Gladys Rockmore Davis , Woman in a Red Dress, Mid Century Female Illustrator/ Artist, (Elizabeth Taylor?), ca. 1950

Mid-century female illustrator/artist Gladys Rockmore Davis paints a compelling portrait of a contemplative beauty who looks like Elizabeth Taylor. Frontal and lateral forces work together in this pyramidal composition. The sitter stares down at the viewer creating a frontal tension. Her frontal gaze is counterbalanced by the lateral movement of her crossed hands and triggers an emotional response. Gladys Rockmore Davis is both a work-for-hire illustrator and a fine artist- She was an illustrator for clients such as Upjohn, Munsingwear, Elgin Watches, and Johnson & Johnson. Davis had a show at the prestigious Midtown Gallery and Babcock Gallery in New York. She studied at the California School of Fine Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, and Art Students League. William R. French Gold Medal
Beck Gold Medal (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)
Isador Gold Medal (National Academy of Design. She was selected as a full Academician at the National Academy of Design. At the age of sixteen, Rockmore entered the Art Institute of Chicago, where she studied with John Norton and George Bellows. She spoke affectionately of Norton, who "taught me to look, to see, really to use my eyes. At the Art Students League she studied with George Grosz.
Initialed lower right, Provenance: Christie's
Gladys Rockmore Davis, American, 1901–1967
Oil on Canvas
24.5 - 20 inches
US$25,000 Plus Shipping