Jean de Botton Art

"Dusk Forest Scene, Catskills," 1875 by Hudson River School painter Lockwood DeForest (American, 1850-1932) is oil on artists card-stock and measures 9.5 x 7 inches. The work is signed by DeForest, and dated May 13, 1875 at lower right. The work is framed in an elegant, period appropriate frame, and ready to hang. Lockwood DeForest was born in New York in 1850 to a prominent family. He grew up in Greenwich Village and on Long Island at the family summer estate in Cold Spring Harbor. As was customary for a cultivated family in the Gilded Age, the DeForests made frequent trips abroad. Excursions to the great museums, which were prominent on the DeForests agenda, deepened the young Lockwood's familiarity with European painting and sculpture. Though he had begun drawing and painting somewhat earlier, it was during a visit to Rome in 1868 that nineteen-year-old DeForest first began to study art seriously, taking painting lessons from the Italian landscapist Hermann David Salomon Corrodi (1844–1905). More importantly, on the same trip, Lockwood met one of America’s most celebrated painters, (and his maternal great- uncle by marriage) Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), who quickly became his mentor. DeForest accompanied Church on sketching trips around Italy and continued this practice when they both returned to America in 1869. Early on in his career, de Forest made a habit of recording the date and often the place of his oil sketches, as to create a visual diary of his travels. Lockwood’s profession as a landscape painter can be primarily attributed to Frederic E. Church and his belief in the young artist’s talent. DeForest often visited Church in the Hudson River community of Catskill where, in addition to sketching trips and afternoons of painting, he assisted with the architectural drawings and planning of Olana. In 1872, DeForest took a studio at the Tenth Street Studio Building in New York. During these formative years DeForest counted among his friend’s artists such as Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823–80), George Henry Yewell (1830–1923), John Frederick Kensett (1816–72), Jervis McEntee (1828–91), and Walter Launt Palmer (1854–1932). Over the next decade DeForest experienced success as a painter. He exhibited for the first time at the National Academy of Design in 1872, and made two more painting trips abroad, in 1875–76 and 1877–78, traveling to the major continental capitals but also the Middle East and North Africa. His trip to the Middle East and the library at Church’s home, Olana, established his interest in design during his mid-twenties. From about 1878 to 1902, landscape painting was overshadowed by his activities and preoccupation with East Indian architecture and décor, a style that became quite fashionable in late nineteenth century America. From 1879-1883, de Forest founded Associated Artists along with Louis Comfort Tiffany, Candace Wheeler...

A Moody, Captivating 1920s Modern Paris Nocturne Scene of Notre Dame Cathedral by Notable Florida WPA Era Artist, George Snow Hill. Oil on panel, dating circa 1928. Artwork size: ...

“The Champ, 1942” by Theodore Fried (1902-1980) This important portrait by Hungarian-American artist Theodore Fried depicts the legendary boxer Joe Louis aka “The Brown Bomber” and ...

"Skating Party" WPA Regionalism American Scene Mid 20th Century Modern Realism Roger Medearis (1920 – 2001) "Skating Party" 20 x 24 inches Tempera on board, 1949 Signed Medearis and...

“Crossroads, c. 1940” by Sol Wilson (Polish-American, 1896-1974). This expressive painting by Wilson depicts a moody village crossroads rendered with his signature textured brushwor...

Jardin des Plantes is a modern artwork realized by Henri Hamm in the mid-20th Century. Oil on wooden panel. Good conditions.

Young Woman at the Theatre French Pointillist School, circa 1895 Oil on cardboard 50 x 40.5 cm Unsigned A refined French Pointillist painting dating to the late 19th century, depic...

Jordi Curos - View of Barcelona - Oil on cardboard Oil measurements 55x46 cm. Frameless. Jordi Curós Ventura (Olot, Girona, March 4, 1930) is a Spanish painter. He trained at the O...

Very well executed work by American artist William Harnden who specialized in Native American subjects. 23 3/4 x 29 1/2 in excellent condition frame. Signed lower right.

Mediterranean Andalusian Townscape Carmona Spain Post Impressionist Oil Artist: Rafael Duran Benet Title: Carmona, Andalucía, España Technique: Oil on canvas laid on board Dimensions: 50 × 61 cm / 19.69 × 24.02 in Period: 2005 Signature: Signed lower right and titled/signed on verso Condition: Very good vintage condition. Stable pictorial surface with vivid original color. Unframed. Style: Post-Impressionist / Mediterranean Landscape Origin: Spain DESCRIPTION Radiant Mediterranean view of the historic Andalusian town of Carmona, painted by Catalan artist Rafael Duran Benet in 2005. The composition captures the sun-drenched architecture and rolling vegetation of southern Spain with a luminous palette and expressive post-impressionist brushwork. The painting balances architectural rhythm and atmospheric depth beautifully: whitewashed facades shimmer beneath an intense cobalt sky while olive-green and lavender tonalities animate the foreground landscape. The church tower rising in the distance gives the scene a timeless Iberian identity, somewhere between poetry and heatstroke Duran Benet’s handling of color reveals clear Mediterranean sensibilities, combining the chromatic vibration of Catalan post-impressionism with the warmth and serenity of Andalusian light. The thick yet controlled brushwork creates movement without sacrificing harmony, making the work especially decorative and highly versatile for contemporary interiors. This piece works exceptionally well within collectors’ searches for: Mediterranean paintings, Spanish landscapes, Andalusian townscapes, European post-impressionism, sunlit architecture, coastal aesthetics, and warm modern interiors. An elegant and highly atmospheric original painting with strong decorative presence and authentic southern European character. ARTISTIC CONTEXT The work evokes the luminous Mediterranean sensibility associated with painters such as Joaquim Mir, Rafael Benet, and certain late post-impressionist European landscape traditions. The chromatic intensity and architectural simplification also recall modern Spanish interpretations of Fauvist and Mediterranean painting. ARTIST BIO Rafael Duran Benet (Terrassa, 1931 – Barcelona, 2015) was a Catalan painter linked to the Mediterranean figurative tradition. Nephew of painter Rafael Benet, he developed a personal style characterized by strong chromatic contrasts, luminous landscapes, still lifes, and Mediterranean scenes infused with warmth and atmosphere. His work reflects a deep sensitivity to light and color, often focusing on Spanish coastal and inland landscapes rendered through expressive yet balanced brushwork. Duran Benet’s paintings are appreciated for their decorative elegance and authentic Mediterranean identity. Mediterranean painting, Spanish landscape, Andalusian townscape, Carmona Spain, post impressionist oil painting, Mediterranean decor, European landscape painting, Spanish village painting...

WPA American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern Postal Workers Deco D Arnold Friedman (1874-1946) "Dispatch" 11 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches Oil on Wood Panel, 1935 Signed, dated,...

Painted during America's Great Depression (1929-1939), when Americans were looking for change and new ideas to navigate societal struggles. The young boy is looking away and uninterested in the passionate speaker. Also in the foreground is the police officer, who is there to keep the peace. This image was included in the exhibition and book titled Clyde Singer's America, Fig. 80. Oil Painting on board with conservation backing. Presented in a custom frame. The following is excerpted from an article by Elizabeth McClelland, published in "Little Bits of History, Clyde Singer, American Scene Painter" in TIMELINE, December 1966, a publication of the Ohio Historical Society. Born in Malvern, Ohio, forty miles south of Akron, Clyde Singer became known for his regionalist paintings in oil and watercolor of people at carnivals, standing in bars, on windy street corners, celebrating holidays, or looking at pictures in a gallery. Many of his works are small, ones he calls his "bread and butter...