American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

Provenance:

Private Collection, New Jersey.

Mary Leonhard Ran Fine Paintings, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Gerald Peters Gallery, New York, New York.

Acquired directly from the above.

Private Collection.

Exhibited:

New York, Gerald Peters Gallery, "Edward Henry Potthast: American Impressionist," May 20 – June 20, 1998.

Literature:

John Wilson, Edward Henry Potthast: American Impressionist, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1998, p. 69, illustrated.

Lot Note:

Populated with vacationers by the seaside, Picnic on the Beach, one of the largest watercolors ever produced by Potthast, corresponds to his preferred subject matter from the turn of the century until his death in 1927. Along with the vibrant colors, the expansive composition offers a snapshot of a leisurely summer day: the foreground shows an expanse of light-reflecting sand while the deep blue sky above presses the light onto the figures, who occupy the space cohesively, though engaged in disparate activities in smaller groups. The scene feels gently lively, a communal moment of cheerful relaxation.

Potthast’s authentic portrayal of commoners, of their prosaic activities outside of the tedium of work, is derived from direct experience and expressed through immediate execution. Potthast’s manner is resolutely Impressionist, with loose, spontaneous brushwork and deep swaths of color which stimulate the viewer by evoking sunlight, wind, reflections, and movement. The artist’s technical use of color is heightened by the fluidity of the medium, revealing an astute understanding of its relationship with volume, depth, and texture, and an ability to connect these qualities with ambiance and feeling. The viewer is drawn into the luminous scene, amid the crowd on the beach, made to experience the same energy.