Guy Rose (1867-1925)

Ilene Fort writes, “Rose made a large number of paintings of the coastal area, especially Point Lobos, the cliffs and rock formation along the coast at the south end of Carmel Bay and just below the town of Carmel.  On several occasions he painted a view and then moved a few steps away to paint almost the identical scene. . .The similarity between Out to Sea [the present picture] and Point Lobos Headland [Private collection] has been explained as the first painting serving as the sketch for the more finished work. Indeed, in both the Northern and Southern California views Rose varied his handling from loose brushwork to a more controlled, albeit vigorous brushstroke and even thicker impasto.  In some cases, but definitely not all, his painting location determined the handling.  The looser, less precisely defined images were usually created quickly, out-of-doors, while in the studio again he devoted more thought and control to his painting.  Since few of the coastal scenes have identical counterparts, however, the artist probably did not make a practice of doing preparatory sketches for specific studio pictures" (California Light, Laguna Beach, 1990, p. 107).