Almond-Eyed Brunette by Window, Watercolor on Board, Circa 1960

An almond-eyed brunette is depicted sitting pensively next to a window. She looks Mediterranean, perhaps Italian or Greek, and has a captivating face that one can fall in love with. Romanticism permeates this picture. The walls of the room are painted in a melody of rich oranges, hot pinks, soft peaches, and a sensuous mix of colors that evokes the sitter's raw beauty. An ornate window next to the brunette leads out to a sun-drenched space, but overall the image is flat, reminiscent of Matisse, and intimate, recalling Bonnard. The sitter's face is painted in the style of Seurat's pointillism, which involves applying a myriad of small dots/strokes next to one another. This simple yet complex painting was created in the late 1960s by illustrator/designer Mario Zamparelli for a commercial assignment, likely for a newsstand magazine such as Cosmopolitan or Harper's Bazaar. It is masterfully constructed, and one can view it endlessly; it looks better in person. Unsigned, unframed on heavy Illustration board. Board size 22 x 19.5
Mario Zamparelli served as the chief designer for the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes' empire, creating his promotional images and designing many of its products.
19.5 - 6.5 in
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Mario Armond Zamparelli (June 4, 1921 – September 8, 2012 was an American artist and designer, best known for his connection with Howard Hughes.
Life

Zamparelli was perhaps best known for his connection with Howard Hughes. For 18 years, Zamparelli was Chief Executive Designer of Hughes' empire, and created the corporate identity of TWA, Hughes Airwest, Hughes Helicopters, the Summa Corporation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and was the artist for Hughes' RKO General movies posters.

He designed interiors and exteriors of many of the legendary Las Vegas hotels, including the Frontier Hotel, the Desert Inn, the Sands, Tropicana, among other Hughes' hotels and casinos and property holdings. He was also responsible for the only portrait of Howard Hughes in existence that was commissioned by Hughes himself.

Zamparelli was also responsible for many of the iconic corporate design identities of many products such as TWA, Datsun, Capitol Records, Hunts, Union Bank, Universal Pictures, Southern California Gas Company, Kimberly Clark, Mattel, the Norton Simon Corporation, among many others. He also designed the Home of the Future for Disney.

At a young age it was realized Zamparelli had the mind of a genius and an extraordinary talent in art, he started his career working in illustration for such magazines as Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Esquire, and Harpers Bazaar until he was handpicked by Howard Hughes as personal artist for his empire.

He was a fine artist, writer, avid photographer and musician, having played in a band with the legendary jazz artist Dave Brubeck in his younger years. He was also poet and an avid art collector and art teacher and was truly respected artist among his peers in the art world.

He is the Who's Who in the American West and Who's Who in American Art. He has won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for "Best Documentary" for a BBC Four Hour "Hollywood Golden Years" documentary featuring Zamparelli's life.
Bio From Wikipedia