Lot 30: William Sullivant Vanderbilt Allen (1860-1931)

William Sullivant Vanderbilt Allen (1860-1931) Evening by the Lake signed and dated 'W.S. Allen 1887.' (lower left) oil on canvas 23 1/2 x 22 3/4 in. (59.7 x 57.8 cm.) (2)

A. Blaugrund, Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989, p. 268, no. 2, illustration of engraving after the painting

PROPERTY FROM A MEMBER OF THE VANDERBILT FAMILY "American art must be developed by the artists in happy sympathy with American surroundings, and supported by a public loving the home things more than imported American sentiment." (Charles Francis Browne, 1894, as quoted in H.B. Weinberg, D. Bolger and D.P. Curry, American Impressionism and Realism: The Painting of Modern Life, 1885-1915, New York, 1994, p. 25). Paintings produced by American Impressionists at the end of the 19th Century were distinctive and extraordinary not only for the methods in which they were painted, but rather for what was being painted: scenes of rural life in and around New England, which struck the artists as "comfortable, picturesque and full of rich and sympathetic historical associations that offered reassurance in a time of bewildering change" ( American Impressionism and Realism, p. 25). In Evening by the Lake William Sullivant Vanderbilt Allen depicts an exquisite young woman in sitting reposefully by a large, glistening lake with rowboats for hire, possibly in Long Island or Connecticut. The pleasant scenery and peaceful environment of lakes and parks inspired some of the most enduring and important accomplishments in American Impressionism, as evidenced by the works of artists such as Childe Hassam and William Merritt Chase. Allen, a well-to-do artist and great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, attended the École des Beaux Arts in Paris for ten years studying under Jules Lefebvre, Claude Monet, William Bougereau and Jean-Leon Gérôme. Allen was extremely friendly with a number of outstanding American artists of his time, including William Merritt Chase, Willard Metcalf, and Winslow Homer. Allen became acquainted with Chase while studying in Europe in the 1880s, and subsequently the two became quite close, often painting the same subject matter. The present work, painted in 1887, merges in an exemplary fashion the artist's American and European associations. Allen, with his careful drawing and modeling, use of varied hues sufused by brilliant sunlight and spontaneous brushwork creates an image that illustrates the quintessential hallmarks of American Impressionism. Evening by the Lake received high critical acclaim both domestically and abroad, winning the bronze medal at the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, competing against artists such as Theodore Robinson and John Singer Sargent. American representation at the Exposition surprised critics in both variety and diversity. A reviewer in the Atlantic Monthly wrote: "There was never a time in which there were so many diversities of style; contrasts could hardly go further in conception and treatment of the same subject in every school of painting..." (A. Blaugrund, Paris 1889: American Artists at the Universal Exposition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989, p. 53). Evening by the Lake is a timeless and masterful work, exhibiting the important elements that define some of the greatest achievements in American Impressionism. The original bronze medal certificate from the Paris Universal Exposition accompanies the lot. Please note the following provenance: Ethelinda Vanderbilt Allen, sister of the artist. Mildred Sutton Ward, daughter of the above. By descent in the family to the present owner.