Picnic in the Fields

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Gaylord Sangston Truesdell
Picnic in the Fields
1887

About the Item

An American in Paris, American artist G. S. Truesdell (1850-1899) returned to France in 1885, already a successful artist. He exhibited in the famous Paris Salon, winning awards in 1889 and 1892. This charming painting is signed and dated 1887, with the place Paris, and would very likely be part of the collection exhibited at the height of Truesdell's career, 1887-1895. Famed for his landscapes and for his fine figurative work, Truesdell won a bronze award 1889, followed by a gold medal in 1892, the first American artist to receive this award in Paris. He is reportedly the first American to exhibit in the Paris Salon. Born in Waukegan, a suburb of Chicago, Truesdell later studied art in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, having spent some time in France. He then returned to France age 35 to study with French artists Cormon, Morot, Frere and Meissonier in the Academie Des Beaux-Arts, Paris 1885. Truesdell exhibited widely in Paris in the period from 1887- 1895. After his successful career in Paris, he travelled to New York where he died, 1899. He was not yet 50, so the number of paintings by Truesdell in this period of flourishing is relatively smaller than if the artist continued painting many more years. 'Picnic in the Fields' has provenance to Chicago collections, Truesdell's home town before being acquired by Saltire Gallerie. Dated 1887 'Picnic in the Fields' would be very likely to be in Truesdell's first Paris Salon exhibition in 1888-1889, and again 1890-1895. This period of time to the mid-nineties would have been the time he flourished, winning awards and being recognized as a fine artist in Paris and the USA. He was known to be fluent in French, and found his oeuvre in this impressionist French period. 'Picnic in the Fields' is an impressionist painting of two girls, apparently sisters, one pulling the little wooden cart and the other sitting in the cart holding baskets of bread, a pot, bottle, bright white cloth and berries. Truesdell sets the scene in fields of wheat and hay colors, dotted with wildflowers and haystacks glowing in the distance. The French town lies in the background in white with slate and red roofs, presumably in the outskirts of Paris in the 19th century. The red-cheeked faces with home spun clothes and the older girl's shoes and socks has an American quality, while the girls and the scene are both decidedly French. The gilt frame is highly decorative and of the period, so is the likely original frame. Including the frame the height is 35.25" and the width is 45.25". the frame is three inches deep. There are small losses on the frame touched with gold gilt paint to blend with the original patina. The painting has been relined, with only very faint craquelure on close examination in some spaces. The work was deeply soiled on acquisition, and then cleaned by Saltire Gallerie in May 2023. Photos of the frame showing areas of loss and high decoration are included in the photos. This is a fine painting by a renowned impressionist and landscape artist, exhibited in the Paris Salon in the period of impressionism. Within this painting there is the superb landscape quality and the fine figurative work Truesdell is best known for, recognized with medals by his peers in the Paris exhibitions.

Creator:
Gaylord Sangston Truesdell (1850 - 1899, American)
Creation Year:
1887
Dimensions:
Height: 35.25 in (89.54 cm)Width: 45.25 in (114.94 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Impressionist
Period:
1880-1889
Condition:
Earlier restoration with relining, freshly cleaned. Frame has a few lost pieces, filled with gilt to blend. Minor inpainting. See photos. Painting in very good order, ready to hang.
Gallery Location:
Hillsborough, NC
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2069212275262