Peachy Beach Beauties: Carved Wood In Paint & On Stakes c1940s

Two bathing beauties on sticks.  Carved from thin wood, then painted, each has her own look and her own personality.  These two qualify as Folk Art and also as Outsider Art.  They are primitively made and this factors in as a positive.  The carving is hard-edged and clean; the painting is minimal, giving you suggestions of, rather than showing all the detail.  On familiar objects, details may interfere with the simple lines of the work. 

The blonde has her hair in a period updo, held in place by a scarf with a pert bow. She wears a sailor middy and blue shorts and looks as if she's on a beach somewhere, balancing herself of a balance beam.  She stands 12 1/2" high including her base and is 13" toes to forhead. 

Our brunette has a determined look on her face and wears a simple c1940s style 2-piece bathing suit. Her hair is in the WWII era's popular semi-pompadour style.  She stands 10 1/4" tall including base and measures 11 3/4" from the peak of her 40s hairdo to her ankles. Alas, she has no feet.  But that doesn't stop her from diving headfirst into life in general.

Condition on both is good. Structurally, other than the brunette's missing feet, they are both sound and stable.  Although they came to us on these bases, the bases look to be more recent additions.  Surface-wise, paint is flaked and chipped in areas, moreso on the blonde.  All is  visible in our photos.  Backs are simple-painted, minimal at most. 

These two women have outstanding presence.  In fact, they make such a statement, to me they are excellent representatives not only of Outsider Art, but also of the modern movement in the art world called Namless Art & Design.  This is a group of artists and art appreciators who believe the quality of the art work is too often underappreciated if the work is not signed.  People are challenged  to consider the worth of the work itself by its intrinsic appeal, rather than by the appeal of an artist's signature.  Not a bad idea, in my book.  The January 2024 Nameless Art & Design Show in NYC, organized by Kate Hackman and Adam Irish, was a success and had an excellent review in Antiques & The Arts Weekly.