Paul Calle (Amer., 1928-2010), "My Brother... The Cougar", oil on panel, signed lower right, signed again on the verso, Prix de West Invitational tag affixed to verso

sight: 12 x 13 in., frame: 18.5 x 19.5 in.

Provenance: Property from the Estate of Robert A. "Bob" Funk Sr. - trailblazing American businessman, philanthropist, and rancher, from his impressive ranch headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Paul Calle received his formal art training at Pratt Institute, where he learned woodcut techniques from Lynd Ward and the expressive potential line from Ben Shahn. Initially working primarily in black-and-white, he established a successful career as an illustrator for publications including McCall’s, The Saturday Evening Post, National Geographic, and Fortune, before turning increasingly to Western subjects and painting. Renowned for highly detailed pencil drawings and realistic oil paintings of the American West, particularly mountain men, Native Americans, and the fur-trade era. His work was informed by extensive travel and firsthand study of the West through assignments for the Department of the Interior and National Park Service. In 1962, he was selected as an official artist for NASA’s Fine Art Program, and in 1969 he designed the “First Man on the Moon” U.S. postage stamp.