ALSON SKINNER CLARK (1876-1949)

Archway, Cuernavaca

Details

ALSON SKINNER CLARK (1876-1949)
Archway, Cuernavaca
signed and inscribed 'Alson Clark To my Friend Garrett' (lower right)
oil on canvas mounted on board
7½ x 9½ in. (19.1 x 24.1 cm.)

Provenance

The Estate of Alexander Harmer, Santa Barbara, California.
Michael Haskell, Montecito, California.
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1998.

Lot Essay

Archway, Cuernavaca was painted circa 1922 while Alson Clark was on a trip to Mexico in search of fresh subject matter. Accompanying him on the journey was the architect Garrett van Pelt, to whom this painting is dedicated. Jean Stern writes of the trip, 'They left by boat from Los Angeles and landed at Manzanillo. From there, they trekked to Cuernavaca, then on to Mexico City, and south to Puebla and Oaxaca before returning home. As the trip was relatively short, Clark's output was limited to a series of small panels, sketchbook studies and endless photographs. He was fascinated by the small towns, the marketplaces and most of all by the historic architecture.' (Jean Stern, Alson S. Clark, Los Angeles, California, 1983, p.41)