Up for sale is an outstandingly rare antique African American folk art oil painting on canvas depicting a smiling group portrait of five young men dating to the turn of the century. With all subjects facing the viewer this rather intimate work portrays a very personal and fun moment where all figures are shown laughing and smiling. The smallest boy is painted just from the neck up with a fabulous missing tooth grin while the boy behind holds an open pocket knife in one hand and an apple in the other. While the painting is initialed in the lower right portion "M.L.R." (just above the most right figure's shoulder) the artist has not been able to be identified which is really to no surprise.  The artist who appears to be untrained painted in a fabulous blended style of realism and folk art which was most certainly self taught! 

Well executed from the brushwork to color choice the clothing of all the figures differs from blue and pink striped shirts to buttoned jackets adding a nice contrast in colors and lines. Finding similar paintings of Americana subject matter and origin to begin with is difficult with a small pool of total works to start with but when the majority are being already held in private and public collections makes it an even more rare opportunity. The painting shows its age with discoloration and grime to the canvas surface along with some minor blemishes and scuff in the low center portion. All this could be easily fixed with a good cleaning and minor in painting which would be highly recommended. The painting is executed in oil on canvas measuring 10 x 18 1/4 inches while the black wood frame measures 11 1/8 x 19 1/4 inches. The images provided accurately represent the quality, condition and aesthetic beauty of this fine antique African American folk art portrait painting but if you have any questions please feel free to ask prior to purchasing!