Régis François Gignoux Paintings

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...

Gorgeous panoramic sunset landscape by unknown artist, ca. 1850. Oil on canvas measuring 20 x 34 inches. Depicted are the Catskill Mountains facing west from somewhere in Dutchess County NY...

Nicely framed 19th century forest interior landscape painting. Oil on canvas. Ready to hang. Image size, 13"L by 17"H inches painting alone.

Antique American Hudson River School coastal seascape. Most likely a view of Maine. Oil on board. Image size, 8 by 12 inches.

Antique Quintessential American Hudson River School landscape by an unknown Hudson River School artist. This painting features its original period gold frame, and a charming scene o...

A stunning 19th-century Hudson River School landscape painting, beautifully framed in an exquisite period giltwood molding.

This stunning, original signed landscape painting by Charles Partridge Adams (1858-1942) captures the breathtaking beauty of a Colorado sunset along the Front Range, near Denver. The...

Antique impressionist painting of a coastal seascape. Oil on canvas, circa 1900. Signed illegibly. Framed. Image size, 18L x 12H.

Luminist, Hudson River School inspired landscape of Catskill mountains with moonlit blue sky "Moonrise in the Mountains", painted by Hudson Valley artist, Jane Bloodgood-Abrams in 20...

Incredible early American Hudson River School landscape painting by William Hart (1823 - 1894). Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Measuring 15 by 17 inches overall and image size, 1...

Charming Hudson River school antique oil painting of a sailboat on a lake, circa 1880-90. Signed "R. Labarr." after Richard LaBarre Goodwin...

Rare and important antique oil painting by George Wright (1850 - 1916). A panoramic beach scene, complete with a sunset and crashing waves. Oil on canvas. Housed in a period gilt...