By the Sea

Dana Bartlett settled in Los Angeles in 1915 where he found the atmosphere artistically stimulating and he experimented with many different media. He was a curious and versatile artist, who was proficient with watercolor, pastel, various forms of print making as well as oil painting. Bartlett employed a highly patterned decorative style in his artwork, whereby he developed his paintings by using many layers of under-painting, which produced a richness of color and jewel-like effect. His early paintings were considered to have a more decorative style than works by his counterparts, who were clearly impressionist painters. A quiet and sensitive work, By the Sea is arguably the most important work by the artist to come on the market. Kept in private hands for many years, this work is a significant early painting reflecting the artist's inclination to interpret the peaceful landscape with a highly patterned, decorative style.