William Wendt (1865-1946)

Summer in the Park, Del Monte

Details

William Wendt (1865-1946)
Summer in the Park, Del Monte
signed and dated '-William Wendt-1917-' (lower right)
oil on canvas
30 x 36 in. (76.2 x 91.4 cm.)

Provenance

Private collection.
Christie's, New York, 27 September 1990, lot 199.
Estate of Ronald E. Walker.
Acquired by the present owner from the above.

Literature

Nevada Museum of Art, Early California Impressionists: The Ronald E. Walker Collection, exhibition catalogue, Reno, Nevada, 1993, pp. 56-7, 123, illustrated.

Exhibited

Reno, Nevada, Nevada Museum of Art, Early California Impressionists: The Ronald E. Walker Collection, May 28-July 18, 1993, no. 22.
Moraga, California, Saint Mary's College, Hearst Art Gallery, Early California Impressionists: The Ronald E. Walker Collection, June 28-September 14, 1997.

Lot Essay

"Summer in the Park, Del Monte is a painting overflowing with the richness and variety of nature's bounty. Greens and browns were the basis for Wendt's many compositions, tied to his belief in nature's simplicity and perfection. The effect of full sunlight falling through the foliage to splash warm and radiant upon the face of the earth is suggestive of Monet's artistic influence. Wendt roots his forms to the ground, while contrasting changes of light move the eyes from open to secluded passages in the peaceful summer scene, achieving an overall structural unity. What lingers is a peaceful freshness and freedom that is not entirely explicable." (Nevada Museum of Art, Early California Impressionists: The Ronald E. Walker Collection, exhibition catalogue, Reno, Nevada, 1993, p. 56)