John Henry Twachtman 1853 - 1902

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Stevens, Greenwich, Connecticut (acquired from the artist)
Mr. and Mrs. Weld M. Stevens, Greenwich, Connecticut
Anita Stevens Henshaw
Coe Kerr Galleries, New York
Sold: Christie's, New York, May 28, 1992, lot 156, illustrated
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Lisa N. Peters, "Twachtman's Greenwich Garden," In the Sunlight: The Floral and Figurative Art of J. H. Twachtman, New York, 1989, p. 16, illustrated fig. 8
Lisa N. Peters, John Twachtman (1853-1902): A "Painter's Painter," New York, 2006, p. 146, illustrated in color fig. 74

This work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. Under UV: there is a 1-inch L-shaped repair tear in the upper right corner of the canvas.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“I feel more and more contented with the isolation of country life,” John Henry Twachtman wrote to his close friend and colleague Julian Alden Weir in 1891, “To be isolated is a fine thing and we are all then nearer to nature. I can see how necessary it is to live always in the country—at all seasons of the year” (Lisa N. Peters, John Twachtman (1853-1902): A “People’s Painter,” New York, 2006, p. 9). Twachtman’s desire to be “nearer to nature” is expressed in works like Tiger Lilies, in which the artist presents an intimate view of the wildly beautiful foliage that surrounded his Greenwich, Connecticut home.

Twachtman moved to Greenwich in 1889. The house he purchased there was slightly removed from the activity of the rapidly growing town, and it would be his home for the remainder of his career. Over time, the artist acquired more of the surrounding land, eventually owning 17 acres. Twachtman selected Greenwich for its easy accessibility from New York City, where he was a teacher at The Art Students League. The new environment proved deeply inspirational for Twachtman, and he began to paint it with near exclusivity. He enjoyed the solitude his new home provided and he felt deeply connected to its natural beauty. Among the modifications Twachtman made to the home was to plant a garden directly behind the house. Not wanting to spoil the purity of the setting, the artist chose to grow mostly native and perennial flowers, and he let them flourish largely without restriction.

Twachtman's images of the garden reveal the delight he gleaned from his land. Lisa N. Peters writes of another work by Twachtman depicting tiger lilies, "[here] Twachtman continues his break from the static formula of traditional still life, expressing the energy and freedom of flowers in their natural environment. Using a vertical format, he eschews the broader landscape context and restricts the scene to the immediate area around the flowers...Both the forceful application of paint and the low vantage point allow the viewer to experience the painting's unfolding drama, the rising crescendo of forms" (In the Sunlight: The Floral and Figurative Art of J.H. Twachtman, New York, 1989, p. 60). In works like Tiger Lilies, the viewer does not simply observe the artist’s interpretation of nature but rather is immersed in its untamed and colorful beauty.