Manuel Isidor Valle Micolau Art

Marin County Meadows and Pond with Oak Trees by Manuel Valencia Tonalist Pioneer A painter of California history and western landscapes, Manuel Valencia was born in Marin County, California in 1856 on the Rancho San Jose, the Valencia hacienda. The family received many land grants in the San Francisco area because of their ties to settlement history. Image 8"H x 11.5"W Frame, 14.5"H x 18.5"W x 2.75"D The central focus of the painting is a cluster of lush, verdant trees, likely deciduous, situated near a calm body of water, possibly a pond or slow-moving creek. With a faint outline of figures emerging into the meadow below the towering trees. The foreground features a grassy area with hints of wildflowers or textured ground cover, leading the eye towards the water's edge. In the background, beyond the main cluster of trees, there appears to be a smaller, indistinct structure, possibly a house or shed, suggesting a subtle human presence in the otherwise natural scene. The overall composition is balanced and serene, typical of Tonalist works seeking to evoke a peaceful mood rather than dramatic narrative. Color Palette and Light: The painting employs a subdued, Tonalist color palette, dominated by varying shades of greens, browns, and grays for the landscape elements, and a muted, possibly overcast or hazy sky in the upper portion of the canvas. The light source is diffused and soft, creating a gentle luminosity across the scene, particularly noticeable on the surface of the water which reflects the muted tones of the sky and surrounding foliage. This soft lighting emphasizes the atmospheric quality and quiet mood of the scene. He was a descendant of General Gabriel Valencia, the first governor of the state of Sonora, Mexico under Spanish rule. He was named for his grandfather, who arrived in California in 1774 and became administrator of the Presidio in San Francisco. As a Tonalist, Valencia primarily focused on variations in value and muted color palettes, often featuring greens, purples, blues, and grays. This emphasis on subtle shifts in tone, rather than sharp contrasts, allowed him to create smooth transitions between light and shadow, mimicking the soft, diffused light found in atmospheric conditions like mist, twilight, or moonlight. Valencia studied with artists including Jules Tavernier in the San Francisco area, where he lived his entire life, and attended what is now Santa Clara University. He also spent some time in Mexico where he was a member of the Esquela de Bellas Artes de Mexico. Early in his career, he was a commercial artist who designed calling cards. After the 1906 earthquake and fire, Valencia and his family moved to San Jose, but he commuted to his studio in San Francisco. There he was art editor of the "San Francisco Chronicle" newspaper under art patron M.H. de Young, for whom the museum in San Francisco is named. War Cry, the Salvation Army newspaper, also hired Valencia as its first illustrator. During the time he did illustration work in San Francisco, he kept studios in Monterey and Santa Cruz, did landscapes in Tonalist styles including moonlit scenes that were similar to those of Charles Rollo Peters and indicated he had an awareness of the poetic aesthetic of James McNeill Whistler. Around 1912, he began exhibiting in San Francisco galleries such as S & J Gumps and in New York at Macbeth Gallery and exclusive restaurants such as Delmonico's. President William McKinley, who purchased one of his Yosemite paintings...

James Longueville PS PBSA (British Northern School) Landscape Seascape Painting of Coast from Nefyn in North Wales by British Artist Oil on board, sign...

Sunny August landscape is full of freshness and heat. We know, that summer is a period of beautiful flowers and the warm Sun. Nikolay never misses the opportunity to go plein air, wh...

A very dramatically painted view of a woodland scene in the autumn with such vibrant colour and brushwork, typical of this very collectible artist. Garstin Cox (1892-1933) Woodland ...

Charming oil painting of the Wells Fargo Express Office building in the gold country town of Columbia State Historic Park in Columbia, California by Cecil ...

"The Three Sisters" in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia by Australian Artist, Alan Robert Colquhoun Grieve (1910-1970). Art measures 21 x 17 inches Frame measures 28 x 24 inches (Original ornate period frame is commensurate with age) Vintage 1960's Born in Sydney in 1910, Alan Robert Colquhoun Grieve studied at the Julian Ashton School and the East Sydney Technical College and with Australian artist Herbert Edward Badham. Alan Grieve has notably exhibited at Royal Arts Society in Sydney and was Vice President of the Australian Arts Society. His work is held in private collections the world over, including The Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Fred & Elinor Wrobel Collection in Sydney and the Howard Hilton Collection. He has won numerous art prizes during the 20th Century. This painting was bought from Gordon Galleries in Double Bay, Sydney, New South Wales in circa 1962 by Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew KCMG, CB, CBE, DSO - Governor of Western Australia from 1963 to 1974. The Three Sisters are an unusual rock formation in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, on the north escarpment of the Jamison Valley. They are located close to the town of Katoomba and are one of the Blue Mountains' best known sites, towering above the Jamison Valley. The Legend: The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and 'Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law...

Juliet M. White was born in Philadelphia in 1880. She studied at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, which became the largest art school for women in the United States. Its ...

Beautiful vintage California landscape of Carmel Mission with native plants in soft neutrals and subtle muted colors by Kathleen J. Canepa (American, 20...

This lively composition by Harold Fletcher Trew captures the bustling atmosphere of a continental marketplace, painted with bold colour and expressive brushwork. The scene is structu...

Highly detailed mid century landscape depicting a glorious autumn scene, of a tranquil stream running through a forest full of tress with golden fall foliage, by Harriet Yule (Americ...

Wonderful winter landscape of snow barns by Robert F. McFarren (American, 1917-1997). Signed "McFarren" lower right. Presented in a rustic giltwood frame. Image, 6"H x 12"L. McFarren arrived in Orange County, CA in the 1920s and grew up on an orange ranch. As a child he watched his mother paint and later learned to paint through his observation. He was self-taught. He lived in Corona Del Mar...

Seth Winegar's (US based) "Prism Sky" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a landscape with a brilliant sunset illuminating a cloudy sky. Bio/artist statement: Seth W...