“Bathing Figures (Attributed Title),” Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015), c. 1970s–1980s, mixed media on handmade mulberry/rice paper, 20 × 24 in., signed with the artist’s conjoined ‘MAA’ monogram

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“Bathing Figures (Attributed Title),” Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015), c. 1970s–1980s, mixed media on handmade mulberry/rice paper, 20 × 24 in., signed with the artist’s conjoined ‘MAA’ monogram signature.

This rare mixed-media work by American Impressionist Anthony Michael Autorino features two nude figures immersed in a misty woodland setting, rendered on handmade mulberry paper that enhances his signature atmospheric softness. Executed with transparent washes, feathered pigments, and delicate line work, the painting captures the harmony of nature and the human form. A collectible example of Autorino’s less common figurative series, the work blends Impressionistic vision with the textured expressiveness of Asian art papers.

Artwork Description

This 20 × 24 in. mixed-media painting presents two nude female figures wading through shallow water framed by a lush, diffused woodland background. The figures are expressed with gentle rose, terra-cotta, and soft green tones, their forms dissolving into the surrounding mist—a hallmark of Autorino’s belief that “there are no points where one ceases to be and another starts.”

Medium & Technique

  • The artist utilizes transparent washes of pigment—likely watercolor, diluted acrylic, and ink—layered on mulberry/rice paper.

  • The paper’s natural wrinkles and fibers create an organic texture, allowing pigments to bleed into atmospheric gradients.

  • Autorino applies gestural linear marks (notably along the lower branch area), combining Impressionist softness with expressive brushwork.

Signature

  • Left-side vertical signature includes his recognizable ‘MAA’ monogram, a conjoined design symbolizing:

    • A (Anthony)

    • M (Michael)

    • A (Autorino)
      followed by the descending “utorino.”

Stylistic Context

Although Autorino is widely known for his New Hope School landscapes, his figurative compositions—particularly outdoor nudes—reflect influences from:

  • French Naturalism, absorbed during his mid-1950s Paris studies

  • Hudson River tonalism, especially George Inness

  • New Hope Impressionists, whose emphasis on mood, diffusion, and poetic atmosphere became central to Autorino’s mature style

Narrative & Inspiration

This scene evokes a moment of quiet companionship and natural immersion, consistent with Autorino’s spiritual philosophy of interconnectedness between flesh, light, water, and foliage. The reflective water surface, soft silhouettes, and tranquil palette convey serenity and timelessness.

Biography of Anthony Michael Autorino

Born: September 29, 1937 – Montclair, New Jersey
Died: 2015 – Pennsylvania
Nationality: American
Primary Style: American Impressionism / New Hope School Legacy
Mediums: Oil, watercolor, mixed-media on paper

Anthony Michael Autorino, the son of Italian immigrants, developed artistic skills early but entered the United States Air Force as a young man. His assignment in cryptography stationed him in Paris in the mid-1950s, a pivotal moment that shaped his artistic trajectory. There he studied drawing, anatomy, and European Impressionist methods while traveling through Holland and Italy to study masterworks firsthand.

By the mid-1960s Autorino was working in New York City, where he gained momentum in both exhibition and professional circles. His works appeared at:

  • National Academy of Design (NYC)

  • The Salmagundi Club

  • Allied Artists of America

  • The American Watercolor Society

  • Philadelphia Sketch Club

These achievements solidified his reputation as a rising American Impressionist.

In 1968 he moved to the Delaware Valley, where he became closely connected to the lineage of the New Hope School. He founded The Gallery in New Hope before relocating it to Lambertville, NJ, where it thrived for 20 years. His later home and studio in Buckingham, PA, once owned by the celebrated George Sotter, tied him directly into the heritage of the region’s Impressionist masters.

Autorino’s philosophy emphasized unity in nature:
“Painting is simple communication through universal language.”
His palette—soft, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant—mirrored this belief. Although best known for landscapes, Autorino’s figurative studies, such as the present watercolor-like composition, reflect his Parisian training and his nuanced understanding of light on the human form.

His paintings appear in private, institutional, and corporate collections around the world, and a PBS appraisal highlights continued collector interest.

Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015), “Bathing Figures” (Attributed Title), c. 1970s–1980s. Mixed media on handmade mulberry/rice paper, 20 × 24 in., signed left with Autorino’s ‘MAA’ monogram. Atmospheric Impressionist study of two nude figures in a woodland stream, exhibiting soft diffused washes and expressive paper texture.

CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015)
Title: Bathing Figures (Attributed)
Date: c. 1970s–1980s
Medium: Mixed media (watercolor, ink, or diluted acrylic) on handmade mulberry/rice paper
Dimensions: 20 × 24 in.
Signature: Left-side vertical monogram ‘MAA’ with extended “utorino”
Condition: Original artwork with natural wrinkles inherent to handmade paper; pigment stable
Acquisition: New York City
Authenticity: Signature, medium, palette, and technique align with known characteristics of Autorino’s established body of work.

Certified for appraisal and gallery documentation by Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.

Provenance Chain

  1. Private Collection, New York

  2. Private Collector, United States

  3. Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)

“Bathing Figures (Attributed Title),” Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015), c. 1970s–1980s, mixed media on handmade mulberry/rice paper, 20 × 24 in., signed with the artist’s conjoined ‘MAA’ monogram signature.

This rare mixed-media work by American Impressionist Anthony Michael Autorino features two nude figures immersed in a misty woodland setting, rendered on handmade mulberry paper that enhances his signature atmospheric softness. Executed with transparent washes, feathered pigments, and delicate line work, the painting captures the harmony of nature and the human form. A collectible example of Autorino’s less common figurative series, the work blends Impressionistic vision with the textured expressiveness of Asian art papers.

Artwork Description

This 20 × 24 in. mixed-media painting presents two nude female figures wading through shallow water framed by a lush, diffused woodland background. The figures are expressed with gentle rose, terra-cotta, and soft green tones, their forms dissolving into the surrounding mist—a hallmark of Autorino’s belief that “there are no points where one ceases to be and another starts.”

Medium & Technique

  • The artist utilizes transparent washes of pigment—likely watercolor, diluted acrylic, and ink—layered on mulberry/rice paper.

  • The paper’s natural wrinkles and fibers create an organic texture, allowing pigments to bleed into atmospheric gradients.

  • Autorino applies gestural linear marks (notably along the lower branch area), combining Impressionist softness with expressive brushwork.

Signature

  • Left-side vertical signature includes his recognizable ‘MAA’ monogram, a conjoined design symbolizing:

    • A (Anthony)

    • M (Michael)

    • A (Autorino)
      followed by the descending “utorino.”

Stylistic Context

Although Autorino is widely known for his New Hope School landscapes, his figurative compositions—particularly outdoor nudes—reflect influences from:

  • French Naturalism, absorbed during his mid-1950s Paris studies

  • Hudson River tonalism, especially George Inness

  • New Hope Impressionists, whose emphasis on mood, diffusion, and poetic atmosphere became central to Autorino’s mature style

Narrative & Inspiration

This scene evokes a moment of quiet companionship and natural immersion, consistent with Autorino’s spiritual philosophy of interconnectedness between flesh, light, water, and foliage. The reflective water surface, soft silhouettes, and tranquil palette convey serenity and timelessness.

Biography of Anthony Michael Autorino

Born: September 29, 1937 – Montclair, New Jersey
Died: 2015 – Pennsylvania
Nationality: American
Primary Style: American Impressionism / New Hope School Legacy
Mediums: Oil, watercolor, mixed-media on paper

Anthony Michael Autorino, the son of Italian immigrants, developed artistic skills early but entered the United States Air Force as a young man. His assignment in cryptography stationed him in Paris in the mid-1950s, a pivotal moment that shaped his artistic trajectory. There he studied drawing, anatomy, and European Impressionist methods while traveling through Holland and Italy to study masterworks firsthand.

By the mid-1960s Autorino was working in New York City, where he gained momentum in both exhibition and professional circles. His works appeared at:

  • National Academy of Design (NYC)

  • The Salmagundi Club

  • Allied Artists of America

  • The American Watercolor Society

  • Philadelphia Sketch Club

These achievements solidified his reputation as a rising American Impressionist.

In 1968 he moved to the Delaware Valley, where he became closely connected to the lineage of the New Hope School. He founded The Gallery in New Hope before relocating it to Lambertville, NJ, where it thrived for 20 years. His later home and studio in Buckingham, PA, once owned by the celebrated George Sotter, tied him directly into the heritage of the region’s Impressionist masters.

Autorino’s philosophy emphasized unity in nature:
“Painting is simple communication through universal language.”
His palette—soft, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant—mirrored this belief. Although best known for landscapes, Autorino’s figurative studies, such as the present watercolor-like composition, reflect his Parisian training and his nuanced understanding of light on the human form.

His paintings appear in private, institutional, and corporate collections around the world, and a PBS appraisal highlights continued collector interest.

Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015), “Bathing Figures” (Attributed Title), c. 1970s–1980s. Mixed media on handmade mulberry/rice paper, 20 × 24 in., signed left with Autorino’s ‘MAA’ monogram. Atmospheric Impressionist study of two nude figures in a woodland stream, exhibiting soft diffused washes and expressive paper texture.

CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Anthony Michael Autorino (1937–2015)
Title: Bathing Figures (Attributed)
Date: c. 1970s–1980s
Medium: Mixed media (watercolor, ink, or diluted acrylic) on handmade mulberry/rice paper
Dimensions: 20 × 24 in.
Signature: Left-side vertical monogram ‘MAA’ with extended “utorino”
Condition: Original artwork with natural wrinkles inherent to handmade paper; pigment stable
Acquisition: New York City
Authenticity: Signature, medium, palette, and technique align with known characteristics of Autorino’s established body of work.

Certified for appraisal and gallery documentation by Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.

Provenance Chain

  1. Private Collection, New York

  2. Private Collector, United States

  3. Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)

Anthony Michael Autorino (1937 – 2015) American Impressionist

The son of Italian immigrants, Anthony Michael Autorino was born on September 29, 1937 in Montclair, New Jersey. As a teenager, Autorino enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served an eight-year tour. His expertise in the field of cryptography landed him in Paris in the mid-1950s as an Air Force sergeant working at the United States Embassy. He spent nearly four years, studying mostly in Paris, with frequent trips to Holland and Italy. By the mid-1960s, New York City had become the center of activity for the career of this highly regarded young artist.  By the mid-1960s, New York City had become the center of activity for the career of this highly regarded young artist.

By 1968, disillusioned by the hustle and bustle, Autorino made the decision to relocate. His passion for paintings nature and the outdoors led him to the Delaware Valley. Charmed by the welcoming art community, New Hope would be the home of the new studio/gallery named “The Gallery” on Mechanic Street. In 1982, “The Gallery” was relocated across the river to neighboring Lambertville, New Jersey, where it remained for twenty years.

In the 1980s, he took up residence and studio in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, at the former home of renowned New Hope Impressionist, George Sotter.

His work reflects a basic reverence for life. In his sometimes blurred or out-of-focus softness comes a message that all things are related -flesh, air, light, leaves and water. There are no points where one ceases to be and another starts - and so life.

“Painting for me is simple communication through universal language, limited in scope only by one’s imagination and vocabulary.”

Anthony exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York City, the Salmagundi Club, the Allied Artists, the American Watercolor Society and the Philadelphia Sketch Club. He has received many awards and honors for his paintings, which are represented in numerous private, institutional and corporate collections internationally.

His preferred medium is oil and he draws inspiration from his local predecessors, such as Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, William Lathrop, George Sotter and Robert Spencer as well as “Hudson River School” great, George Inness.

Autorino’s work is unique in style and combines an early twentieth century feel with present-day subjects. His soft palette masterfully captures the mood of each individual setting from falling snow to nocturnal views of the Delaware River. Anthony’s work is clearly a continuing chapter in the story of “New Hope School” Impressionist painting.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/appraisals/anthony-michael-autorino-oil-ca-2000/ - an appraisal on PBS

Note on Signature: He uses an artist signature device of conjoined letters: ‘M’ with a line through it which doubles as 2 A’s - first for Anthony, the M is for Michael and last A for Autorino. The ‘MAA’ is followed by a lower case ‘u’, and then the rest of his last name ‘Torino’.

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