This is an elegantly structured watercolor with pencil and ink  in warm tones of tans and browns against black by American artist Keith Morrow Martin (1911-1983). Martin has been classified as an abstract artist, Magic Realist, and Surrealist although he occasionally painted or drew portraits. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Martin attended the Art Institute of Chicago then traveled and studied through pre-war Europe, settling for long periods of time in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, and Vienna. During WWII he was stationed in Iceland. After the war he returned to Paris and was one of the first American artists to exhibit in that recovering city. He traveled back to New York in the late 40s, then moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he continued to reside for 35 years. “Oracle” can be seen as one of Martin’s standing figures compositions with the mythic figure of an oracle or seer who would deliver cryptic messages about the future to the seeker. Martin’s works are in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

Initialed “KM” and dated ‘57 in lower left corner

Medium: ink on paper

Paper sight size: 14 1/4” x 10 1/4” Size of outside frame: 21” x 17”

Year of creation: 1957

Condition: Excellent condition, no damage observed. Custom framed using archival materials, silk mat, solid walnut frame, and Museum Glass.