**Originally Listed At $5000**

William Franklin Draper (American, 1912-2003). "Spanish Countryside" oil on board, 1954. Signed and dated at lower right. A beautiful landscape painting by William Draper, created when the American artist traveled to Spain for a painting holiday with his friend, the artist Trafford Klots (1913-1976) in 1954. Draper presents a breathtaking view the Spanish countryside with two conversing figures in the foreground at the left, a row of horses or livestock led by a rancher as they traverse the land between two large windmills in the middleground, a few more staffage figures, and one more windmill in the distance, all beneath the open sky and brought to life by Draper's lush brushstrokes and expressive handling of the palette knife. Size (sight view): 19.5" L x 23.5" W (49.5 cm x 59.7 cm) Size (frame): 28.5" L x 32.25" W (72.4 cm x 81.9 cm)

This painting is a stupendous example of Draper's artistry and is special for two reasons. First, Draper's depiction of windmills in Spain conjures the famous story of Don Quixote's fight with windmills which he mistook for giants! And second, the painting once belonged to Ray Bolger, the beloved actor who portrayed the Scarecrow in another classic story, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)!

About the artist: William Franklin Draper was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts on December 24, 1912. A child prodigy, he studied classical piano at Harvard University. He later changed his focus to fine art and studied with Charles Webster Hawthorne and Henry Hensche in Provincetown, Rhode Island. Draper also attended the National Academy of Design in New York and the Cape Cod School of Art in Massachusetts. Then he traveled to Spain and studied with Harry Zimmerman, moved on to France and attended the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere. In 1937, he moved to Boston to study sculpture with George Demetrius and also studied with Jon Corbino in beautiful Rockport, Massachusetts. In 1942, Draper joined the Navy and served as a combat artist when stationed on the Aleutian Islands and in the South Pacific. He observed and painted battle scenes on Bougainville, Guam, Saipan, and other locations, as well as genre scenes of soldiers who were not engaged in combat but rather at work and at play. National Geographic magazine reproduced 25 of his war images in four issues in 1944. In 1945, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. organized a group exhibition of works by five official war artists, including Draper. That same year the Metropolitan Museum of Art included Draper in an exhibition entitled, ''The War Against Japan.'' Draper was also featured in a PBS television show about combat artists entitled, "They Drew Fire" in May of 2000. After the war, Draper opened a studio on Park Avenue in New York City and continued to not only paint, but also play classical and jazz piano.

William Draper's career spanned seven decades and his subjects included a portrait of John F. Kennedy that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. based upon an oil sketch for which the president sat in 1962. Draper was actually the only artist who painted JFK from life. Draper showed at Knoedler, the Graham Gallery, Portraits, Inc., the Far Gallery, The Findlay Galleries (New York, NY) and the Robert C. Vose Galleries (Boston, MA). His work has been included in shows at the National Portrait Gallery and the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), The National Academy of Design (New York, NY), The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, (Boston, MA) the Fogg Art Museum, (one of the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA), the National Gallery, (London), Salon de la Marine (Paris) and in museums in Australia. He also taught at the Art Students League of New York, and received a lifetime achievement award from the Portrait Society of America in 1999.

Please note: This painting has wonderful provenance. The owner acquired it by descent from her uncle Ray Bolger, the American actor most famous for portraying the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939).

Provenance: private Menard, Texas, USA collection, acquired via descent from Ray Bolger, the American actor most famous for portraying the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)

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#179605

Painting is signed and dated at lower right. Title is handwritten on the verso. Some age wear as shown but otherwise very nice. Frame presents with abraded areas and some holes, likely inactive insect holes which may have been intentionally created to make for a naturally distressed, rustic appearance. Painting is stable but could benefit from being secured better to frame. Fit with suspension wire which we would recommend replacing with new wire.