The Benefits of Purchasing Art from a Private Dealer

At Karges Fine Art, we take pride in forming personal relationships with our clients, getting to know them, their unique tastes, their concerns and priorities, while gaining extensive knowledge about artworks in their existing collection. Our clients gain reassurance that they're making the right decision based on our familiarity with their individual taste and budget. We become keenly aware of the specific plan the client has for the future direction of their collection as a whole, or work to assist a new collector with the creation of a vision. This close relationship saves the client time, since a trusted art advisor is always looking for specific works that will appeal to each individual customer and fit in with their current collection. Our knowledgeable, professional staff provides customized service that is specifically tailored to suit the client's individual needs. We realize that ours is a customer service business, not just a sales opportunity. Our Art Consultants might assist a collector with the reframing of one of their other paintings and enjoy a leisurely dinner together. Each of our invoices is typed out by hand. Concierge service is our specialty and we go out of our way to make our collectors feel valued and appreciated.

Art galleries offer a more relaxed environment to view an artwork in person, evaluate, and decide on purchases, at the client's own pace, without the pressure of another buyer trying to outbid them in real time.

Galleries often have more flexibility in pricing. A private dealer may be able to immediately contact a consignor who could agree to lower their net to facilitate a sale. A gallery may occasionally be willing to offer a discount to a valued, long term collector, or to a new collector whose loyalty they would like to secure for the future. No “Buyer's Premium” is charged.

Whenever anyone buys a work of art, the reputation of the source should be of primary concern. Karges Fine Art has built a very strong international reputation over a 30 year period, assisting both private collectors and museum curators in building collections that are relevant to their goals, unique to their tastes, and personally meaningful to them. Honesty and trust are essential components of the relationship between a private dealer and the client. A private gallery owner knows that their business cannot be successful and enduring without a solid long-term reputation based on truthfulness, fairness, and integrity.

Karges Fine Art caters to individual tastes and we specialize in particular styles of art and specific periods, focusing primarily on Early California paintings created between 1870 and 1950 by historically important artists including Edgar Payne, Thomas Hill, and William Wendt and Alfred Mitchell. We also carry works by notable artists of the American Southwest, including paintings by Maynard Dixon, E. Martin Hennings, Walter Ufer, Joseph Henry Sharp, and Nicolai Fechin, as well as woodblock prints by Gustave Baumann. Additionally, our Gallery Director has extensive experience with sales and purchasing of paintings by early Philippine artists including Fernando Amorsolo and Anita Magsaysay-Ho. Our staff has extensive knowledge about these very specific sectors of the art world and we work hard to stay informed about the current market for those works through comprehensive research and networking. As private art advisors, we can slowly develop long-term relationships with other knowledgeable experts in the art community, including appraisers, museum curators, and other dealers. We stay informed about fluctuations in the current market so that we are able to provide insight and advice to our collectors. A personal art advisor is well informed about the particular place the artwork holds in the history of art, and its individual position in the oeuvre of the specific artist.

Russian Villagers
by
Southwest Artist Leon Gaspard (1882 - 1964)

We provide an environment where a collector's privacy is valued, offering discreet consultations with a well informed professional. The details of the sale remain confidential, and are not made available to the public. We often offer to make an appointment, at a time that is convenient for the collector, to personally bring paintings to our clients' homes so that they can be viewed on different walls, in different locations, with various lighting options. This gives the collector the ability to make an informed decision at their own pace, in their own home.

Winding Valley
by
Early California Impressionist Alfred Mitchell (1888 - 1972)

A private gallery or home setting provides an intimate, quiet space to view a work of art in person, directly, rather than from a reproduction in a catalogue or on a computer screen. The emotional experience of physically looking at a painting, feeling the human connection with the artist, and seeing the texture of the surface and the subtleties of the brushwork and coloring is much more profound and powerful in person.

Art is not a just a “commodity” that is bought and sold by the square inch. There is an intangible quality to unique original works of art. The well trained professional staff at a private gallery understands that these precious connections to the past are valued as part of the historical record of humankind, and knows that the works can and should evoke deep feelings and emotions in the collector that will bring them joy in the years to come. When a painting is acquired, the collector becomes part of that artwork's story. For many, collecting art is not just an investment or a hobby, it's a passion that provides deep satisfaction on a personal level. Our experienced art consultants have a real understanding of this intangible factor. Need assistance starting a new collection or finding the perfect work for your existing one? Contact us any time at (800) 833-9185, or by email to gallery@kargesfineart.com, or stop by and visit our gallery at Dolores and Sixth Avenue in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Thomas Hill, Leland Curtis and Percy Gray - Early California Paintings of the Sierra Nevada

Over the past century and a half, early American artists have been captivated by the natural beauty, rugged terrain, and panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

In the mid 19th century, Hudson River School artists Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran painted luminous, romantic, landscapes of the West, bringing their epic sweeping views of “The Land of Promise” to the American public.

Early paintings of Yosemite, such as these by Thomas Hill, Leland Curtis, and Percy Gray, served to draw attention to that area, and helped to spark a new era of conservation and environmental protection for its unique and exceptional beauty.

The stunning waterfalls, majestic granite cliffs and scenic vistas were favorite subjects of famous 19th century landscape artist Thomas Hill. One of the most acclaimed painters in the history of American art, Hill is especially well known for his western landscapes and panoramic views of our National Parks. 

Thomas Hill
(1829 - 1908)
Yosemite Valley
14 x 21 inches
SOLD

Thomas Hill(1829 - 1908)
Vernal Falls
30 x 20 inches
SOLD

Avid mountain climber and talented artist Leland Curtis was known for his striking plein air mountain and desert landscape paintings. Curtis was born in Denver in 1897 and lived in Seattle prior to moving to Los Angeles in 1914.  He was the official artist for multiple U.S. Antarctic Expeditions between 1939 and 1957, and moved in 1960 to Twenty Nine Palms, California.  He spent many summers in Moose, Wyoming where he had a studio in a rustic log cabin.  He was an avid hiker and mountain climber, and his works reflect the artist's obvious love and respect for nature and his deep appreciation of the magnificent panoramic views.

Leland Curtis(1897 - 1989)
Aspen Trees
6 x 7 1/2 inches
AVAILABLE NOW

Percy Gray is considered one of California's most important historical artists, and more specifically, one of the state's premier watercolorists.  He was influential as a leader of the American art movement known as “Tonalism” that began in the 1880's and lasted well into the 1920's.  His works such as the delicate watercolor below, celebrate the artist's tonalist style, interpreting nature using muted colors, soft outlines, and subtle nuances and gradations of single hues in a narrow range. 

Percy Gray
(1869 - 1952)
Liberty Cap
SOLD

Works from the early California Impressionism genre and early Tonalist paintings, plein air landscapes in particular, serve to call attention to the exceptional and unparalleled beauty of the Sierra Nevada's mountain peaks, Alpine lakes, and granite cliffs. These, in turn, remind us of the fragile nature of our unique habitat. On this celebration of Earth Day 2020, we hope that these extraordinary historical paintings will serve to inspire us all to become better custodians of these precious lands, and to protect and nurture the environment.

Contact our staff at Karges Fine Art at (800) 833-9185 for more information about early California paintings that are currently available to add to your collection.

Alson Clark - Acclaimed Early California Impressionist Artist

Alson Clark is remembered as one of southern California’s finest early Impressionist artists.  He was a successful and influential plein-air painter and art teacher, and was deeply inspired by the French Impressionist movement.  He is known for his landscapes, figurative works, interior scenes, and cityscapes and is particularly remembered for his mastery of atmospheric and lighting effects.

Alson Clark
"La Jolla"
SOLD

Born in Chicago to a wealthy family, Alson Clark initially enrolled at the Art Institute and then took a two year long journey around the world with his parents and was exposed to a wide variety of artwork, especially European paintings.

Alson Clark
"Chicago"
SOLD

He moved to New York in 1896 to study at the Art Students League with William Merritt Chase.  He then studied at Chase’s summer school of plein-aire painting at Shinnecock.  In 1898 Clark moved to Paris to study at a school directed by James McNeill Whistler, the Academie Carmen. His work was strongly influenced by Whistler throughout his long successful career.

Returning to the U.S. in 1901, he married, then lived with his wife in Paris from 1902 to 1914. During his time in France, he painted in 1910 in Giverny with his fellow artist, Guy Rose.  His style became more strongly influenced by Impressionism and his palette became lighter than it has been during his years with Whistler.

Alson Clark
"Paris"
SOLD

In 1913 Clark was drawn to visit and paint the construction of the Panama Canal. He eventually was invited to hold a solo exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, an honor bestowed on very few American artists at that time, and was awarded a bronze medal.

Alson Clark
"Panama Canal"
SOLD

He enlisted in the Navy during World War I and afterwards, in 1919, Alson Clark settled in Southern California where he, along with Guy Rose, taught at the Stickney School in Pasadena. He later became Director of the school.  He continued painting, and was particularly interested in scenes of the California Missions including San Gabriel and San Juan Capistrano.

Alson Clark
"San Juan Capistrano"
SOLD

Alson Clark
"The Golden Hour"
SOLD

He also traveled and painted desert and mountain landscapes in Mexico and the Southwestern United States.

Alson Clark
"San Gorgonio"
SOLD

Alson Clark’s paintings have been exhibited at numerous prestigious venues including the National Academy of Design, the Paris Salon, the Los Angeles County Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.  In 1921 his works were shown in a solo exhibition organized by Earl Stendahl, an important art dealer based in Southern California.

In 1925 he was commissioned by the Pasadena Playhouse to paint a large stage curtain, and he began a series of other commissioned works, including many well received murals.  He and his wife continued traveling when possible, in both the United States and Europe.

Alson Clark
"Seville"
SOLD

Clark’s health eventually declined, and he died in March 1949.

Note: Do you own an original painting by this artist that you would like to sell or consign? William A. Karges Fine Art, located in Carmel, California buys and sells paintings by this notable early California Impressionist.  Contact Patrick Kraft at (831) 601-2071 today for a free evaluation.

California Impressionism

In the late 19th century, a groundbreaking new style of painting was evolving in France by artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, and Pierre Auguste Renoir. This new genre featured rich, bold colors, close attention to light and atmospheric effects, and loose brushstrokes. French artists began to reject traditional academic painting techniques that favored realism. This new style focused on the way the human eye views the world at a quick glance, highlighting the play of light on objects, rather than the portrayal of objects and their “real-world”, detailed, solid surfaces. Distinctly unpopular as an artistic style when first introduced, works in this genre have now become some of the most easily recognized and sought after. Original paintings by important Impressionist artists now regularly break records at auction, and countless prints of the most famous works are widely purchased by collectors worldwide.

Artists in America became aware of these new techniques in the late 19^th and early 20th century as many young painters traveled to Europe to study. Some artists in “The Golden State” began painting in this new style, and eventually became the important California Impressionists that are widely known and celebrated today. They studied changing atmospheric effects as they worked “en plein-air”, outdoors, to capture the beauty of the exceptional and unparalleled beauty of the hills, mountains, deserts, beaches and farmlands of the State.

The different styles seen in Southern and Northern California Impressionist paintings were developed in great part by the variances in climate and light in the two distinct regions.

Southern California Impressionism

In Southern California, artists such as Guy Rose, Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Maurice Braun, Orrin White, Granville Redmond, William Otte, Hanson Puthuff, Jack Wilkinson Smith, Joseph Kleitsch, and Alfred Mitchell were inspired by the sunlight and the warm climate of the area. 

Edgar Payne (1883 - 1947)
"Rocks and Surf"
SOLD

William Wendt (1865 - 1946)
"Announcement of Fall"
SOLD

The colors in their paintings tended to be brighter and more saturated than those of their counterparts in the Northern Areas of the state. Their brushstrokes were often bolder, stronger, and looser.

Orrin White (1883 - 1969)

"Southern California Landscape"

SOLD

Granville Redmond (1871 - 1935)
"Wildflowers"
SOLD

Joseph Kleitsch (1882 - 1931)
"Pont St. Michel, Paris"
AVAILABLE NOW

Northern California Impressionism

In contrast, Northern California Impressionism tended to be more restrained, softer, and more muted, as a result of the foggier, cooler weather and its effect on the atmosphere and light. The American art movement known as “Tonalism” that began in the 1880's and lasted well into the 1920's was still very popular in this part of the state and practiced by artists such as Percy Gray and Will Sparks. Tonalism focused on creating an interpretation of nature using muted colors, soft outlines, and subtle nuances and gradations of single hues in a narrow range. Some artists, such as Armin Hansen, William Ritschel, Alice Chittenden and Jules Pages, however, practiced a more traditional form of Impressionism that featured stronger colors, as well as bolder, looser brushstrokes.

Percy Gray (1869 - 1952)
"Forest Glade, Point Lobos"
SOLD

William Ritschel (1864 - 1949)
"Point Lobos"
SOLD

Armin Hansen (1886 - 1957)
"Aground"
SOLD

For additional information about available California Impressionist paintings, please contact our staff at William A. Karges Fine Art in Carmel, California by phone at (800) 833-9185 or by email to gallery@kargesfineart.com or visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com.

Southern California Impressionist Joseph Kleitsch

Joseph Kleitsch

(1882 - 1931)

Joseph Kleitsch is considered to be one of the most important and influential of the early Southern California Impressionists.  Born in Hungary in 1882, he began painting at age seven, and trained in Budapest, Munich and Paris.  By the age of 17, he was an accomplished portraitist, with sitters such as Franz Josef of Austria.  Furthering his studies, Kleitsch immigrated to the United States around 1901, first setting in Ohio, then in Denver in 1905.  He married his first wife, Emma Multner, in October of 1904 and they moved to Mexico City in 1909.  His outstanding portraits of Mexico's President Francisco Madero were highly regarded.  In 1913 his wife, Emma, passed away.

After 1914 Klietsch painted many prominent local citizens while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago.  He became a teacher at the well known school, where he taught until 1919, and was awarded the Gold Medal in 1914 when he exhibited his work there. In 1914 he married an art teacher named Edna Gregatis, and their son Eugene was born in 1915.

Settling in Laguna Beach in 1920, he established the Kleitsch Academy of Art. He had become acquainted in Chicago with the important southern California Impressionist painter, Edgar Payne, who had already settled in the Laguna Beach area.  Kleitsch's California works, exhibited at the Stendahl Galleries in Los Angeles, were focused on the landscape, gardens, and architecture around his home in Laguna Beach, as well as coastal scenes.  He traveled to various locations in California including Carmel, Mission San Juan Capistrano and San Francisco in search of interesting and inspiring subjects.

Joseph Kleitsch

"Laguna Coastline"

SOLD

He traveled to Europe between 1926 and 1929, including to Giverny, France, where he was inspired by the dramatic setting of Claude Monet's acclaimed works.

Joseph Kleitsch

"Canteloupe, Paris, 1927"

SOLD

Kleitsch, a master colorist, is celebrated for his bold, energetic brushwork, and his unique and elegant style.  He often painted outdoors, “en plein-air”, and was one of the founders of the Painters' and Sculptors' Club in 1923.  Throughout the course of his successful career, he also was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists, The Palette and Chisel Club of Chicago, and the Laguna Beach Art Association.  His work was awarded the Grand Prize and the Figure Prize by Laguna Beach Art Association.

Joseph Kleitsch

"Laguna, 1925"

SOLD

His paintings can be found in the collections of the Laguna Beach Museum of Art, the Irvine Museum, and the Fleischer Museum.

Kleitsch died on November 16th, 1931 at the age of forty-nine of a heart attack, while he was in front of the Courthouse in Santa Ana, California.

Joseph Kleitsch
"Pont St. Michel, 1927"
Oil on canvas
21 x 18 inches
AVAILABLE NOW

“Pont St. Michel”, shown above, depicts the famous bridge in Paris, originally constructed in 1378, that links the Place Saint-Michel on the left bank of the river Seine to the Ile de la Cite.

For additional information about this artist, call William A. Karges Fine Art at (800) 833-9185, email to gallery@kargesfineart.com, or visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com/joseph-kleitsch

The Exotic World of Jessie Arms Botke

During the height of her career, Jessie Arms Botke was proclaimed by critics as the greatest decorative painter of the West. The art world consisted primarily of male artists in the early twentieth century, yet Botke quickly earned a name for herself through a strong work ethic and an undeniable talent. She is primarily remembered for her ornate depictions of exotic birds, especially pelicans, geese, ducks, cockatoos, and peacocks, as well as her elegant paintings of tropical flowers, which inspired her to a high level of artistry.

No matter the medium, Botke’s paintings are unique and filled with both wonder and fantasy. From her early plein air landscapes and her decorative friezes to her more mature gold-leaf oil compositions, Botke’s work remained relevant, even in the ‘60s, as a testament to her longevity as an artist and the sheer beauty of her creations.

Born in Chicago in 1883, Jessie Arms began painting and sketching at a young age. By 1902, she had enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago, where she trained under the tutelage of renowned artists and teachers John C. Johansen and Charles Woodbury. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City to work for Albert Herter of Herter Looms, famed textile and tapestry design firm. She later contributed to a series of wall murals done by Herter for San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel.

Jessie Arms Botke

"Peacocks and Poppies"

Oil and gold leaf on board

32 x 28 inches

SOLD

After moving back home to Chicago, Jessie Arms met artist Cornelis Botke, who soon became her husband and lifelong partner. In 1929, the happy couple settled in Santa Paula, California’s Wheeler Canyon on a peaceful ranch consisting of ten acres. From her home and studio, Botke became the most exceptional decorative painter of the twentieth century with her bold portrayals of birds and flora, which were heavily inspired by Japanese screens. Later in life, she also proved herself to be a master watercolorist and printmaker.

Click here to view additional examples of Botke's paintings.

Click here for additional in-depth information about the artist and her life.

Call William A. Karges Fine Art at (800) 833-9185 for additional information about available paintings by Jessie Arms Botke and other early California artists, or email gallery@kargesfineart.com.

Celebrating Summer Through the Art of the Central California Coast

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the natural beauty of the California Coast and the Monterey Peninsula has attracted artists from around the world, eager to try their hand at capturing the spirit of the dramatic shoreline. Over the ensuing century, hundreds of artists produced thousands of works, each a unique interpretation of the region’s breathtaking scenery.

The paintings we present today represent just a few of the countless iconic and instantly recognizable views that make the area so famous. These early and contemporary California artists have skillfully captured the beauty of the valleys of Southern California, the elegant Eucalyptus trees of Northern California, and the magnificent panoramic vistas of Highway 1 on the road to Big Sur.

"Coastal Ridges"

Dennis Doheny (b. 1956)

Oil on linen

24 x 30 inches

AVAILABLE NOW

Our first work, “Coastal Ridges”, seen above, by award-winning contemporary landscape artist Dennis Doheny, shows a spectacular view of the Figueroa mountains.

Our next work, “Oak and River” by master watercolor artist Percy Gray, is a fine example of the soft Tonal palette used by many early northern California painters.

"Oak and River"
Percy Gray (1869 - 1952)
Watercolor
AVAILABLE NOW

“Gentle Beauty”, below, by contemporary artist Cindy Baron, features a quintessential view of the Central California coastline. Her works are nationally recognized and she has been the recipient of numerous awards, including both “Best in Show” and the “Irvine Museum Award of Excellence” at the 2018 Laguna Invitational.  She is a member of the historic California Art Club and is a signature member of the American Impressionist Society.

"Gentle Beauty"

Cindy Baron (b. 1957)

Oil on board

24 x 30 inches

AVAILABLE NOW

For additional information about these, or other original paintings by California artists, contact the staff at William A. Karges Fine art by telephone at (800) 833-9185 or by email at gallery@kargesfineart.com

Majestic Yosemite

Even before the land around Yosemite Valley became part of Yosemite National Park in 1890, the breathtaking views of this area captivated countless notable artists and writers.  This awe-inspiring region still attracts and energizes contemporary artists today as they follow in the footsteps of their predecessors.

The stunning waterfalls, majestic granite cliffs and scenic vistas were favorite subjects of famous 19th century landscape artist Thomas Hill. One of the most acclaimed painters in the history of American art, Hill is especially well known for his western landscapes and panoramic views of our National Parks.

Thomas Hill (1829 - 1908)

Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite

SOLD

This painting by Thomas Hill, above, shows the iconic vista of towering "Bridalveil Fall". This is a Barbizon-style work, moving towards Impressionism.  The figure in the foreground adds additional interest to the composition and gives the viewer a sense of the grand scale of the imposing landscape.

Our next work by Thomas Hill, “Yosemite Valley” below, was painted in 1880.  This is an impressive, large scale work, a true masterpiece with a sweeping view. 

Thomas Hill (1829 - 1908)

Yosemite Valley, 1880

AVAILABLE NOW

For pricing and additional details about these and other early and contemporary California paintings, please visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com call (800) 833-9185, email gallery@kargesfineart.com, or stop by our gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea at Dolores and Sixth Ave.

Take A Virtual Tour of Karges Fine Art's Gallery in Carmel!

Can't quite get away right now for a visit to Carmel-by-The Sea?  No problem! Click below to take a virtual tour of our Carmel Gallery.  See what's new, zoom in on your favorites for a closer look, give us a call if you see anything you absolutely love and want to know more about.  Enjoy your self-guided tour right now, and enjoy our gallery full of Early California Art, Contemporary California Art, and Southwestern Art.  Bring joy and relaxation to your day without ever leaving home...

Visit www.kargesfineart.com to view all the paintings now available at both our Carmel and West Hollywood gallery locations.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR VIRTUAL TOUR

Dennis Doheny - California's Premier Realist Landscape Painter

Enjoy this in-depth interview with Dennis Doheny!

A third-generation Californian, Dennis Doheny was raised in the Los Angeles area and currently resides in Santa Barbara. Instantly developing an innate love of art, he spent much of his childhood drawing and painting. Self-taught, Doheny ultimately began exhibiting his early works at the Petersen Gallery in Beverly Hills. From 1986 until 1996, Doheny focused on commercial art, until his passion for fine art painting prevailed.

Over the past two decades, Doheny has cultivated a strong local and national following, enticing collectors who are drawn to his heroic renderings of the western landscape.

Inspired by legendary California and Hudson River School artists, he has fused and reinterpreted the genres, combining rich color and finely-crafted detail to create a distinctive vision of the American West. 

Doheny’s vivid landscapes capture California at its most beautiful, with its commanding ocean cliffs, distant hazy mountains, and towering lush trees.

Doheny is the recipient of numerous awards.  In April 2016, he received "The Irvine Museum Prize" at the California Art Club's 105th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition.  In addition, the painting was purchased by the California Art Club, and it will hang permanently at the California Club in Los Angeles.  Previously, he was awarded the Irvine Museum Gold Medal at the California Art Club's 2013 Exhibition.  At the same show, he also received the American Art Collector Award of Excellence.  

"View from Nepenthe"
Oil on linen, 22 x 26
AVAILABLE NOW

In 2009 Doheny was honored to be chosen for the Edgar Payne Award for best landscape at the California Art Club's 2009 Gold Medal Juried Exhibition.  Dennis was also proud to be featured in the Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition.  In both 2006 and 2008 at the Prix de West, he received the Frederic Remington Award given in recognition of "exceptional artistic merit".  Also in 2006, he was honored with the Inaugural Purchase Prize at the Eiteljorg Museum's "Quest for the West" Exhibition and is proud to be a part of their permanent collection.  In 2003, he was recognized by the Autry National Center and awarded the Masters of the American West Award.  His painting was acquired by the Autry for its permanent collection as well.  He received the Granville Redmond Memorial Purchase Prize in 2000 for his painting "New Dawn" at the California Art Club's Spring Salon and upon his return to fine art, he received First Place in the Carmel Plein Air Competition in 1998.

An integral member of Karges Fine Art, Doheny is represented at our gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Karges Fine Art is proud to be entrusted with the works of one of this generation’s greatest artists, connecting this passionate visionary with discerning fine art collectors.  For additional information, or to inquire about currently available paintings, contact William A. Karges Fine Art by calling (800) 833-9185 or emailing gallery@kargesfineart.com or visit our website at www.kargesfineart.com/dennis-doheny

"Coastal Ridges"
Oil on linen, 24 x 30
AVAILABLE NOW

Granville Redmond: Color and Silence

Granville Redmond: Color and Silence by Rob Pierce

On March 9th, 1871, Charles and Elizabeth Redmond gave birth to healthy baby boy, whom they named Grenville Richard Seymour Redmond. Sadly – though perhaps from an art historical perspective, felicitously – young Grenville contracted scarlet fever at the age of two, rendering him completely and irreparably deaf. As a result, Redmond never developed the ability to speak.

In 1874, the Redmond family moved to the Bay Area, eventually enrolling their son in the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, one of the nation's most renowned institutions for the hearing impaired. Redmond excelled in his classes, both academically and socially, but it was in the arts that he truly shone.

Under the instruction of artist Theophilus D'Estrella, he developed a keen eye for light and color, and a particular love of the outdoors and the en plein air method, which was coming into fashion among the burgeoning California art scene. It's difficult to say to what degree Redmond's hearing impairment influenced his art, but whatever the cause, he found himself immediately attracted to the subtle gradations and quiet isolation of Tonalism, a love affair that would follow him all of his life.

Granville Redmond

"Flowering Hillside"

SOLD

At the encouragement of his instructors from the California School, Redmond enrolled at the San Francisco School of Design at the age of 16. It was here that he would meet perhaps the most significant instructor of his early artistic career, Director of the School of Design, Arthur Mathews. Mathews is recognized by many art historians as the single most important figure in Early California painting, as he is responsible for the first artistic movement that can accurately be described as Californian: The eventually-termed California Decorative Style. Still, had it not been for this invention, his contribution to the arts would have been indisputable simply for his tutelage of many renowned artists including Redmond.

Even before graduating from the Academy of Design, Redmond began to receive critical acclaim, winning the W. E. Brown Medal of Excellence and a scholarship to continue his studies in Paris. In 1893, he crossed the Pacific and enrolled at the Académie Julian, one of France's most prestigious art schools. Here, under the professorship of such luminaries as Benjamin Constant and Jean Paul Laurenz, Redmond meticulously honed his craft.

By the early 1890s, Redmond was focusing almost exclusively on exterior landscape compositions in the Tonalist style, and in 1895 his canvas, Matin d'Hiver, was accepted into the exclusive Paris Art Salon. In 1898, Redmond returned to California and settled in Los Angeles. After years of study, he was finally ready to embark on his journey as a professional artist. Perhaps in response to his new state in life, Grenville Richard Seymour Redmond decided that a nom de pinceau was in order – and thus he dropped the foremost e in favor of an a, did away with his middle names altogether, and became simply Granville Redmond.

Granville Redmond's early professional career in Southern California is characterized by subtle Tonalist compositions, often landscapes and seascapes of Laguna Beach, Catalina Island, and San Pedro. These early works exhibit quiet, almost solemn undertones. Additionally, Redmond completed a number of nocturnes during this time, tenebrous pastorals reminiscent of the work coming from his artistic motherland, San Francisco.

When Redmond met Charlie Chaplain in Los Angeles, the two quickly became fast friends, trading techniques in pantomime and other non-verbal cues – one educated through a lifetime of silent observation, the other through a career on the silver screen. They got along so handsomely that not only did Chaplain invite Redmond to star in three of his feature films, but the actor also independently financed a studio for the artist on his film lot.

In 1899, Granville married Carrie Ann Jean, herself a graduate from the Illinois School for the Deaf. Over the next several years, they would have three children together. By that time, Redmond was already garnering favorable criticism as a talented and thoughtful colorist in the LA art scene.

But the artist was soon to explore a whole new method of composition, and in 1908 he packed up his family and moved north to Monterey, where his typically moody Tonalist landscapes began to change, becoming more expansive, idyllic, and colorful.

Two years later, the Redmond family moved again, this time to San Mateo, where Granville firmly rooted himself in the San Francisco art establishment. He took the critical world by storm with his sweeping visions of California landscapes, hillsides on fire with golden poppies and violet lupine. The demand for his work exploded.

For the next 25 years, Redmond travelled the California coast – one of the few Early Californian artists to do so – capturing its quintessential light and color. His work matured, becoming more Impressionistic, even Pointillist, as he grew to become one of the West Coast's foremost California Impressionists. He drew comparisons to France's greatest masters – Monet, Matisse, Pisarro – and though collectors had an insatiable appetite for his vivid wildflower canvases, the artist never gave up his passion for his quiet, Tonalist compositions. For the rest of his life, he would continue to paint his beloved, brooding nocturnes; subtle, grey pastorals; tenebrous, solitary coastals – even as the demand for his Impressionistic landscapes continued to skyrocket.

Granville Redmond
"Moonlit Pond"
SOLD

Today, Granville Redmond is remembered as a master of both California Impressionism and California Tonalism. His work continues to be bought and sold around the world, publicly and privately, and every retrospective of seminal Californian art bears his name. 

Granville Redmond

"Grazing"

SOLD

His work is held in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco's de Young Museum, the Stanford University Museum, the California School of the Deaf – to name but a few.

Granville Redmond died on May 24, 1935 in Los Angeles. He was 63 years old.