Naturalistic Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Azure Clouds" is an cyanotype of the semi-abstract patterns of clouds in the sky, showing shades of blue. Details: + Tit...

This is a beautiful and highly decorative watercolor painting, featuring a charming garden scene filled with pink and white hollyhocks alongside blooming roses. Nestled among the del...

'Omvetya I (Prye, Rising Tide)' Original Artwork. Unframed ______________ Softly dancing seaweed, patiently awaits the return of the salty sea to fill the tidal pools. Created outdo...

'Ebren Ha Dor, Tremenus'. Contemporary landscape painting, Cornwall Original Artwork. Framed ready to hang _________________ The dancing light and rapidly changing skies, hung high a...

The idyllic atmosphere of this country scene falls within a couple of styles one being regionalism, an American realist modern art movement that included paintings, murals, lithographs, and illustrations depicting scenes of rural and small-town America primarily in the Midwest and frequently associated with Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. The other style is romanticism wherein the scene depicted is a more desired or dramatic version of what actually is. “Untitled (Winter Road)” is a quiet country scene depicting a road leading into the distance either going to or coming from a local farm. The snow does not particularly seem fresh suggesting a melt and the coming of spring. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and conservator glass. In a 1952 Detroit Free Press article, entitled “Artist Explains His Work,” Culver was asked why he painted the way he did. He stated: “I try to ‘see’ though not too exactly; I try to think though not too ponderously; I feel emotion yet I try not to become overwrought. I interpret rather than describe, and design rather than depict. I work with values, not light and shade; hence, when I am successful, I achieve substance rather than three-dimensional form, and this satisfies me as being wholly sufficient. In my work I wish to be serious without becoming a bore, exuberant without being frivolous, humorous without being silly. I believe that good paintings are conceived, not contrived; and I am interested in art much more than in pictures.” Charles...

'Dawn Lake (Blue Ridge Mountains)' Original Artwork. Unframed ______________ The dawn is painting transient layered reflections in the water, shifting the softened space between whe...

We are delighted to present this enchanting winter landscape by the Sundsvall-born artist Oscar Lycke. Executed in 1911, Motif from Ljusdal captures the serene beauty of a snow-cover...

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype of a beautiful Palm Tree Leaf. Details: + Title: Palm Tree Leaf Over Blue Sky + Year: 2025 + Edition Size: 100 + Stamped a...

Idyllic depiction of Mount Fuji by Japanese artist Emiko Satsuta (early 20th Century). Muted colors create a serene atmosphere, with Mount Fuji in the ba...

'Omvetya III (Sea Carrots, Sennen)' Original Artwork. Unframed ______________ The evening light is drawing low soft shadows in the dunes at the salted edge of the Atlantic. 'Omvety...

'Omvetya II (Cargeen, Towards Treryn Dinas)' Original Artwork. Unframed ______________ Softly dancing seaweed, patiently awaits the return of the salty sea to fill the tidal pools. ...

We are proud to present an exquisite drawing by the renowned artist Christian Berg (1893-1976), executed around the 1920s. This captivating artwork port...

Lovely 19th century watercolor painting with an angler in a mountain stream landscape painting, this is signed William Bradley with a place and date on the lower left hand corner. Mists fall over the central mountain rising above the stream with rocks and boulders. A mountain ridge is on the left, and trees above boulders on the right. William radley Lamond was a self taught artist flourishing from mid to late 19th century. This would be a later work by this artist. The attribution is based on the period, the style the landscape subject and signature. The painting is presented in an attractive new wooden frame with fresh glass...

[CHINESE SCHOOL]. Two Watercolour Scenes. Possibly Canton ca.1820]. Very impressive large scale watercolours of Chinese scenes, presumably executed for the Western market by an an...

William Beattie-Brown is a 19th century Scottish artist, and a master landscape painter using tonal color in a naturalistic style. 'Old Bobbin Mill on ...

Charles De Wolf Brownell (American, 1822 - 1909) Watercolor on paper depicting several plants in close proximity Hand dated and inscribed "Bristol-June 19-63" Measures 5 1/4" x 8 3/...

Charles De Wolf Brownell (American, 1822 - 1909) Watercolor on paper depicting a pumpkin on a flowering vine Hand dated and inscribed "Lyme - Oct. 8 68" Measures 5 1/4" x 8 1/2" on...

Etablissement Thérmal press de Digne is an original pencil drawing glued on ivory paper by Anonymous Artist in 1860. In very good condition. Not signed. Notes of the artist on the ...

Charles De Wolf Brownell (American, 1822 - 1909) Watercolor on paper of maple leaves against the sky, Hand dated and inscribed "Papaw - E.H. - Oct. 1902". 5 1/4" x 8 1/2" paper, 9...

Artist Commentary: A stunning, colorful Texas sunset. Keywords: Landscape & Nature Artist Biography: Judith grew up 15 miles north of Milwaukee in the ...

Artist Commentary: I took this as a photo in the beautiful, rugged, Texas hill country, then painted it. Keywords: Landscape Artist Biography: Judith grew up 15 miles north of Mil...

Artist Commentary: This painting was generated purely by imagination and imagery that I am drawn to. Keywords: Landscape & nature Artist Biography: Judith grew up 15 miles north o...

This watercolor by Robert Thegerström, a Swedish painter, draftsman, and graphic artist, captures a serene winter scene from 1908. The artwork presents a frozen lake bathed in warm s...

“Late Afternoon Landscape” is set in the golden light of evening painted in the mid-west town of Utica, Michigan. It has the atmosphere of when work is done and peace and quiet blanket the countryside. The The farm machinery has ceased its racket as has the family dog wandering about for one last sniff. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and conservative glass. In a 1952 Detroit Free Press article, entitled “Artist Explains His Work,” Culver was asked why he painted the way he did. He stated: “I try to ‘see’ though not too exactly; I try to think though not too ponderously; I feel emotion yet I try not to become overwrought. I interpret rather than describe, and design rather than depict. I work with values, not light and shade; hence, when I am successful, I achieve substance rather than three-dimensional form, and this satisfies me as being wholly sufficient. In my work I wish to be serious without becoming a bore, exuberant without being frivolous, humorous without being silly. I believe that good paintings are conceived, not contrived; and I am interested in art much more than in pictures.” Charles Culver...

The eerie timeless Flat Iron building stands silhouetted against a winter sky one day in NYC. Tom was struck by the severe geometry of an historic b...

Naturalistic pencil drawing of a New Mexican landscape by artist Madelyn Colby. The work features a grove of trees surrounding a small abandoned building with the hint of a mountain ...

Bridge on the River is a beautiful drawing in pencil and charcoal realized by the French painter Emile-Louis Minet in 1919. The state of preservation is very good, except for a small...

Watercolor study of ducks who appear to be in a watery location. The work is signed by the artist in the bottom right corner. It is framed in a light wooden frame. Artist Biography:...

Gordon Hope Grant (1875-1962) created the watercolor entitled “The Lumber Wharf” in circa 1947. It is signed in the lower left 1 inch above the paper edge. The watercolor paper size ...

The idyllic atmosphere of this local dock scene falls within a couple of styles one being regionalism, an American realist modern art movement that included paintings, murals, lithographs, and illustrations depicting scenes of rural and small-town America primarily in the Midwest and frequently associated with Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton. The other style is romanticism wherein the scene depicted is a more desired or dramatic version of what actually is. “Untitled (Dock Scene)” is typical of a small town dock scene from Michigan where Culver lived or from places as far away as Maine, but what makes it important is its easy familiarity: water, gulls or terns, slanting wood shanties, scruffy dirt patches and course grasses. It is not idealized, but does set the tone of fresh air, the scream of birds and the sun on water. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and museum glass. In a 1952 Detroit Free Press article, entitled “Artist Explains His Work,” Culver was asked why he painted the way he did. He stated: “I try to ‘see’ though not too exactly; I try to think though not too ponderously; I feel emotion yet I try not to become overwrought. I interpret rather than describe, and design rather than depict. I work with values, not light and shade; hence, when I am successful, I achieve substance rather than three-dimensional form, and this satisfies me as being wholly sufficient. In my work I wish to be serious without becoming a bore, exuberant without being frivolous, humorous without being silly. I believe that good paintings are conceived, not contrived; and I am interested in art much more than in pictures.” Charles Culver...

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype of a beautiful Aloe plant. Details: + Title: Jurassic Aloe Leaves + Year: 2022 + Edition Size: 100 + Stamped and Certifica...

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype of a beautiful "Blue Upright Desert Cactus". Details: + Title: Blue Upright Desert Cactus + Year: 2022 + Edition Size: 100...

Serene cloudy landscape by Arthur Philemon Coleman (Canada, 1852-1939). From atop a hill, the viewer looks across a valley. There are a few outcroppings of trees, as well as a farmhouse and livestock. In the far distance, rolling hills with exposed rock are seen in the distance. Signed "A. Coleman" in the lower left corner. Presented in a double mat with foam core backing. Image size: 9.75"H x 16"W Mat size: 14.88"H x 21.75"W Some age toning to paper and an age toned section is in the center of the painting running from top to bottom. Arthur Coleman...

This is the only drawing Mary Reilly has ever done of Maui - a gorgeous scene with breaking, frothy water captured in graphite pencil.

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. This cyanotype shows a desert palm tree located in the majestic mediterranean city of Cairo, Egypt. Details: + Title: C...

ROBERTO NECCO, Turin 1969 SUMI- and , 2024 Painting in sumi-e ink and black suibokuga on handmade virgin Xuan paper (composed of mulberry fiber, wood and rice) artist's seal imprint...

Robert Littleford. English ( b.1940 – d.2023 ). Oldham From The Surrounding Hills, 1984. Watercolor. Signed & Dated Upper Left. Image size 14 inches x 21.3 inches ( 35.5cm x 54cm )...

Japanese Brush Painting Watercolor on handmade paper 28 1/2 x 22 in. Framed: 32 1/2 x 26 1/4 in.

Tree and House is a precious pencil study realized by the French painter Emile-Louis Minet. The state of preservation is excellent. The piece of paper comes from a sketchbook, and it...

AMERICA'S CUP - 1967. WING MARK. INTREPID - DAME PATTIE [AUS]. This Joseph Webster Golinkin watercolor of the 1967 America's Cup depicts the...

The idyllic atmosphere of this Mexican scene is located in Mexico, west of Mexico City and south of Guadalajara. “Red Hills Near Patzcuaro” is set in a golden light. and was one of three paintings by the artist while the artist visited Patzcuaro, Mexico. The humans depicted lend an atmosphere to the painting and an indication of location - dressed in native Mexican peasant dress - without being obtrusive and causing the viewer to concentrate on them. The intense red hills of Patzcuaro are the feature in this painting along with the pinon and juniper trees and the Chamisa shrub. This piece has been professionally reframed with acid-free matting and museum glass. In a 1952 Detroit Free Press article, entitled “Artist Explains His Work,” Culver was asked why he painted the way he did. He stated: “I try to ‘see’ though not too exactly; I try to think though not too ponderously; I feel emotion yet I try not to become overwrought. I interpret rather than describe, and design rather than depict. I work with values, not light and shade; hence, when I am successful, I achieve substance rather than three-dimensional form, and this satisfies me as being wholly sufficient. In my work I wish to be serious without becoming a bore, exuberant without being frivolous, humorous without being silly. I believe that good paintings are conceived, not contrived; and I am interested in art much more than in pictures.” Charles Culver...

Lighthearted Illustration of Outdoor Pursuits This one being cross country hiking signed "W. Steig" Provenance: from Mrs. Joseph B. Ryan, Commissioned by Joe Ryan for the bar at his ski resort, Mount Tremblant Lodge, in 1938. Mont Tremblant, P.Q., Canada Watercolor and ink on illustration board, sights sizes 8 1/2 x 16 1/2 in., framed. In 1938 Joe Ryan, described as a millionaire from Philadelphia, bushwhacked his way to the summit of Mont Tremblant and was inspired to create a world class ski resort at the site. In 1939 he opened the Mont Tremblant Lodge, which remains part of the Pedestrian Village today. This original illustration is on Whatman Illustration board. the board measures 14 X 22 inches. label from McClees Galleries, Philadelphia, on the frame backing paper. William Steig, 1907 – 2003 was an American cartoonist, sculptor, and, in his later life, an illustrator and writer of children's books. Best known for the picture books Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto, he was also the creator of Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988. Steig was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1907, and grew up in the Bronx. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants from Austria, both socialists. His father, Joseph Steig, was a house painter, and his mother, Laura Ebel Steig, was a seamstress who encouraged his artistic leanings. As a child, he dabbled in painting and was an avid reader of literature. Among other works, he was said to have been especially fascinated by Pinocchio.He graduated from Townsend Harris High School at 15 but never completed college, though he attended three, spending two years at City College of New York, three years at the National Academy of Design and a mere five days at the Yale School of Fine Arts before dropping out of each. Hailed as the "King of Cartoons" Steig began drawing illustrations and cartoons for The New Yorker in 1930, producing more than 2,600 drawings and 117 covers for the magazine. Steig, later, when he was 61, began writing children's books. In 1968, he wrote his first children's book. He excelled here as well, and his third book, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969), won the Caldecott Medal. He went on to write more than 30 children's books, including the Doctor DeSoto series, and he continued to write into his nineties. Among his other well-known works, the picture book Shrek! (1990) formed the basis for the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek (2001). After the release of Shrek 2 in 2004, Steig became the first sole-creator of an animated movie franchise that went on to generate over $1 billion from theatrical and ancillary markets after only one sequel. Along with Maurice Sendak, Saul Steinberg, Ludwig Bemelmans and Laurent de Brunhofff his is one of those rare cartoonist whose works form part of our collective cultural heritage. In 1984, Steig's film adaptation of Doctor DeSoto directed by Michael Sporn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. As one of the most admired cartoonists of all time, Steig spent seven decades drawing for the New Yorker magazine. He touched generations of readers with his tongue–in–cheek pen–and–ink drawings, which often expressed states of mind like shame, embarrassment or anger. Later in life, Steig turned to children's books, working as both a writer and illustrator. Steig's children's books were also wildly popular because of the crazy, complicated language he used—words like lunatic, palsied, sequestration, and cleave. Kids love the sound of those words even if they do not quite understand the meaning. Steig's descriptions were also clever. He once described a beached whale as "breaded with sand." Throughout the course of his career, Steig compiled his cartoons and drawings into books. Some of them were published first in the New Yorker. Others were deemed too dark to be printed there. Most of these collections centered on the cold, dark psychoanalytical truth about relationships. They featured husbands and wives fighting and parents snapping at their kids. His first adult book, Man About Town, was published in 1932, followed by About People, published in 1939, which focused on social outsiders. Sick of Each Other, published in 2000, included a drawing depicting a wife holding her husband at gunpoint, saying, "Say you adore me." According to the Los Angeles Times, fellow New Yorker artist Edward Sorel...

[CHINESE SCHOOL]. Chinese Craft on the Pearl River. Canton, circa 1810. Pencil, water colour and body colour drawings of craft, heightened with white on paper watermarked ‘J Whatm...

Trees is an original watercolor drawing, realized by André Roland Brudieux in 1950s. The state of preservation of the artwork is very good and aged. Sheet dimension: 37.5 x 32.5 cm....

ROBERTO NECCO, Turin 1969 SUMI- and , 2024 Painting in sumi-e ink and black suibokuga on handmade virgin Xuan paper (composed of mulberry fiber, wood and rice) artist's seal imprint...

Landscape is an original drawing in marking pen on cardboard realized in 1954 by Gaston Laurieu( 1908-1983). Hand-signed and dated on the middle left with the dedication of the arti...

Villa is an original drawing in pencil on paper, realized by an Anonymous artist of the XX century, with the stamp of "Vente Scott" in red on the lower left. The State of preservati...

'Ebren ha Dor, High Cirrus from the South West, September' Original Artwork. Framed ready to hang _________________ The dancing light and rapidly changing skies, hung high above the ...

Themistokles von Eckenbrecher (1842 Athens - 1921 Goslar), Norwegian pine grove, 1901. Watercolor on blue-green paper, 30 x 22 cm. Signed, dated and inscribed in his own hand "TvE. Fagermes [i.e. Fagermes]. 26.6.[19]01." - Slight crease throughout at left margin, otherwise in good condition. About the artwork Themistokles von Eckenbrecher often traveled to Norway to study the nature that fascinated him there. On June 26, 1901, near the southern Norwegian town of Fagernes, in the summer evening sun, he saw a small pine grove, which he immediately captured in a watercolor. He exposed the trees growing on a small hill in front of the background, so that the pines completely define the picture and combine to form a tense motif. The tension comes from the contrast of form and color. The trunks, growing upward, form a vertical structure that is horizontally penetrated by the spreading branches and the pine needles, which are rendered as a plane. This structural tension is further intensified by the color contrast between the brown-reddish iridescent trunks and branches and the green-toned needlework. Themistokles von Eckenbrecher, however, does not use the observed natural scene as an inspiring model for a dance of color and form that detaches itself from the motif and thus treads the path of abstracting modernism. Its inner vitality is to be brought to light and made aesthetically accessible through the work of art. It is precisely in order to depict the inner vitality of nature that von Eckenbrecher chooses the technique of watercolor, in which the individual details, such as the needles, are not meticulously worked out, but rather a flowing movement is created that unites the contrasts. The trees seem to have formed the twisted trunks out of their own inner strength as they grew, creatingthose tense lineations that the artist has put into the picture. The inner strength continues in the branches and twigs, culminating in the upward growth of the needles. At the same time, the trunks, illuminated by the setting sun, seem to glow from within, adding an almost dramatic dimension to the growing movement. Through the artwork, nature itself is revealed as art. In order to make nature visible as art in the work, von Eckenbrecher exposes the group of trees so that they are bounded from the outside by an all-encompassing contour line and merge into an areal unity that enters into a figure-ground relationship with the blue-greenish watercolor paper. The figure-ground relationship emphasizes the ornamental quality of the natural work of art, which further enforces the artwork character of the group of trees. With the presentation of Themistokles von Eckenbrecher's artistic idea and its realization, it has become clear that the present watercolor is not a study of nature in the sense of a visual note by the artist, which might then be integrated into a larger work context, but a completely independent work of art. This is why von Eckenbrecher signed the watercolor. In addition, it is marked with a place and a date, which confirms that this work of nature presented itself to him in exactly this way at this place at this time. At the same time, the date and place make it clear that the natural work of art has been transferred into the sphere of art and thus removed from the time of the place of nature. About the artist Themistocles' parents instilled a life of travel in their son, who is said to have spoken eleven languages. His father, who was interested in ancient and oriental culture, was a doctor and had married Francesca Magdalena Danelon, an Italian, daughter of the British consul in Trieste. During a stay in Athens - Gustav von Eckenbrecher was a friend of Heinrich von Schliemann and is said to have given him crucial clues as to the location of Troy - Themistokles saw the light of day in 1842. After an interlude in Berlin, where Themistokles was educated at the English-American School, the journey began again. From 1850 to 1857 the family lived in Constantinople, after which the father opened a practice in Potsdam, where Themistokles, who wanted to become a painter, was taught by the court painter Carl Gustav Wegener. In 1861 the von Eckenbrechers left Potsdam and settled in Düsseldorf. There Themistokles received two years of private tuition from Oswald Aschenbach, who greatly admired the talented young artist. After his artistic training, he undertook extensive travels, often accompanied by Prince Peter zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, which took him to northern and eastern Europe, but above all to the Middle East and even to South America. The paintings that resulted from these journeys established his artistic reputation and led to his participation in large panoramas such as the 118 x 15 metre Entry of the Mecca Caravan into Cairo, painted for the City of Hamburg in 1882. 1882 was also the start of a total of 21 study trips to Scandinavia, most of them to Norway, and the unique Norwegian landscape with its rugged fjords became a central motif in his work. Along with Anders Askevold and Adelsteen Normann...

Idealized landscape painting with a waterfall and mountains fading into the distance. The work is signed by the artist in the bottom corner. It is framed in a wooden frame with black...

Radiance pastel on paper 6 x 6inches 12 x 12 inches 2023

Bay Light II pastel on paper 6 x 6inches 12 x 12 inches 2023

Evening Mist II pastel on paper 6 x 6inches 12 x 12 inches 2023

PLAN OF A PART OF NEWPORT, R.I. SHOWING CHANGES IN HIGHWAYS ASKED FOR BY O.H.P. BELMONT, ESQ. The original ink and watercolor plan on paper from 1907. The plan is extremely large; if fully assembled it would measure no less than 11.5 feet in height and 6.5 feet in breadth. Segmented and backed on modern linen in four sections – each section is 70 x 39 inches. This grand oversized folding map can be folded down to four sections each 17.5 x 11 inches and stored in a modern made leather and marble paper case 18 x 11.75 x 3 inches. Text continues, "Prepared for Charles Warren Lippitt at the office of J. P. Cotton, C.E. Newport, R.I. Oct. 28, 1907." A fine manuscript plan of the Bellevue neighborhood of Newport, depicting the street layout and the detailed footprints of the area’s many mansions. The plan was produced at the behest of Charles Warren Lippett (1846-1924), who served as governor of Rhode Island from 1895-1897. The Lippett “Breakwater” mansion is also shown on this plan, situated at the southernmost tip of the peninsula. Though the circumstances are unclear, Lippitt seems to have requested the plan be drawn out of some concern for road construction proposed by Oliver Hazard Perry...

Summer pastel on paper 6 x 6inches 12 x 12 inches 2023

Bay Light I pastel on paper 6 x 6inches 12 x 12 inches 2023

Landscape study of a French town on a mountain top. The work is signed and stamped by the artist. The paper is not framed. Many others are available. Please inquire to buy the entir...

Lighthearted Illustration of Outdoor Pursuits This one being a Skiing scene, a boy and a girl on skis. signed W. Steig Provenance: from Mrs. Joseph B. Ryan, Commissioned by Joe Ryan for the bar at his ski resort, Mount Tremblant Lodge, in 1938. Mont Tremblant, P.Q., Canada Watercolor and ink on illustration board, sights sizes 8 1/2 x 16 1/2 in., framed. In 1938 Joe Ryan, described as a millionaire from Philadelphia, bushwhacked his way to the summit of Mont Tremblant and was inspired to create a world class ski resort at the site. In 1939 he opened the Mont Tremblant Lodge, which remains part of the Pedestrian Village today. This original illustration is on Whatman Illustration board. the board measures 14 X 22 inches. label from McClees Galleries, Philadelphia, on the frame backing paper. William Steig, 1907 – 2003 was an American cartoonist, sculptor, and, in his later life, an illustrator and writer of children's books. Best known for the picture books Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto, he was also the creator of Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988. Steig was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1907, and grew up in the Bronx. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants from Austria, both socialists. His father, Joseph Steig, was a house painter, and his mother, Laura Ebel Steig, was a seamstress who encouraged his artistic leanings. As a child, he dabbled in painting and was an avid reader of literature. Among other works, he was said to have been especially fascinated by Pinocchio.He graduated from Townsend Harris High School at 15 but never completed college, though he attended three, spending two years at City College of New York, three years at the National Academy of Design and a mere five days at the Yale School of Fine Arts before dropping out of each. Hailed as the "King of Cartoons" Steig began drawing illustrations and cartoons for The New Yorker in 1930, producing more than 2,600 drawings and 117 covers for the magazine. Steig, later, when he was 61, began writing children's books. In 1968, he wrote his first children's book. He excelled here as well, and his third book, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969), won the Caldecott Medal. He went on to write more than 30 children's books, including the Doctor DeSoto series, and he continued to write into his nineties. Among his other well-known works, the picture book Shrek! (1990) formed the basis for the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek (2001). After the release of Shrek 2 in 2004, Steig became the first sole-creator of an animated movie franchise that went on to generate over $1 billion from theatrical and ancillary markets after only one sequel. Along with Maurice Sendak, Saul Steinberg, Ludwig Bemelmans and Laurent de Brunhofff his is one of those rare cartoonist whose works form part of our collective cultural heritage. In 1984, Steig's film adaptation of Doctor DeSoto directed by Michael Sporn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. As one of the most admired cartoonists of all time, Steig spent seven decades drawing for the New Yorker magazine. He touched generations of readers with his tongue–in–cheek pen–and–ink drawings, which often expressed states of mind like shame, embarrassment or anger. Later in life, Steig turned to children's books, working as both a writer and illustrator. Steig's children's books were also wildly popular because of the crazy, complicated language he used—words like lunatic, palsied, sequestration, and cleave. Kids love the sound of those words even if they do not quite understand the meaning. Steig's descriptions were also clever. He once described a beached whale as "breaded with sand." Throughout the course of his career, Steig compiled his cartoons and drawings into books. Some of them were published first in the New Yorker. Others were deemed too dark to be printed there. Most of these collections centered on the cold, dark psychoanalytical truth about relationships. They featured husbands and wives fighting and parents snapping at their kids. His first adult book, Man About Town, was published in 1932, followed by About People, published in 1939, which focused on social outsiders. Sick of Each Other, published in 2000, included a drawing depicting a wife holding her husband at gunpoint, saying, "Say you adore me." According to the Los Angeles Times, fellow New Yorker artist Edward Sorel...

Neutral tone naturalistic city scene by an unknown artist. The work features a central figure on horseback riding down a village backstreet. The "hostal" street sign overhead indicat...

Hans Richard von Volkmann (1860 Halle (Saale) - 1927 ibid.), Clay jug on a bench. Pencil and Watercolour on paper. 20 x 26,7 cm (visible size), 37 x 45 cm (frame), dated and monogrammed lower left "Februar 1890 - HR. V. V." - Minimally tanned. Framed behind glass in a passepartout. About the artwork Using the technique of his early youth - pencil and watercolour - Hans Richard von Volkmann depicts a still life. However, this is not a conventional indoor still life, but an open-air depiction, painted outdoors and not in the studio. It is therefore an open-air painting, characteristic of von Volkmann's oeuvre, which could have been painted in the Willingshausen colony of painters, where open-air painting was programmatically practised there and the artist stayed there that year. And indeed, this painting is a manifesto of open-air painting. Von Volkmann demonstrates that leaving the studio for the light of nature leads to an entirely new quality of art. To prove this, he uses the genre of still life, which can be described as the studio subject par excellence. Moreover, light plays an essential role in the classical still life. It is the real protagonist of the still life. And it is precisely this moment, essential to the still life, that von Volkmann exploits to demonstrate the potential of plein-air painting: He presents the objects as they appear in the sunlight. The date of February and the bare branches in the foreground make it clear that this is a clear winter day in bright sunlight. The delicate plant in the foreground casts a clearly defined shadow, as does the jug. However, the shadow is most pronounced on the jug itself: The underside of the handle appears almost black, making the top, and therefore the jug itself, shine all the more brightly. The shining of the objects in the sunlight is also visible on the bench. As complementary phenomena to the shadow zones, light edges can be seen on the boards of the seats and the upper foot of the bench shines entirely in the light. To achieve this intensity of light, von Volkmann activated the bright white of the painting ground. By depicting the objects in glistening sunlight, von Volkmann demonstrates that this quality of light is only to be found outdoors. And this light leads to a new way of looking at the objects themselves. The jug on the bench seems like an accidental arrangement, as if the artist had stumbled upon this unintentional still life and captured it with fascination. And in this fascination there is a moment of realisation that refers to the objects themselves. It is only when they shine brightly in the sunlight that their true nature is revealed. In this way, sunlight allows the objects to come into their own, so to speak. Sunlight, which is not present in the studio, gives the still life an entirely new dimension of reality, which is also reflected in the colours interwoven by the sunlight: The bench and the jug stand in a harmonious grey-pink contrast to the green of the implied meadow. The emphasis on the jug as the central subject of the picture also implies that the watercolour has not been completed. This non finito inscribes a processuality into the picture, making it clear that something processual has been depicted, the temporality of which has been made artistically permanent. This is why von Volkmann signed the painting and dated it to the month. About the Artist Von Volkmann made his first artistic attempts at the age of 14. He painted many watercolours of his home town of Halle. This laid the foundation for his later outdoor painting. In 1880 his autodidactic beginnings were professionalised with his admission to the Düsseldorf Art Academy. There he studied under Hugo Crola, Heinrich Lauenstein, Johann Peter Theodor Janssen and Eduard von Gebhardt until 1888. Von Volkmann then moved to the Karlsruhe Academy, where he was Gustav Schönleber's master pupil until 1892. In 1883 he came for the first time to Willingshausen, Germany's oldest painters' colony, at the suggestion of his student friend Adolf Lins...