Ed Ceseña “King Oliver”, Large Fauvist Portrait Oil Painting, 1980s

A large and captivating 1980s framed fauvist oil on canvas portrait painting of jazz great Joe “King” Oliver by San Francisco-born artist Ed Ceseña (b. 1928).

Colorful interpretation of an early photograph of the musician, rendered in Ceseña’s signature loose, impressionistic style. Pastel and saturated tones blend with and play off each other to strikingly expressive effect. One of the most assured, sensitive, and soulful works that we’ve seen by the artist, whose award-winning career spans 75 years.

Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District—and a fixture in the Modesto art scene for the past few decades—Ed Ceseña’s exuberant and vibrant paintings most often spotlight jazz and blues legends, many of whom he saw perform in the city’s Fillmore District in the 1940s and 1950s, which at the time was known as the “Harlem of the West”.

His nattily dressed and dignified subject here is Joseph Nathan “King” Oliver (b. 1881–1938), an early and influential New Orleans jazz coronet and trumpet player, composer, and bandleader known for his pioneering use of mutes, impeccable playing style, and distinctive Creole sound. He was an important mentor to the incomparable Louis Armstrong, who declared, “If it had not been for Joe Oliver, jazz would not be what it is today.”

Signed at lower right. In 1950s rough-hewn redwood frame with off-white milk paint wash.

Dimensions
Height: 36 in. (91.44 cm)
Width: 30.5 in. (77.47 cm)
Depth: 1.63 in. (4.15 cm)
Sight is H 27.63 in. x W 21.63 in. Art is H 28 in. x W 22 in.

Condition, wear consistent with age and use. Art in very good vintage condition, with some light marks and smudges at lower left and right. Frame in very good vintage condition, with a bit of paint loss on lower left and right trim. Canvas with faint foxing spots on back not visible on front.