Paul Cadmus
Paul Cadmus was an American painter known for figurative social satire, sustained egg tempera, and casein, watercolor, and gouache studies on paper.
Painter
Bernard Perlin
Bernard Perlin was an American painter and illustrator whose figurative work spans casein, gouache, and oil, alongside wartime and editorial art.
Bernard Perlin quick facts
Bernard Perlin moved between narrative painting, illustration, and murals, using casein, gouache, and oil for different subjects and kinds of work.
| Full name | Bernard Perlin |
|---|---|
| Born | 1918 · Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 2014 · Ridgefield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | Social realism and Magic Realism |
| Paint types | Casein paint · Gouache · Oil paint |
| Other media | Lithography · illustration · photography |
| Other materials | — |
| Painting surfaces | Painting board · Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Combines opaque gouache with drawn ink on paper-faced board; also paints with casein tempera on rigid board and with oil |
| Common subjects | Figures, landscapes, wartime scenes, social observation, and narrative realism |
| Notable works | The Lovers · Vincent Price · The Farewell |
Sources: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian: The Farewell, Smithsonian: The Bar, MoMA: The Lovers, National Portrait Gallery: Vincent Price, Forum Gallery: Twentieth Century Stories, and National Gallery of Art: Bernard Perlin works.
Paint types used by Bernard Perlin
Perlin used casein, gouache, and oil in narrative paintings; the examples link each medium to a cataloged work and identify its support and pictorial role.
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Casein paint
The Smithsonian records Perlin’s The Farewell (1952) as casein on fiberboard. This specific catalog entry documents casein on a rigid manufactured support and distinguishes the work from his oils on canvas. The medium appears in Perlin’s figurative painting practice, but it should not be generalized to works whose records identify another paint.
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Gouache
MoMA catalogs Perlin’s The Lovers (1946) as gouache and ink on paper-faced board. The opaque paint and ink are named separately, documenting a mixed-media image on a rigid support. This work differs from his later casein and oil paintings and shows gouache in an early figurative composition.
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Oil paint
The Smithsonian identifies The Bar (1957) as oil on canvas. The record documents a distinct medium and support in Perlin’s figurative scenes, separate from the casein on fiberboard in The Farewell and gouache on paper-faced board in The Lovers. These examples preserve the collection’s material distinctions.
Sources: Smithsonian American Art Museum: The Farewell, MoMA: The Lovers, Smithsonian American Art Museum: The Bar.
Painting surfaces used by Bernard Perlin
Perlin’s records identify fiberboard, paper-faced board, and canvas across three paintings; the examples connect each surface to its documented medium.
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Painting Board
Perlin’s works include rigid boards, including the Smithsonian’s fiberboard support for The Farewell and MoMA’s paper-faced board for The Lovers. The differing catalog descriptions should be retained because they identify distinct materials. Both supports are separate from canvas, which is documented for his oil painting The Bar.
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Canvas
The Smithsonian records Perlin’s The Bar and other paintings on canvas, documenting the support for his oil-based figurative work. This stretched textile differs from the fiberboard in The Farewell and paper-faced board in The Lovers. The collection entries show distinct supports rather than one assumed format across his practice.
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Paper
Perlin used paper in works such as MoMA’s The Lovers, cataloged as gouache and ink on paper-faced board. Museum records also document drawings and studies on paper. These sheet-based works differ from the fiberboard and canvas supports used for other paintings, and the entry preserves the distinction between paper and its board backing.
Sources: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian: The Farewell, Smithsonian: The Bar, MoMA: The Lovers, National Portrait Gallery: Vincent Price.
Painters similar to Bernard Perlin
Painters related to Bernard Perlin used figurative realism and social observation, with quick-drying media and rigid supports in mid-century American art.
George Tooker
George Tooker was an American painter known for egg-tempera scenes of offices, subways, and waiting rooms, often centered on isolation and social tension.
Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn was an American painter and graphic artist known for socially engaged images, expressive line, and work in tempera, gouache, watercolor, and oil.