Lot 49: Guy Rose (1867-1925) Laguna Beach 18 1/4 x 15 1/8in overall: 25 x 22in US$ 150,000 - 250,000

Guy Rose (1867-1925)
Laguna Beach signed 'Guy Rose' (lower right)oil on canvas18 1/4 x 15 1/8inoverall: 25 x 22in

ProvenancePrivate collection, Newport Beach, California.Guy Rose was one of several American artists who went to Europe in the late nineteenth-century to absorb time-honored academic traditions—rigid, exact drawing and accurate, Salon-appropriate paintings. He was typical, too, in that he felt the irresistible attraction to outdoor painting where nature was constantly shifting in incandescent color. Rose would forever remain a confident and careful draftsman and a rigorous composer of sound compositions, but his surfaces would be animated by the vitality of light as actually observed. By the turn of the century, Rose and his wife, Ethel, were living in Giverny where Guy gained an intimate knowledge of the work of that little town's most famous artist, Claude Monet. Rose took his academic foundation and swiftly replaced it with the new modern style of the day, brightening his palette and adding a completely new wispy, quick freshness to his works. The result was to become one of the hallmarks of American Impressionism.When Guy Rose returned to California in 1914, he brought with him a vast firsthand knowledge of what was happening in the art world in both Europe as well as on the East Coast. This experience enabled the artist to work confidently with a broad array of compositions and colors. These works illustrate the artist at the peak of his powers. Painting up and down the California coast, Rose visited Laguna Beach in 1915 and 1916. He found the constant sunlight and postcard-perfect scenery of southern California ideal for setting up shop as an easel painter. He took advantage of his proximity to the sea and made excursions to the coast whenever possible. He actively sought the solitude of the ocean and the quaint sleepy seaside hamlets dotted along the coast. In his 1995 book Guy Rose: American Impressionist, Dr. Will South writes the following, "In painting the Pacific, Rose could indulge two of his major pictorial interests explored at Giverny; reflections on water and multifarious atmosphere. It also satisfied his personal penchant for creating images of solitude and quiet." In describing a similar composition, Dr. South astutely notes: "What he brought west was a mature understanding of translating atmospheric subtlety into paint at the same time he managed to allow individual brushstrokes to retain their identity as daubs of pigment...he makes the largeness of the Pacific intimate, and the often bold outline of the shore quiet. Rose understood well the possibilities of humble subject matter, composition and scale, and further how a limited palette, such as the blue-green program... could express more than the outsized canvas of many colors. And, while Rose's debt to French precedent is also obvious, and his years of residence at Giverny inform this later work, he nonetheless touches upon an early-twentieth century California aesthetic (indeed, one he helped to create) wherein the landscape is approachable, lyrical, nuanced, and ever soothing."This painting depicts the main beach along Laguna's shore on a quiet hazy day. The cliffs at the north end of the beach are where the Laguna Art Museum stands today. Further down the shoreline one can see Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove. It clearly was an inspiring sight for the artist to witness this unspoiled stretch of coastline. Rose shows off all of his impressionist skills with his high key palette and subtle variations of blues and whites. This is a classic plein air painting with clues that reveal the artist's influences and talent. The composition evokes a simplicity reminiscent of Japanese art. Although the scene is subtle in mood, upon closer inspection, the variation in colors and attention to detail are surprising. It is no wonder that Guy Rose is considered the leader in California Impressionist painting.