William Wendt’s “Along the River Bed” will lead Bonhams California Art sale in Los Angeles on April 20, 2021. The landscape painting stands as a wonderful example of the American Impressionist’s stylistic interpretation of Southern California nature and the American West, demonstrating his technical skill in use of color, shadow, and brushwork to draw the viewer in. The work is expected to achieve $250,000 – 350,000.
Bonhams Director of Fine Arts Scot Levitt commented, “At the turn of the 20th century, William Wendt stood out among the most talented artists in the group of avant-garde American painters who were reimagining the brilliance of French Impressionistic style through their portrayals of the American West. As a result of his prolific body of work focusing specifically on this subject matter, Wendt is still remembered today as ‘The Dean of Southern California landscape painters.’ Wendt’s ‘Along the River Bed,’ leading our California Art sale, is a fantastic painting, capturing the light, warmth, and grandeur of the natural world with unmatched luminosity.”
Another sale highlight is a painting by San Francisco-native Armin Hansen (1886-1957). Associated with the en plein air California school of artists, Hansen drew inspiration from maritime towns along the coast of Northern California, including Carmel-by-the-Sea, and thematically focused on seafaring imagery and the relationship between man and water. The work on offer in this sale, “Storm at Sea,” is an outstanding example of his oeuvre. It is expected to fetch between $150,000 – 250,000.
Estimate: $150,000 – 250,000
An additional highlight from a Northern Californian artist is E. Charlton Fortune’s “The Harbour Light, St. Ives.” Fortune spent the majority of her formative years training in the Bay Area, then went on to continue her artistic studies in New York before eventually moving abroad to work in Europe.
This painting, which demonstrates the artist’s bold brushwork and strong use of color, was painted in the early 1920s during the two years she spent living in St. Ives, England. It is expected to realize $100,000 – 150,000.
Estimate: $100,000 – 150,000
For more details, please visit Bonhams.com.
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