students League in New York under Frank V. DuMond, Robert Ward Johnson, John Housanes, and Will Barnet, further honing his craft. It was there that he met and married Ida Bloom, a dancer who modeled for the figure drawing classes, with whom he had a son and daughter. He exhibited at the National Academy of Design, the Knickerbocker Artists, the American Artist Professional League, and the National Arts Club, all in New York. He also had works shown at the New Jersey Society of Sculptors and Painters, and one of his many prizes was the First Prize from the American Artist Professional League in 1959. An old war injury began to take its toll in the late 1960s and he became unable to work anymore. He passed away due to complications from the injury in 1983 and was buried with honors in the Calverton National Cemetery, and his work has found new appreciation in the 21st Century for his unique approach and his place in the history of mid-Century American art.

Small spot in upper right corner. Frame commensurate with age.