Lot 24: GUY ROSE (American, 1867-1925) To Headland (Carmel Coast) 18 x 14in

Guy Rose (American, 1867-1925)
To Headland (Carmel Coast)
signed 'Guy Rose' (lower right)
oil on canvas
18 x 14in
overall: 28 x 24in
FOOTNOTES
Provenance
With Stendahl Galleries, Los Angeles, California.
Private collection, Mountain Center, California.

A copy of the 1922 Guy Rose Exhibition catalogue from Stendahl Galleries accompanies this lot. The hardbound catalogue is inscribed To Mrs. Garner from The Stendahls.

In the late 1880s, Guy Rose went to Paris and studied with Benjamin Constant, Jules Lefebvre, and at the Academie Julian under Lucien Doucet. The influence of these painters can be seen clearly in Rose's early works. The artist's later, Impressionist paintings are a distinct departure from this academic style and speak to the heavy influence of Claude Monet on Rose's work a decade later. Living in Giverny with his wife, Rose took that academic foundation and immediately 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 a true, seasoned American Impressionist.

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 encompassed the pinnacle of his career.

Painting up and down the California coast, Rose visited the Monterey and Carmel area around 1915. He was likely encouraged by fellow painters Channel Pickering Townsley and Evelyn McCormick. He must have been gob smacked by what he saw; the beauty and endless vantage points along the coast which has attracted a long list of noted painters since the turn of the century.

To Headland is the faint inscription that appears in charcoal on the back of the canvas. This was probably an early description of what is now known as the Carmel Highlands, a small stretch of coves and steep coast just south of Carmel-By-The-Sea. It is also the site of William Ritschel's home. This painting exemplifies the steep cliffs all along the shoreline that dot this area for several miles. This stretch of the California coast is one of its most famous, and one can still imagine today, on a drive down Highway 1, artists such as Guy Rose hiking along the shoreline to find vantage points on which to paint. This is a classic coastal scene for Rose, reminiscent of his iconic Point Lobos, Carmel, the location of which is but a short walk away. Rose visited the area on several trips and these paintings went on to help establish the artist as the top California plein air painter.