Detail of “Mystic Seaport” by Carl Evers - Antiques and the Arts Online

4 - THE GALLERY July 15, 2011 — Antiques and The Arts Weekly
Paul Sawyier (1865–1917), “Lower New York from Grace &
Co.’s Pier,” oil on artist’s board, 9 1 /8 by 12 1 /8 inches. Signed
lower right: Paul Sawyier; inscribed on verso: Lower New York
from Grace & Co. Pier.
Famed Impressionist, Mary Cassat, once said to fellow
painter, J. Alden Weir, “At some future time I shall see New
York as the artist’s ground. I think you will create an American
school.” 1 It is precisely this focus on the city of New
York that helped a select few late Nineteenth and early
Twentieth Century artists define their Impressionist style as
uniquely American. While many American Impressionists
attempted to imitate their European contemporaries, both
in terms of style and subject matter, this group of painters
elected not to simply recreate Degas’s ballerinas or Renoir’s
party scenes, instead, they firmly grounded themselves as
masters in the canon of American art through their subject
matter — the incomparable cityscape of New York.
Questroyal Fine Art is proud to have in our collection
four hidden gems by some of the premiere innovators of
American Impressionism, all of whom chose New York
City as their inspiration: Ernest Lawson’s “Inwood,” Paul
Sawyier’s “Lower New York from Grace & Co’s Pier,” Guy
Carleton Wiggins’s “Empire State Building, Winter” and
Jerome Myers’s “New York Street Scene,” all illustrating a
movement towards an exclusively American form of expression.
Rather than align with the focus of The Ashcan
School, which, in its depictions of New York, strove to
expose an element of social realism, these four artists painted
New York to celebrate their delight in the generally overlooked
beauty of the city.
One such painting is “Inwood” by Ernest Lawson, a former
student of J. Alden Weir and an American Impressionist,
as well as an original member of The Eight. The Cathedral
at Rouen may have inspired Monet to experiment with
paint technique and color, but an equally deep study in
impasto and abstraction can be found in Lawson’s
“Inwood.” In this painting, Lawson transforms the busy
city into a peaceful and serene, almost organic space. Calm
as the scene may be, however, there is a sense of anticipation
— as if the solitary man guiding his horse and carriage
must finish his morning routine before the city comes alive
Ernest Lawson (1873–1939), “Inwood, Upper Washington
Heights,” oil on canvas 17 5 /8 by 21 1 /8 inches.
New York, New York
BY ALEXANDRA GINIGER, MARKETING & RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, QUESTROYAL FINE ART, LLC
SANTA FE, N.M. — All eyes will be upon Santa Fe on
August 13–14 when 11 important works by Birger Sandzén
(1871–1954) make their way across the auction block during
the 7th annual Auction In Santa Fe (AISF). The Sandzén
pieces were selected by the Bethany College Art Committee,
then deaccessioned to be sold to support the general scholarship
fund; student scholarships total more than $6 million
per year. The sale will feature one of the largest Sandzén oils
ever to be offered at auction, a 60-by-80-inch painting titled
“Summertime in the Mountains.”
AISF is a subsidiary of Manitou Galleries which has locations
in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Santa Fe, N.M. The auction
will take place in the Mesa Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel,
100 Sandoval Street, just blocks from the historic Plaza in
Santa Fe. AISF specializes in fine art and sculpture by past
and contemporary artists; Native American collectibles,
including pottery, basketry, beadwork, weaponry and ethnographic
items; cowboy collectibles, including saddles, chaps,
spurs and antique firearms; and vintage photography and
other antiques.
The selection of 11 of Sandzén’s works (from 1910s to
1940s) strongly exhibits the artist’s distinctive style evolving
on canvas, beginning with a fairly simple landscape painted
in 1910 to a rare pointillist piece also painted in 1910, to the
mature and master work of “Summertime in the Mountains,”
1923, and “Lake In the Rockies,” 1927. Seven of the
Sandzén artworks are paintings and the rest are woodblock
prints.
AISF was selected to auction these museum-quality
Sandzén paintings for Bethany College, which is nestled in
with the bustle of Upper Manhattan. The motivation that
the artist found in his New York surroundings, and his
decision to make the city the predominant subject matter of
his oeuvre, set Lawson apart from his European counterparts.
This move away from contemporary expectations
might be regarded as an act of bravery on Lawson’s part,
and one that helped the artist to paint in an inherently
American style. Lawson solidified his place as one of America’s
great painters by choosing to represent New York City.
Paul Sawyier’s “Lower New York from Grace & Co.’s Pier”
is another beautiful example of the genius of American
Impressionism. Sawyier gently draws his audience in from
nature to cityscape with the calm, richly colored waters in
the foreground that lead our eyes to the developed and
industrial city, deeper in the picture plane. The unblended
and almost rigid brushstrokes of the steamboats’ reflections
seem to mirror the artist’s depiction of the powerfully vertical
architecture of New York City. Sawyier’s choice to paint,
with such a noticeable degree of delicacy, the hazy atmosphere
of clouds and steam from the boats and buildings,
symbolizes his admiration of the industry rising from the
skyline. With this painting, Sawyier declares himself a highly
skilled Impressionist painter, but also makes sure to alert
his audience that his work is inextricably linked to his
locale. He is an American Impressionist, separate from his
European colleagues.
With its impasto and unmixed colors, Guy Carleton Wiggins’s
“Empire State Building, Winter” is also steeped in the
tradition of Impressionism. The mood of the city captured
by the artist, however, is distinctly American. Pedestrians
flutter about and cars rush by as the city is enveloped in
snow. Large white snowflakes, enmeshed with bright yellow
city lights, glow from within the New York architecture and
highlight the cityscape as it exists within nature. Emerging
from the snow is the dominant, but not dominating,
Empire State Building — a symbol of the industry, power
and modern beauty of New York City. To emphasize, fur-
Birger Sandzén, “Summer In The Mountains,” 1923, oil
on canvas, 60 by 80 inches. Estimated at $300/400,000.
the heart of Lindsborg, Kan. The school was established by
Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881. Sandzén taught art
there for 52 years until his retirement at age 75 in 1946.
A small, private college of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA), the mission of Bethany College
is “to educate, develop and challenge individuals to reach for
truth and excellence as they lead lives of faith, learning and
service.” Bethany College may be found on the web at
www.bethanylb.edu.
“These are the most important pieces of Sandzén’s work to
ever be offered in one place at one time,” states Bob Nelson,
founder of Manitou Galleries. “The college has entrusted us
Guy Carleton Wiggins (1883–1962),
“Empire State Building, Winter,” oil on
canvas board, 12 1 /16 by 9 inches. Signed
lower left: Guy Wiggins.
ther, that his work is rooted in American tradition, Wiggins
includes rows of American flags, reminding viewers that he
belongs to the school of American Impressionists, who are
making a name for themselves in New York.
Finally, we can admire New York Street Scene by fellow
American Impressionist, Jerome Myers. While Lawson,
Sawyier and Wiggins all portray their cityscapes within
nature, Myers feels no need for this. Though Wiggins does
include the people of New York in his work, Myers takes
this concept one step further by cropping his composition
in order to invite his audience directly into the scene — the
middle of a busy and commercial New York City street.
Myers’s thick and vigorous brushstrokes reflect the chaos of
the city; yet there is a gentleness to his application of the
paint that conveys a comfort and a sense of pride in this
scene of daily commerce. The city is no longer embedded
within nature, but stands alone as a reminder of the specific
location of the painter’s inspiration — the streets of New
York City. Myers, too, made the daring decision to stake a
claim for himself as part of the independent genre of American
Impressionism in his use of the city as subject matter.
Ernest Lawson, Paul Sawyier, Guy Carleton Wiggins and
Jerome Myers all had significant roles in defining American
Impressionism as a unique entity. The incentive for these
artists derived from the magnificent architecture and
vibrant energy of New York City life; and for them, New
York became, in the words of Cassat, their “artist’s ground.”
Questroyal Fine Art is pleased to have in our collection
these four artists who boldly demonstrated their American
sensibility. We invite you to join us at Questroyal for further
reflection on these magnificent works of art!
Questroyal Fine Art, LLC, is located at 903 Park Avenue
(at 79th Street), Suite 3A & B, New York City. To contact the
gallery, call 212-744-3586, fax 212-585-3828 or email
gallery@questroyalfineart.com. The gallery’s website is
www.questroyalfineart.com.
1 Boyle, Richard J. American Impressionism. Boston, Massachusetts:
New York Graphic Society, 1974. pg. 105
Eleven Important Birger Sandzén Artworks Are Coming To Market
with this responsibility, and we do not take it lightly. Together,
we will help keep Bethany’s Mission Statement a reality
— far and well into the future.”
Nelson opened Manitou Galleries in Cheyenne in 1975
and expanded to Santa Fe in 2000. He and his wife Charla’s
personal collection includes 60 works by Sandzén, including
oils, watercolors, woodcuts, lino cuts, block prints and even
a crayon drawing. Besides their collection of Sandzén material,
“we are very eclectic,” said Nelson.
Hundreds of other pieces of art and sculpture to be offered
include a silver gelatin print by Ansel Adams and works by
artists such as Procter, Kenneth Adams, Reed, Cassidy,
deDecker, Stobie, Crumbo, Milan, Payne, Halbach, Ramon
Kelley, Greer, Hazak, Abbrescia, McCann, Gary Johnson,
Dunton, Williford, Kloss, Kerswill, John Hilton, Dave Powell,
Albert Schmidt, Ribak, Bill Owen, Acheff, Clark Kelley
Price, Moyers, Eggenhofer, Becker, Wieghorst, Shipshee,
Wood, Heikka, Reynolds, Mason, Harding, Payne, Mittag,
Kauba, Lillywhite, Damrow, Schwiering, Schreyvogel,
Miller, Lougheed, Hurley and many more.
Another highlight will be an ensemble of more than 100
Pueblo pottery pieces, also deaccessioned from Bethany College.
Pre-1905 pieces from the Acoma, Isleta, Zia, Zuni,
Santo Domingo, San Ildefonso, Taos, Laguna, Cochiti,
Tesuque and Santa Clara Pueblos will be sold.
Live, absentee and telephone bidding will be available.
There will be Internet bidding through www.iCollector.com.
For general information and/or to order a full-color catalog
for $25, visit www.auctioninsantafe.com, call 307-635-0019
or email cha rlajmg@aol.com.