Attributed to Leonard Nelson, no coa, private collection, medium: oil, measurements: 30"WX40"H no frame, good condition Biography: In 1942, Nelson was drafted into the Army and became a Private in the Medical Detachment at Fort Eustis, Virginia. During Nelson's time in the service, he designed murals and humorous drawings for the hospital to which he was assigned, as well as for the Works Progress Administration*.After his Honorable Discharge from the Army on September 15, 1943, Nelson focused all his attention on his art, holding shows and participating in exhibitions in Philadelphia and New York City. The influences of Native American art and the Native American-inspired murals of Rufino Tamayo and Diego Rivera can be seen in his work from this period.By the mid 1940s, Nelson made two important contacts who would assure his ascendancy in the nascent New York School*: the art dealers Peggy Guggenheim and Betty Parsons. He began to exhibit in the New York galleries, in particular Parsons' gallery*, and his work reflected the Abstract Expressionist* style made famous by this school. Nelson counted among his contemporaries at this time Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Willem de Kooning, Adolph Gottlieb, and many others from the New York School.