Classy At The Bat!

1928. Oil on canvas with artist made frame, 24 x 18 inches. Unsigned, wear to finish as expected, some chips to frame but otherwise in good condition.<br/> <br/> Accomplished portrait by American artist Enoch Bolles of a woman swinging a baseball bat. It was painted for the October 1928 issue of Film Fun magazine. Green piping on her sleeves, belt and socks tie together the composition. Enoch Bolles (1883-1976) was born in Boardman, Florida. He studied at National Academy of Design, and at the Art Student's League in New York City. His first magazine assignments appeared in 1914 on the covers of Judge and Puck. He went on to establish a reputation for his distinctive cover paintings for spicy magazines, such as Film Fun, Stolen Sweets, Gay Book, Titter, Tattle Tales. Due to overwork and malnutrition, Bolles suffered a mental collapse in 1938. He entered a New Jersey mental institution, Greystone Hospital, where he remained for most of his life. He eventually recovered enough to paint landscapes and portraits of hospital workers, family and friends. He had access to a small art studio in the hospital. Enoch Bolles was finally discharged from Greystone Hospital in 1969. He was among the earliest and most widely circulated glamour illustrators. While known today as a pinup artist, Bolles was a versatile illustrator who also worked extensively in the advertising industry, creating hundreds of attractive color illustrations for products ranging from bread to cigarettes. This painting is an excellent example of his work.<br/> <br/>