Harold Edgar Wenck

Law of The Flaming Frontier - 1920s Western Interior with Guns and Rifle

c.1920s

Robert Azensky Fine Art is pleased to offer original 1909 sketch study of oil painting "Homesteader Colorado Mountain" painting by Frank Tenney Johnson. It's always special to see the evolution of a painting through the plein air sketches ("studies") by the artist prior to its painting. Frank Tenney Johnson traveled throughout the Colorado Rockies sketching and painting western landscapes and native American and cowboy figurative art. Medium: Charcoal on paper Signature: Lower left corner Date: "1909" below signature Condition: Tonal aging and minor edge wear consistent with age and use. See images. Presented in black painted wood frame Mat size: 14"H x 11"W Paper size: 9"H x 6"W Image size (visible with mat): 8"H x 5.25"W Frank Tenney Johnson was born in Coucil Bluffs, Iowa, in 1874 not far from the Overland Trail. During his childhood, he saw the steady stream of people heading west in all forms of horse-drawn conveyance. This early exposure to the American West was critical in leading Johnson towards the Western landscape as an inspiration for his work. The resulting body of work is a moody and romantic depiction of a long-gone America, rendered in a style that has become practically a genre all its own. At the age of ten, Johnson moved from Iowa to Milwaukee, WI. There, he took an apprenticeship with F.W. Heinie, a prominent panoramic painter. After a year with Heinie, Johnson apprenticed for Richard Lorenz, a painter and former Texas Ranger who specialized in depictions of horses and western scenes. It was probably during his time with Lorenz that Johnson decided to focus on western subjects himself. He also started illustrating for regional papers and publications, in order to save money for further training. Further training, as with many of the artists who populated New Mexico in the early twentieth century, took place at the Art Students League in New York, where Robert Henri, William Merritt Chase, John Twachtman, Kenneth Hayes Miller and F. Louis Mora were in the process of teaching perhaps the last great batch of pre-modernists. Though highly stimulated by the training, Johnson was only able to stay for five months, after which he returned to Milwaukee to work and save money in an effort to return to New York. He was able to do so after a time and, upon returning, established an important professional relationship with Emerson Hough, the editor of "Field & Stream" magazine. At Hough's urging (and on Hough's dime), Johnson traveled to Hayden, Colorado, where he tagged along with a group of cowpunchers in order to sketch their way of life. Though primarily an artist, Johnson also wrote accounts of his time in Colorado for "Field & Stream." After Colorado came Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Johnson attended a "Frontier Days" celebration; after Wyoming, Johnson traveled to New Mexico, where he observed the Navajos and their threatened way of life. This trip changed Johnson from an academic artist with an appreciation for the west to a truly western artist. Of particular interest to him, in stark contrast to other western artists of the time like Frederic Remington and C.M. Russell, were the more quotidian scenes of the West. Specifically, Johnson focused upon scenes featuring horses, especially at night. Johnson painted a great number of pieces that featured horses tied up outside of saloons, inns or trading posts for the night, the moonlit night punctuated by the warm glow from the lamps inside. In this, he can be considered a pioneer, as his night pieces still serve as the archetype for such work in western art. Johnson became quite successful through his work for "Field & Stream." He was chosen to illustrate books by the prominent writer Zane Grey, and his gallery shows sold briskly. In fact, one particular show, at the Grand Central Art Galleries at the Biltmore Hotel in New York, sold out opening night. In fact, one man had bought out the entire show: Amon Carter. Having achieved financial security and comfort, Johnson followed his good friend Clyde Forsythe to Alhambra, CA, where the two established residency and shared a studio. California treated Johnson well. He and Forsythe founded the gallery at the Los Angeles Biltmore...

Wonderful hand-colored lithograph of Sierra Mountain camping scene by Donald Masefield Easton (American, 1896 - 1956), published in 1931. Signed lower right (partially obscured by mat). Presented in rustic wood frame under glass. Image size: 14"H x 18"W. Donald Masefield Easton was a painter, illustrator with his subjects being California landmarks and western scenes. Born is Port Costa...

"The Smoker" After Shakespeare's "The Taming Of The Shrew" Petruchio - Antique Lithograph Lithograph titled "The Smoker," after the character ...

"Conquering The Wilderness" - Lewis and Clark Expedition Original Etching Original 1932 black and white etching titled "Conquering The Wilderness" by Robert Hogg Nisbet (American, ...

Noel Daggett, American (1925 - 2005) - A Long Rifle Awaits, Year: circa 1979, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, AP 40, Image Size: 17 x 26 inches, ...

Image dimensions: 12 x 15 cm. Interior Scene is an original artwork realized by Charles Kratke in the XIX Century. Original Etching on paper; signed on plate on the lower left corner: S. C. Kratke in Capital Letters. Inscripted also on the lower right corner. Very good conditions. Beautiful artwork representing an interior scene with a male figure in the center of the room; the man is in front of a big ancient fireplace and the room is furnished with very elegant furnitures. The work has been realized by Charles Kratke. Charles Louis Kratke (1848 - 1921) was active/lived in France and he is known for genre and portrait painting, engraving. On the lower part of the sheet there is another different scene representing a sketch of a battle with several figures sketched...

Ira Moskowitz, Polish/American (1912 - 2001) - Interior Navajo Trading Post, Year: 1946, Medium: Lithograph, Signed in Pencil, Size: 12 in. x 15 in. (30.48 cm x 38.1 cm), Frame Size: 18 x 21 inches, Description: This greyscale depiction of the interior space of a Navajo trading post features an Old Western...

Sensational image by Frederick Simpson Coburn In the style of one of my favourite artists, Goya Photogravure Limited edition of 300. This is No. 84 From The Complete Works of Edg...