THE WHISTLING CORPSE

THE WHISTLING CORPSE
Ten Detective Aces pulp magazine cover, November 1940

Oil on canvas 29" x 20"

"The figures on the pier, the burning building, the horizontal platform and the twisted figures of the hero and damsel in distress are all inspired by an underlying composition of lines that break up the rectangle of the painting into “dynamic” shapes. The original pencil sketch design on paper would make no sense to our eyes as anything other than an exciting abstract design, but after Norman Saunders used that design to “envision” a dramatic scene, it all seems to make spatial sense." - David Saunders