- 80
Ernest Lawson
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Ernest Lawson
- The Frozen Haystack
- signed Lawson (lower left)
- oil on cradled panel
- 27 3/4 by 37 3/4 in.
- 70.5 by 95.9 cm.
Provenance
Berry-Hill Galleries, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, by 1989
Acquired by the present owner from the above, by 1989
Condition
basically good condition, visible craquelure; under UV: on right side of picture there are several thin lines that fluoresce and likely represent two generations of conservation.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
In 1891 Ernest Lawson left his job as an engineering draftsman and moved to New York, consumed with the idea of becoming a painter. He enrolled in classes at the Art Students League, where he first encountered John Twachtman, the artist who would prove to be the greatest influence on Lawson's work. Upon returning to New York in 1894, following a year of painting in France, he settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, to be closer to his mentor.
While Lawson painted in a variety of locales in and around central Manhattan, he is perhaps best known for his depictions of the environs of Washington Heights, Inwood and the Harlem River area. In the early 1900s these locations consisted of open pastures, small farm houses and cottages where rivers quietly divided the farm lands which encroaching urbanization had yet to touch. Lawson's Frozen Haystack exemplifies his chosen format for these subjects - a horizontal landscape defined by an expansive foreground and raised horizon line. Heavily applied pigments in muted tones and thick impasto project the atmospheric stillness and soft light of a landscape blanketed by freshly fallen snow. At first glance this depiction of nature may seem devoid of human presence but Frozen Haystack references the presumed owner of the barn at upper right who has formed the haystack for later use. As Bernard Danenberg notes, Lawson "continually sought, as subjects, the part of nature harnessed by man to suit his needs. Symbols of man's presence...are as essential to his landscapes as the model is to the figure painter" (Ernest Lawson: Retrospective Exhibtion, ACA Heritage Gallery, New York, 1967).
While Lawson painted in a variety of locales in and around central Manhattan, he is perhaps best known for his depictions of the environs of Washington Heights, Inwood and the Harlem River area. In the early 1900s these locations consisted of open pastures, small farm houses and cottages where rivers quietly divided the farm lands which encroaching urbanization had yet to touch. Lawson's Frozen Haystack exemplifies his chosen format for these subjects - a horizontal landscape defined by an expansive foreground and raised horizon line. Heavily applied pigments in muted tones and thick impasto project the atmospheric stillness and soft light of a landscape blanketed by freshly fallen snow. At first glance this depiction of nature may seem devoid of human presence but Frozen Haystack references the presumed owner of the barn at upper right who has formed the haystack for later use. As Bernard Danenberg notes, Lawson "continually sought, as subjects, the part of nature harnessed by man to suit his needs. Symbols of man's presence...are as essential to his landscapes as the model is to the figure painter" (Ernest Lawson: Retrospective Exhibtion, ACA Heritage Gallery, New York, 1967).