John Henry Twachtman American, 1853-1902 Sailing in the Mist, circa 1895 Oil on canvas 30 x 21 inches Provenance: Estate of the artist By descent to the artist's granddaughter Phyllis Twachtman, Brooklyn, New York Ira Spanierman, Inc., New York Jacqueline Getty, Los Angeles Geneva Marie Washburn Trust, Newport Beach, CA, after 1974 Sale: Butterfield & Butterfield, Los Angeles, CA, Nov. 12, 1987, Private Collection, Santa Barbara, CA Exhibited: Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, American Painting in Los Angeles Collections, May 7-Jun. 30, 1974 (lent by Mrs. Jacqueline Getty) New York, Spanierman Gallery, LLC., John Twachtman: A Painter's Painter-Perceptions of Realism and Impressionism (1878-1902), May 4-Jun. 24, 2006 Literature: Stephen May, "Visual Poetry: The Landscapes of John Henry Twachtman," Art & Antiques, Feb. 2000, p. 87 Lisa N. Peters, John Twachtman: A "Painter's Painter", exh. cat. (New York: Spanierman Gallery, LLC), pp. 39, 172-173, color illus. no. 47 In John Twachtman, his monograph on the artist, Richard J. Boyle writes of a painting similar to the present one -- also titled Sailing in the Mist [Collection Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts] -- and other related works as achieving "a subdued and subtle poetry which extends beyond the particular method that conveys it. It is Impressionism, yes; but it is not the lush, bold, and gregarious painting of the French or of such compatriots as Childe Hassam or Frank Benson Twachtman's painting is full of 'contradiction and complexity.' A myriad of brushstrokes, a manifold set of colors and tones, combine somehow to give the impression of great simplicity; or conversely, the rendering of a single tree or a pond or the glimpse of a small waterfall reveals an absorbing complexity of ideas and feelings." [Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1979, pp. 17-18]. The present work remained in the artist's family until 1968, and is still privately owned. The theme, that of a child in a catboat sailing into an amorphous, undefined space, is an anomalous one for the artist; Twachtman focused almost exclusively on landscape and few of his compositions incorporate the figure. Two of a larger series inspired by the tragic death in December 1894 of Twachtman's beloved daughter, Elsie, from scarlet fever at the age of eight, Sailing in the Mist is a tangible expression of the artist's grief; an additional two works from the series are known. In the exhibition catalogue, John Twachtman: A Painter's Painter, Lisa N. Peters writes that the present work, "is closely related to the Pennsylvania Academy's painting but represents a more intimate image. In the work in the academy, Twachtman portrayed the scene from a high vantage point, tilting the picture plane up to create a sense of the boat's movement into the distance. The perspective draws our eye toward a hazy zone in which the division between water and sky is blurred. Here, by contrast, the vertical canvas creates a narrower space, making the boat take on a larger presence within the scene. We look directly at the vessel, from the rear, rather than seeing it from above, so that we seem to accompany the figure on her journey. In the present painting, the boat also heads into a mysterious atmospheric realm lacking a horizon line and spatial differentiation, while the way that the figure is bent suggests that she has given into the will of the boat. Painted with thick broad strokes that do not fully cover the canvas, this painting seems a direct expression of Twachtman's feelings, as he faced this unspeakable loss." [Spanierman Gallery LLC, New York, 2006, p. 172-3] This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of John Henry Twachtman by Lisa N. Peters, Ph.D. and Ira Spanierman. C Property of the Barnard Estate
Canvas is trimmed to the tacking edge and glue relined. Light frame rubbing. There is an area with a few tiny missing paint flakes in the water 4 inches from the left of the boat. Another area of tiny paint flakes in the green pigment that is the shadow of the boat. There is some paper residue on the surface in the lower left corner, approximately 1/2 x 1/8 of an inch. There is no visible restoration under UV light.
John Henry Twachtman American, 1853-1902 Sailing in the Mist, circa 1895 Oil on canvas 30 x 21 inches Provenance: Estate of the artist By descent to the artist's granddaughter Phyllis Twachtman, Brooklyn, New York Ira Spanierman, Inc., New York Jacqueline Getty, Los Angeles Geneva Marie Washburn Trust, Newport Beach, CA, after 1974 Sale: Butterfield & Butterfield, Los Angeles, CA, Nov. 12, 1987, Private Collection, Santa Barbara, CA Exhibited: Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, American Painting in Los Angeles Collections, May 7-Jun. 30, 1974 (lent by Mrs. Jacqueline Getty) New York, Spanierman Gallery, LLC., John Twachtman: A Painter's Painter-Perceptions of Realism and Impressionism (1878-1902), May 4-Jun. 24, 2006 Literature: Stephen May, "Visual Poetry: The Landscapes of John Henry Twachtman," Art & Antiques, Feb. 2000, p. 87 Lisa N. Peters, John Twachtman: A "Painter's Painter", exh. cat. (New York: Spanierman Gallery, LLC), pp. 39, 172-173, color illus. no. 47 In John Twachtman, his monograph on the artist, Richard J. Boyle writes of a painting similar to the present one -- also titled Sailing in the Mist [Collection Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts] -- and other related works as achieving "a subdued and subtle poetry which extends beyond the particular method that conveys it. It is Impressionism, yes; but it is not the lush, bold, and gregarious painting of the French or of such compatriots as Childe Hassam or Frank Benson Twachtman's painting is full of 'contradiction and complexity.' A myriad of brushstrokes, a manifold set of colors and tones, combine somehow to give the impression of great simplicity; or conversely, the rendering of a single tree or a pond or the glimpse of a small waterfall reveals an absorbing complexity of ideas and feelings." [Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1979, pp. 17-18]. The present work remained in the artist's family until 1968, and is still privately owned. The theme, that of a child in a catboat sailing into an amorphous, undefined space, is an anomalous one for the artist; Twachtman focused almost exclusively on landscape and few of his compositions incorporate the figure. Two of a larger series inspired by the tragic death in December 1894 of Twachtman's beloved daughter, Elsie, from scarlet fever at the age of eight, Sailing in the Mist is a tangible expression of the artist's grief; an additional two works from the series are known. In the exhibition catalogue, John Twachtman: A Painter's Painter, Lisa N. Peters writes that the present work, "is closely related to the Pennsylvania Academy's painting but represents a more intimate image. In the work in the academy, Twachtman portrayed the scene from a high vantage point, tilting the picture plane up to create a sense of the boat's movement into the distance. The perspective draws our eye toward a hazy zone in which the division between water and sky is blurred. Here, by contrast, the vertical canvas creates a narrower space, making the boat take on a larger presence within the scene. We look directly at the vessel, from the rear, rather than seeing it from above, so that we seem to accompany the figure on her journey. In the present painting, the boat also heads into a mysterious atmospheric realm lacking a horizon line and spatial differentiation, while the way that the figure is bent suggests that she has given into the will of the boat. Painted with thick broad strokes that do not fully cover the canvas, this painting seems a direct expression of Twachtman's feelings, as he faced this unspeakable loss." [Spanierman Gallery LLC, New York, 2006, p. 172-3] This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of John Henry Twachtman by Lisa N. Peters, Ph.D. and Ira Spanierman. C Property of the Barnard Estate
Canvas is trimmed to the tacking edge and glue relined. Light frame rubbing. There is an area with a few tiny missing paint flakes in the water 4 inches from the left of the boat. Another area of tiny paint flakes in the green pigment that is the shadow of the boat. There is some paper residue on the surface in the lower left corner, approximately 1/2 x 1/8 of an inch. There is no visible restoration under UV light.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
