Charles Levier

Printemps

Circa 1960's

Blessed with natural artistic ability and finding encouragement from her family at an early age, Sally Swatland has traveled the proper paths to find herself in a unique place: the foremost American woman painting children at the seashore. With a romanticized nod to yesteryear, Swatland's characters are innocent and fair, in an array of matching springtime and summery apparel. Adept with brush and palette knife, she blends many artistic influences and styles into her own unique presentations. This painting features a fair-haired young girl dipping her feet in the shallow waters along a rocky shoreline. The sea behind is a brilliant blue with small white-capped waves rolling into shore. The brushwork alternates between smooth strokes in the child's form and dress and more impasto work and sharper edges on the rocks and in the more active parts of the sea. The overall effect is that of being at the sea and finding serenity in the contrast between the calm shore and the always moving ocean. The seas' eternal inspiration form a common backdrop to many of Swatland's artistic works. Born in Washington D.C., her family moved to Greenwich, Connecticut and often summered at Tod's Point, Long Island Sound. She would go on to become an art major at Mount Saint Vincent College, study under Robert Schulz in the Art Students League of New York, and come to be represented early by Alistair Stair in his New York and Florida galleries...

The strength of a great ship portrait lies with its overall striking composition blended with an attention to detail. Charles Sidney Raleigh was extremely skilled with both elements, and this is one of his finest works. An American full-rigged ship of large proportions, LUCY G. DOW is one of many ships owned by Maine interests, where the ship would be locally built and consortium owned. More Maine captains owned part of their ships than any other East Coast region, it appears through an informal survey of lists. Note the fine details of the captain and crew hard at work onboard off the coast. The numerous buildings are clustered on the peninsular stretch with a pier coming out near the lighthouse’s walkway. At the distance, ship masts...

Pluie a Venice is painted in Hambourg's preferred palette of muted blue-green, grey, and gold with splashes of ruby red, deep blue, and emerald green. The soft colors work well for beach scenes and rainy days such as the ones portrayed in this painting. The impressionistic scene shows multiple pedestrians strolling down the boardwalk, shielding themselves from the rain with colorful umbrellas that provide pops of color and balance the overcast sky. The background contains a three-masted ship and Piazza San Marco's famous bell tower and Basilica. Hambourg uses the minimum number of brushstrokes necessary to portray ships, seagulls, buildings and people as well as reflections on the glistening sidewalk. The brushstrokes in the sky have an interesting texture that is controlled yet carefree and there is heavy impasto throughout. His portrayal is both realistic and romanticized. Hambourg was clearly influenced by the great Impressionist artists of earlier generations, perhaps none more than the one with a direct connection to his family. Hambourg's wife, Nicole Rachet, was born into a family with a large collection of works by Impressionist master Eugene Boudin. Rachet's grandfather was a contemporary and friend of Boudin's, and a collector of his work. In their later years, Hambourg and Rachet donated over 300 canvases by Boudin and other artists to the Eugene Boudin Museum in Honfleur, France. It was such a large and important gift that the collection bears...

Although suggesting a yacht or boating club due to its prime waterfront location, this panoramic view by Philadelphia artist Xanthus Smith, most likely shows a US Lifesaving Service facility in one of the mid-Atlantic states. Originating in the mid-1800’s, the U.S. Lifesaving Service’s earliest buildings were strictly utilitarian, but as the Service grew, so did the size of the stations. By the 1880s, they were becoming more fashionable and usually were made up of two or three structures as shown here. The main building contained the offices and berthing area for the crew and usually featured a lookout tower on the roof. Smaller buildings housed classrooms and medical facilities. Some were built to resemble a Swiss chalet and one was even designed with a clock tower. Noted architect A. B. Bibb designed stations like this one that looked much like beach resort homes with lookout towers. The stations were usually located near the approaches to major ports and were maintained by the United States Revenue Marine (later renamed the United States Revenue Cutter...

Original oil on canvas painting. Hand signed on front; signed and titled on verso by Charles Levier. Stretched canvas size 30 x 40 inches. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers will be considered. About the Artist: Charles Levier (French, 1920–2003) aka Maurice Verrier, was born in 1920 of a French Father and an American Mother in Corsica. He held a fascination with color and form that led him, at age seventeen, to the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs for private studies. World War II broke out and Levier served in the French army in North Africa, later becoming Liaison Officer with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. Coming to America...

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul b.1935 French Ciel incertain (Uncertain Sky) Signed “Cassigneul” (lower left) Oil on canvas This exquisite painting by Jean-Pierre Cassigneul, titled Ciel ...

Pierre Cornu French, 1895-1996 Jeune Femme Alonge Oil / Canvas 14 by 18 in. W/frame 20 by 24 in. Signed lower right Pierre Cornu was born November 16, 1895 in Salon de Provence. Born into a prosperous family of merchants oils and soaps, Cornu knows a pampered childhood and happy during which his attraction to drawing and color manifests itself fairly quickly. He will have the opportunity, throughout his life to be able to concentrate on his passion of painting. His paintings are often honored in all the great Parisian salons. He exhibits regularly with René Auguste Chabaud and Seyssaud in Marseille. Financial troubles forced him to emigrate several years in Morocco where he begins a new life, never abandoning painting, perfecting his art (abundance of beautiful colors, resembling oriental tapestries...

One of a Kind elegant genre painter of an elegant woman in a garden with vase of Lillies by Cassigneul