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William Wendt
Afternoon Sun

About the Item

Afternoon Sun By. William Wendt (German, American, 1865-1946) Signed and Dated Lower Right Unframed: 18 x 22 inches Framed: 25 x 28.5 inches Referred to as "the Dean of California artists" William Wendt's paintings epitomize the plein-air style for which California impressionists are so revered. His best-known works demonstrate the feathery brushstrokes and attention to light that are considered the hallmark of a great impressionist painting. These pivotal canvases from the height of Wendt's career are the very definition of a California Impressionist landscape in the minds of most art connoisseurs. It is his work from the early part of his career, however, that demonstrates his connection with his Midwest and East Coast peers. Works from this stage painted in Chicago and on various trips abroad, demonstrate Wendt's ability to create landscape paintings that transcend the current crop of regionalist painters. Although Wendt is often thought of as a California landscape painter, he was certainly aware of what was going on in other parts of the world. He traveled frequently to Europe and it was in Cornwall, England that he painted, From a Window. This work was completed in the early stages of his career and is one of the earliest examples of the blocky, masculine style that he perfected and for which he was later acclaimed. It is this style that pays homage to the work of other regionalist American painters. A comparison of From a Window to the work of Edward Hopper reveals a similar stillness of mood. In Shore Acres, a work that is akin to that of William Wendt, Hopper demonstrates uncompromising realism and a sense of mood that is more than mere naturalism. Hopper was once quoted as stating "My aim in painting has always been the most exact transcription possible of my most intimate impressions of nature." This idea could easily have come out of the mouth of William Wendt as his focus so closely parallels this expression. Later, artists such as Andrew Wyeth took their lead from Wendt and Hopper and painted works such as, Christina's World with a similar sense of a stolen moment At the end of his career, it seems that "the Dean of California Artist's" was in fact much more than simply an expert on art of the West Coast. His awareness of many areas of the United States and Europe have lent his paintings to a level of universality that is not frequently achieved by "regional" artists. William Wendt was born in Germany in 1865. He lived there for the first 15 years of his life before emigrating to the US in 1880. In Chicago, William had the opportunity to study at the School of the Art Institute where he quickly developed a strong technical ability that was an integral part of his innovative style. The infinite pastoral landscape of the Midwest inspired Wendt's intense appreciation of nature that inspired his plein- air style. Between the years of 1894 and 1906, he took several trips the Southern California with fellow artist Gardener Symons. Wendt was so enamored with this area of the country that upon marriage, he and his wife, sculptress Julia Bracken, moved to Los Angeles. Later, the couple relocated to Laguna Beach where Wendt completed and exhibited some of his most highly recognized works. It was here that Wendt, co-founded the California Art Club and served as its second and fourth President. Later, in recognition of his accomplishments, he was elected to the National Academy of Design in New York. The work of William Wendt can be found in museums all over the country including: The Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The San Diego Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Irvine Museum. From a Window was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in a show entitled "Exhibition of Current American Artists and Sculptors" in 1901.
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