This impressive oil of the sun god Apollo astride one of his beloved horses is painted in a powerful Expressionist manner 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. “Apollo” is a painting full of movement and warmth. It’s palette of reds, pinks, and yellows in the forms of horse and rider counterbalance with the pale grey-blue of the sky. 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 ‘60 in lower left corner

Medium: oil on linen

Size of support: 60” x 40 1/4” Size of outside frame: 62 1/2” x 42 3/4”

Year of creation: 1960

 Condition: Freshly cleaned and housed in its original frame. Linen is taut and and overall in excellent condition other than a slight indentation in the lower center. Small areas of speck inpainting in lower left and lower center.