Eli Levin (American, b. 1938). "Old Bag" watercolor and/or gouache, 1990. Pencil signed "Eli Levin 1990" at bottom center. A wonderful genre painting - a scene of everyday life - that takes place in a seedy bar of the American West by American artist Eli Levin. Levin presents three people at the bar - the bartender is conversing with a man in a blue suit, and simultaneously gesturing toward a woman sitting at the other end of the bar. Perhaps she is the inspiration for the title of the work, "Old Bag" - dressed in an orange romper over a white blouse, her bosoms resting on the bar top, she holds her head with one hand and smokes a cigarette with the other. All is delineated with vibrant hues and bold forms - set in a custom matte and frame. Size of painting: 9" L x 10.625" W (22.9 cm x 27 cm) Size: 15.75" L x 17.75" W (40 cm x 45.1 cm)

Levin has been dubbed "a narrative genius" and his paintings have been described as "impeccably crafted vignettes" by critics such as Suzanne Deats who also compared him to Honore Daumier and Pieter Breughel. According to Deats, these masters "interpreted scenes of everyday life in the same exuberant fashion" albeit with a difference in locale and time period.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Levin grew up in one of the world's greatest cities, developing an appreciation for art and culture that was figural and realistic during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism. Years later, he would move to Santa Fe and find his muse - "the underworld of the bars where working class people hung out, drank, flirted, danced and fought." Levin would state, "People lose their inhibitions in a bar, in a way that would seem odd elsewhere. A bar is like a theatre in that people act out their drives and compulsions. There is a great deal of anxiety, and of course all that macho garbage." (Source: Suzanne Deats, "The Play of Life: From rowdy and exuberant to tender and subdued, there's a classical quality in Eli Levin's cast of characters" in Focus/Santa Fe/ June/July 1991 pp. 56- 59)

Provenance: ex-William and Jane Frazer, Aspen, Colorado, USA, acquired 1980s

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Painting has not been examined outside the frame but appears to be in excellent condition. Pencil signed "Eli Levin 1990" at bottom center. Frame is wired for suspension and painting is ready to display.