Blue Heron Fine Art at the 2009 Hartford Fall Antiques Show

Attendance was steady, but light on Saturday. Excuses given were the weather, 70 degrees and sunny, Halloween, most couples with children had to get ready by 2pm, the economy, and yes, even the fear of contracting the H1N1 virus. The real test would be on Sunday.

I was pleasantly surprised! Attendance on Sunday, was much stronger with many of our regular collectors coming out to be tempted. Two lovely paintings found homes, a lovely impressionistic landscape by J. J. Enneking and a colorful and bold work by Harriet Randall Lumis. We reconnected with old clients, established a new one, and met many new friends who were eager to learn more about our fine art offerings.  A nice surprise was actually meeting a “fan” of the gallery from the social networking site Facebook, who took the time out of her day to come in and see what all the fuss was about! 

Paintings sold at the Hartford show by John Joseph Enneking, "The Pasture" (above) and Harriet Randall Lumis, "The Red Cottage" (right).

 Although we chose to only bring traditional paintings to this venue, demand for modernist pieces was evident with a particularly beautiful Irene Rice Pereira work being offered by one exhibitor that went out on approval on Sunday.  This modernist trend has been underfoot in the art market over the last several years, as many younger, and several older collectors expand their American collections to include paintings from the 1940’s and into the 1960’s. Additional evidence of this was seen last week at Shannon’s Auction House in Greenwich, CT where modernist works by Rolph Scarlett traded at 2 or 3 times their high estimate. 

To be fair, although the show was a solid one for the gallery, it still was not at the same level as many of the Spring shows that we exhibit at in this building. Should the economy hold together and strengthen from here, I can only see additional demand building for the art market. I am off to exhibit at the prestigious Boston International Fine Art Show next week with a mix of traditional and modernist pieces.  Hopefully, we can build on the success of last weekend. Would it be too early to say that perhaps the art market is back?

Damien Hirst, best known for his disturbing creations of dead sharks and sheep suspended in formaldahyde and his morbid £50 million  diamond encrusted skull, has apparently decided to return to painting as his preferred medium. This comes after years of designing conceptual pieces that were executed by his staff in an almost factory-like setting more akin to the fashion industry than the traditional craft of painting. 

The Kingdom, a tiger shark in formaldehyde, by Hirst sold at Sotheby's London for $17 million in 2008

Some  have come to believe that Damien Hirst’s conceptual pieces were symbolic of an era in which many young British artists had come of age in the 1990’s,  in what was loosely termed the Young British Artists group. Noted for their installation art whose appeal was more shock value than beauty, many critics, had scratched their head and wondered whether this was art at all.

Has that era come to an end now that Hirst  has abandoned the creation of such pieces and retreated back to painting? Or perhaps, does Hirst believe that he can more easily sell  paintings during these challenging economic times than his elaborate conceptual assemblages?

 Artist Damien Hirst stands in The Wallace Collection at his “No Love Lost, Blue Paintings” by Damien Hirst exhibition on October 13, 2009 in London. The collection comprised of 25 new paintings by British artist Hirst is being shown in the UK for the first time. The new works, created between 2006 and 2008 mark the artist’s return to the solitary practice of painting. Source Getty Images.

USArtists Fine Art Show, Philadelphia October,2008

Some shows like the Autumn Hartford Antique Show being held October 31 – November 1, have changed promoters. Barnstar Productions is taking over the Fall Show in Hartford, CT  from Linda Turner who used to run it in the past.  This venue will be a mixed show of 100 art and antique dealers from around the country.  A number of our clients are already excited that we will be exhibitors at this show. There should be lots of energy and many new offerings.

One show that continues to attract a diverse and high end dealer list is the Boston International Fine Art Show at the Cyclorama in Boston, November 12-15th.  Billed as “New England’s Premier Show and Sale of Contemporary and Traditional Fine Art”  the show will feature  40 outstanding galleries from the United States, Europe and Canada.  This will be the 6th consecutive year that Blue Heron Fine Art has participated in this outstanding show. Complimentary passes will be available on a limited basis.

A new addition to our 2010 schedule is the Palm Beach Jewelry and Antique Show held in Palm Beach, FL over the President’s Day Weekend, February 12th – 16th, 2010.  If you are in the area this winter, this show is an event not to miss.  Attendance records in the past have been made, with over 50,000 visitors making the trek to this show each year.  Close to 200 of the top US and international dealers will be on exhibit at this show.  We are exited to be participating and look forward to catching up with many of our clients who plan on attending.

Further information on any of our shows is available on our website.

Our gallery has sold many works by Connaway over the years, so it pleases us greatly to see an artist we recognized early on as an overlooked and undervalued artist finally get his due respect with a wonderful show by an established museum. 

It has been my experience that once a major exhibit of a deceased artist is held, dealers and collectors are better able to judge the relevance of that particular artist, fueling demand for more of his work and consequently driving prices up.  Once the word is out, this may hold true for the paintings of Jay Hall Connaway.

"Monhegan Dock, Fall 1968", Oil on canvasboard 18" x 24"

A bold and colorful example of the style of impressionism Connaway employed can be seen in a lovely oil on board currently for sale in our gallery.  Entitled “Monhegan Dock, Fall, 1968″, this painting, through its semi-abstract use of the figure on the left, captures the familiar town landing dock as though a light breeze was sweeping over it. This painting reflects the strong conviction of a mature artist, at the top of his game.

Works like this make attractive additions to any collection of American paintings and should attract much more of a following now that the word is out!

 Jay Hall Connaway’s works are held in the PERMANENT COLLECTIONS of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, ME, the New Haven Paint and Clay Club, New Haven, CT and the Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, VT, among others.

What does condition mean?  Condition of a painting refers to any and all changes to a painting that have occurred since the artist finished the work.  Most common condition issues involve paintings that have been previously “cleaned” to remove their old layer of yellowed and dirty varnish. Often times an overzealous or inexperienced person who has cleaned the painting may have damaged the surface of the paint or cut into one of several glazes the artist may have used. This leaves a painting that is usually described as “overcleaned “, resulting in thin areas that expose canvas weave or missing paint.  One 19th century painting I reviewed had so much glazing and paint removed from the sky that the clouds which had been intially sketched in pencil by the artist before he applied his first brushstroke were evident to the naked eye.  An overcleaned painting affects value dramatically,sometimes eliminating the work entirely from consideration by most serious dealers.

Other common condition issues result from improper storage or physical damage. Holes develop from a puncture of some sort, cracks usually from an improperly stretched or loose canvas. Flaking can be an indication of  moisture  damage or improper hanging or storage. Depending on the location and their severity, holes, cracks, flaking etc valuation is affected. 

 If the painting has lost enough canvas support to lie flat, another support structure, usually in the form of an additional piece of canvas, is affixed to the back of the original. This is called a “lining” of the painting. Although this does affect the value and desirability of the painting to many dealers and some collectors, if done well, a lining need not eliminate the painting entirely from consideration. Interestingly enough, I know of many dealers who want to find a painting in original “unlined” condition, only to have the painting “lined” by their conservator afterward, calling into question as to just how much value is lost for a painting in lined condition.

Assuming that older paintings from the 19th century would have more condition issues associated with them than paintings of the mid 20th century, would be a good presumption. However artist preparation and materials used in many mid 20th century paintings, have led to numerous and significant condition problems with paintings less than fifty years old!

Condition is to a painting as location is to real estate.  Buying a  painting in poor condition is like buying a nice home in the wrong neighborhood. If you want to preserve your investment, you should remember the mantra, “Condition, condition, condition!”

Nature can be mesmerizing, and before we slip back into the more serious business of fall, take a moment and look to the heavens for inspiration and peace.

(Please be sure your speakers are turned ON. )

The term “Dog Days” actually dates back to the days of the Greeks as well as the ancient Romans and was so named after Sirius, the “Dog Star”, and the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun. The Romans believed that the appearance of the star each summer was the cause of the hot and sultry weather that occurred annually and the general laziness of all animals, especially dogs.

In celebration of these dog days of summer, I would like to offer some personal examples of dog portraiture and animal portraiture that I have either sold through the gallery or are in my personal collection.

One of the most famous animal painters of all time was British artist Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802 -1873). He was one of the favorite painters of Queen Victoria and became famous for his depictions of her beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniels.  His paintings were in such high demand that other artists copied his work frequently. This is a fine example of a Cavalier King Charles spaniel painting, after Landseer, artist unknown, circa 1880, that was sold several years ago by the gallery.

Over the years, I have had commissioned several portraits of pets with a local animal artist by the name of Laurie Borden. Viewing them, they each give me joy every day, a warm memory of beloved companions.

Tanker and Charles, chocolate Labrador retrievers, brothers one year apart, each lived a wonderful 14 years. This oil on canvas depicts them in front of the beach stone fireplace in my first home in Scituate, MA about 12 years ago. I still miss them greatly.

Linus, the terror, an adopted black cat with so much personality, it was hard to not think of him as human. He was the boss of the household, and was so talkative that I guess he must have had some Siamese in him. This work in pastel captures him under his favorite rhododendron in the yard.

Clawdia, the queen, a full sized Maine coon female who is still with us at age 12! She proudly parades around the house with our other 2 cats and our yellow Lab, Moses. This oil was produced in a 19^th century manner, building the image forward and involving numerous glazes to soften all edges.

I know I have many friends who also cherish their beloved pets. In these dog days of summer, I hope you have ample time to relax and enjoy their love and companionship.

For Art Collectors

From Publishers Weekly
No one played the high-stakes game of buying and selling Old Masters better than Joseph Duveen, later Lord Duveen of Millbank, who dominated the world art market during the 1920s and ’30s. Using the Duveen Brothers’ archives, recently made public, biographer Secrest (Being Bernard Berenson) delves into the history of the storied firm, chronicling the career of the audacious entrepreneur who headed it during its heyday, selling Rembrandts, Titians and other costly artworks to the likes of Andrew Mellon, J.P. Morgan and Henry Clay Frick.

My comment:
Fascinating read about the man who ruled the art trade and his practices.  He was quite the character!

From Publishers Weekly
This sweeping biography, 10 years in the making, chronicles in fastidious detail de Kooning’s rise from his humble beginnings in Rotterdam to his fame as an abstract expressionist. This comprehensive biography, which attempts to explain de Kooning’s art through a careful catalogue of his personal life, is a must read for his admirers.

My comment:
They say truth is stranger than fiction, and it is in this case. Some of the stories are so rich with detail that it rivals the best of novels. Very well written.

Lively, scholarly, beautifully illustrated study of the 8 artists who brought a compelling new realism to American painting, 1870 to 1913: Robert Henri, John Sloan, William Glackens, Arthur B. Davies, George Luks, Ernest Lawson, Everett Shinn, Maurice B. Prendergast. This is the true story of the men in the forefront of the struggle to establish the first truly American movement  in art.

 My comment:
A must read for anyone wishing to understand  the dynamics of the changing styles that led away from traditional painting of the 19th century and up to the modernist movement and the famous  Armory Show of 1913!

Finally, a great spy thriller.

The death of a journalist leads Israeli spy Gabriel Allon to Russia, where he finds that, in terms of spycraft, even he has something to learn if he wants to prevent a former KGB colonel from delivering Russia’s most sophisticated weapons to al-Qaeda. 

Allon’s cover is as a fine art conservator who shares details about how forgeries are made and also takes us through the creation of a fake Mary Cassatt to be used to break up the weapons trade! Well researched and fast paced!

Highly recommended.

Like Henri, Randall Davey specialized in portraiture spending much time capturing the spirit, character and personality of the sitter. “…the artist who draws the spirit of his sitter accomplishes more than the man who paints a portrait…” was an essential tenet of Henri’s teaching.2 During summers, Davey painted and traveled extensively with Henri throughout Europe, Maine and, as the assistant instructor in Henri’s summer painting classes, Spain.

In 1910, Randall Davey exhibited alongside Henri at the group exhibition of Independent Artists and again, in 1913, at the highly influential Armory Show New York. He participated in the founding of The Society of Independent Artists in 1916, and spent that summer painting in Gloucester, MA with John Sloan and the “Red Cottage Artists”, Alice Beach Winter, Charles Allan Winter and Agnes Richmond.3  

Gloucester long has held an allure for many artists, allowing for professional exploration and experimentation. For Robert Henri it was experimenting with a new color theory, for some it was the clear clean light of Cape Ann, and, for others the architecture. For Randall Davey, it was the seafaring people of the town themselves. Back from two years in the Netherlands and Spain, Davey became aware of “the underlying reasons of racial differences”4 among the immigrant and minority populations and began to incorporate the dreams, hopes and failures of the Gloucester fishing community into his portraits. These character sketches filled the portraits of Gloucester sea captains, like “Old Sea Captain”, (Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC) with the “dogged determination that he and his forbears has fought the sea”5 in pursuit of their livelihood. In “Portuguese Grandmother” (ex. NAD and PAFA, 1915) and his double portrait “Two Sisters” (ex. PAFA 1916), Randall Davey developed his own interpretation of the reality facing the many Portuguese fishing families of Gloucester in several portraits capturing the “spirit” of the local Gloucester residents.

Randall Davey, "Anthony", Oil on Canvas, 24" x 20", circa 1918

 The painting “Anthony” was completed during this period and the sitter, most likely, was the son of one of the Gloucester fishermen.6 While Henri’s strong influence can be seen in this portrait; Randall Davey explores his own version of social realism while capturing a spontaneous moment in the boy’s life. Using Henri’s characteristic strong color of red for his jacket, an image emerges of a vigorous young boy full of the joyful outlook of youth. Closer examination reveals a jacket that is both ill-fitting, perhaps a hand-me-down, and missing several buttons.  The boy’s toothful smile exposes several missing and crooked teeth. Davey used both of these devices to represent the limitations of this boy’s present humble circumstances while intensifying the overwhelming optimism that is being expressed by the sitter. The haphazard arrangement of his tie suggests the randomness of the future success of the boy, like many of the Gloucester fishermen, is dependent upon luck as much as hard work.

“Anthony” was part of a major collection, numbered number seven of forty six, Ashcan School artists, including each of “The Eight”, assembled by William H. Bender, Jr., which was exhibited at the New Britain Art Museum, New Britain, CT Oct. 7^th through Oct. 28^th, 1956. “Anthony” was purchased by Mr. Bender in 1955 at the suggestion of Mr. Sanford Low, then-curator of the Museum and adviser to Mr. Bender.  This painting by Randall Davey is currently offered for sale in our gallery. Please click Randall Davey, “Anthony” for more information.

Additional information on John Sloan’s “Red Cottage Artists” was first published in
The Gallery Fall 2007 section of the Antiques and The Arts Weekly, October 12, 2007.

Blue Heron Fine Art specializes in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century American paintings and is located at 63 Nichols Road, Cohasset, Mass. The gallery is open daily by appointment.  For more information, visit www.blueheronFA.com, call the gallery at  781-383-3210, or email info@blueheronFA.com.

1 Bennard P. Perlman, The Immortal Eight, p.194

2 Perlman, Op. Cit., p.89

3 Cape Ann Historical Association, The Red Cottage, 1992.

4 Lorinda Munson Bryant, American Pictures and Their Painters, p.290

5 Bryant, Op. Cit., p.289

6 William H. Bender, Jr., Exhibition label, New Britain Museum, 1956.

Disillusionment with World War I and the pivotal New York Armory Show of 1913, paved the way for many artists of the day to question the previous traditional methods and theories of painting. Bjors Nordfeldt along with William and Marguerite Zorach founded the Modern School of Art in Provincetown, in 1916, bringing with them the theories and modern methods that were being explored in New York City. Though it lasted only two years, the Modern School provided the early foundation and established the legitimacy of modern art in Provincetown. This freedom proved fertile ground for many young artists to express themselves, and created an inquisitive and unfettered atmosphere that may have encouraged a number of original traditionalists like teacher George Elmer Browne and Tod Lindenmuth to introduce more modern elements into their paintings later in their careers.

Tod Lindenmuth, Marine Composition, Oil on Board, 20 x 30

Tod Lindenmuth (1885 – ) began his career painting in a traditional sense, depicting maritime scenes of ships and docks in a tonalistic manner, a popular style of painting that competed with Impressionism for the first two decades of the 20^th century.  Active in Provincetown from 1915 – 1940, his style gradually became more abstract and bold. Lindenmuth focused on the “arrangement of natural objects with contrasting color and form, plus design in a semi-abstract manner”. 1   He along with Ross Moffet became involved in the early politics of promoting modern art in Provincetown.2

Sol Wilson, End of Pier, Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20

Sol Wilson (1897 – 1974)  both studied and taught in New York City, spending summers first in Rockport, MA (1927-1946) and then in Provincetown from 1947 on. Wilson considered himself an “expressionist realist” 3 painter and was a popular teacher at the American Artists School, School of Art Studies, and the Art Students League in New York City.  He was a strong believer in the value of socially relevant art, art that “capture(s) the mood and spirit of the time”, as well as the development of a native and national form of art. 4 Recently the subject of a major retrospective on Cape Cod, Sol Wilson painted many harbor scenes of fishermen and other figures on docks against the backdrop of dark and foreboding skies including “End of  Pier” where Wilson’s dark blue sky is intensified by the bright white footings of the pier.

Byron Browne, Two Boats, 1956, Oil on Canvas, 14 x 18

Byron Browne (1907 – 1961) also a NYC artist, spent his early years as a traditional representational painter, but became a leading proponent of the modernist movement. He was a  founding member in 1936 of the American Abstract Artists group in New York City as well as a teacher at Art Students League from 1948-1959. He spent the last twelve summers of his life in Provincetown painting harbor scenes, like “Two Boats”, in a bold and colorful mix of figural and abstract elements.

Victor Candell, Sky Flowers, 1962 Oil on Canvas, 10 ¼ x 10 ¾

Victor Candell (1903-1977) was a New York modernist whose initial preoccupation with explosions and violence and the horrors of the period following World War II led him to develop an explosive and dynamic abstract painting style. 5 A number of his works from this period were purchased by the Metropolitan and Whitney museums. Candell showed regularly with the Grand Central Moderns, and spent summers in Provincetown depicting the recurrence of seasons and the natural cycle of plant and animal life in his paintings. 6 In the late 1950’s, Candell found his “explosions in nature” 7 and used them as inspirations for many of his bold canvases, such as “Sky Flowers”, where Candell explores the natural explosion of flowers as they emerge from the ground in the spring and soar towards the sky and again in “Cloudburst”, where Candell portrays the energy released in a downpour as strong alternations of black and white color heightening the contrast between the two, a constant theme throughout his paintings. Candell was active in Provincetown for over twenty years and was co founder of the Provincetown Workshop which was started in 1958-1959 as a replacement for the recently closed Hans Hofmann School.

This post is exerpted from an article I authored about the Provincetown Art Colony chronicling the early advance of modernism through the changing styles of several generations of painters who painted there.  It was first published in the Antiques and Arts Weekly, October, 2008.

1 Artist’s statement from exhibition clipping.

2 Ronald A. Kuchta, Provincetown Painters, p. 47

3 Elizabeth Ives Hunter, Sol Wilson: A Retrospective, p. 6

4 Hunter, p. 8

5 Dorothy Seckler, Smithsonian Archives of American Art, An Interview with Victor Candell, Sept. 1, 1965, p. 13

6 Seckler, p. 20

7 Seckler, p. 21