Theodore Robinson

Lot Description Theodore Robinson (1852-1896) Girl in Hammock oil on canvas laid down on board 18 x 16¾ in. (45.7 x 42.5 cm.) Painted in 1894. Provenance Macbeth Gallery, New York. Private collection, acquired from the above. Sale: American Art Association, New York, Thomas R. Ball, et al., 13-14 March 1919, no. 125. E.T. Ridgeway, acquired from the above. N.E. Montross, New York. Sale: American Art Association, New York, N.E. Montross, 8 February 1923, no. 52. John Levy Galleries, New York, acquired from the above. Private collection, acquired from the above. Sale: American Art Association, New York, F.W. Woolworth, et al., 5-6 January 1927, no. 129. David Roberts, acquired from the above. Mrs. Lonie H. Jenkins, New York, acquired from the above. Private collection, New York. Pre-Lot Text Property of an Important American Collection Literature American Art Annual, vol. 20, 1923, p. 286, no. 52. J.I.H. Baur, Theodore Robinson: 1852-1896, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1946, pp. 42, 63, no. 76, pl. XXXII, illustrated. O. Gueft, "Perfectionism on Park Avenue," Interiors, December 1962, pp. 67, 68. "Those Manhattan Designers of Good Fortune," Fortune, March 1966, p. 132, illustrated. ACA Galleries, 19th and 20th Century Masterpieces in New York Private Collections, exhibition catalogue, New York, 1978, pp. 80-81, illustrated. W.H. Gerdts, American Impressionism, New York, 1984, pp. 152-53, pl. 161, illustrated (as Girl in a Hammock). Exhibited Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn Museum, Theodore Robinson: 1852-1896, November 12, 1946-January 5, 1947. New York, ACA Galleries, 19th and 20th Century Masterpieces in New York Private Collections, September 26-October 14, 1978. View Lot Notes > Theodore Robinson's Girl in Hammock demonstrates a unique synthesis of French Impressionist technique and American sensibility, and it is a splendid example of the artist's inimitable aesthetic. John I.H. Baur wrote of Robinson's mature style, "His positive contribution lay in the achievement of a personal kind of Impressionism which was lyrical and tender and a little sentimental, but genuine and deeply felt. Rooted in the American realist tradition, there is a quality of draughtsmanship and solid structure beneath his broken color which makes his work quite characteristically American." (Theodore Robinson, 1852-1896, Brooklyn, New York, 1946, p. 50) Whereas Robinson's pictures from the late 1880s and earlier were more tightly rendered, it was not until 1888, when he moved next door to Claude Monet in the small French country town of Giverny, that he fully adopted the Impressionist style. The painters worked alongside one another, and Sona Johnston writes that this "served to synthesize tendencies already apparent in [Robinson's] art in the mid-1880's into a personal impressionist style." (Theodore Robinson, 1852-1896, Baltimore, Maryland, 1973, p. vii) By the early 1890s Robinson had liberated his palette and brushwork to create more painterly, vibrant surfaces clearly evident in Girl in Hammock. Painted in the summer of 1894 while Robinson was teaching a class for the Brooklyn Art School at Evelyn College in Princeton, New Jersey, Girl in Hammock demonstrates his integration of the tenets of French Impressionism, particularly in palette, attention to the play of light on the figure and landscape and bravura brushwork. The work, which depicts Robinson's friend, Miss Buttles, was one of few that the artist completed that summer and, as John I.H. Baur comments, "Few finished paintings of this summer are known. Two, Nettie Reading and Girl in Hammock, revert to his French manner, being sweeter in color and not so self-consciously American. They are the small, intimate subjects which he could always do best." (Theodore Robinson: 1852-1896, 1946, p. 42) Indeed, William H. Gerdts, the pre-eminent expert on American Impressionism, writes of the present work, "The painting is the finest of several he did of this subject in his last years." (American Impressionism, New York, 1982, p. 152) In the present work, Robinson sets the solidly rendered figure within a broadly brushed landscape of vivid greens and yellows, a sliver of blue sky visible through the trees. He adeptly captures the play of light and shadow on the sun-dappled landscape and, to attain compositional unity, utilizes highlights of pinks and blues in the grass and trees that are similar to those of Miss Buttles' clothes. The hammock adds complexity, and the cropping of the scene demonstrates the influence of Japanese prints, which were popular with Impressionist artists at the time. "This wedding of French born Impressionism to American art was one of Robinson's achievements, and it is this which give him, aside from the more personal characteristics of his work, a measure of importance in the history of our art." (Theodore Robinson, 1852-1896, 1946, p. 51) Girl in Hammock, with its mastery of light and color and careful balance of bold brushwork with form and mass, exhibits all the hallmarks of Robinson's best work. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Ira Spanierman and Sona Johnston.

Lot 248 Theodore Robinson American, 1852-1896 Planting Fields and Riverbed : a double-sided work Oil on panel 12 5/8 x 16 inches Provenance: The artist Gifted to his brother, John Robinson By descent to his daughter, Olive Ellen, Mrs. Robert J Antes, WI By descent to her daughter, Margaret Antes Trust, Evansville, WI Private collection This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of Theodore Robinson by Sona Johnston and Ira Spanierman. This painting belongs to a group of works Robinson gave to his brother John that passed down through the family. The subject of cultivated fields seen in diffused light, along with the structured composition overlaid with layered and broken strokes of color, relate the verso of this study to images Robinson created in Giverny about 1887, including Valley of the Seine, Giverny (1887, Los Angeles County Museum of Art). C The Spanierman Gallery, LLC Estimate $3,000-5,000 Both sides: Frame rubbing. Surface grime Planting Fields: There is some light scattered touches of inpaint in the sky. There is no further restoration visible under UV light. Riverbed: Scattered scuffs and scratches. There is no visible restoration under UV light. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Doyle New York shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

Lot 50 Theodore Robinson American, 1852-1896 Moyen-Age Signed Th Robinson (ll) Oil on canvas laid down to board 9 3/4 x 11 1/2 inches Provenance: Brand Galleries, Los Angeles Private collection, LA, 1978 This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of Theodore Robinson by Sona Johnston and Ira Spanierman. A central figure in the Anglo-American artists' colony in Giverny, France, in the late 1880s and 1890s, Robinson was among few American artists to befriend Claude Monet, and his association with the noted French Impressionist was enduring. On long stays in the Normandy town, Robinson made regular visits to Monet's home and studio, and mentioned Monet often in his diaries. Deriving influence from the French painter, Robinson developed a singular approach to the Impressionist style, lightening his palette and loosening his brushwork, while maintaining a concern for structured compositions and realistic interpretations of nature. His aesthetic can be seen in Moyen-Age, an image of a young woman in a medieval costume, posed at the summit of Les Bruyeres, the line of hills rising directly behind Giverny. Robinson referenced another image of this subject in his diary, stating on January 23, 1893: "Worked on little 'Moyen-age' girl in red picking a flower." He also created a related watercolor, dated 1889 (Baur, no. 309). C The Spanierman Gallery, LLC Collection of American Art Estimate $12,000-18,000 Frame rubbing, with some corresponding light touches of inpaint. There is some very minor touches of inpaint in the sky. There is a small touch of inpaint in the girl's nose and a small touch on her hand. There is some possible inpaint in the grass in the lower right quadrant. There is no further restoration visible under UV light. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Doyle New York shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

Lot 400 Theodore Robinson American, 1852-1896 Girl in the Orchard , circa 1889 Signed TH. ROBINSON (lr) Watercolor and pencil on paper 14 1/8 x 7 7/8 inches Provenance: Macbeth Gallery, New York C. S. McDonough, 1919 Frank K. M. Rehn, Inc., New York, 1920 Duncan Phillips, Washington, DC, 1920 Frank K. M. Rehn, Inc., New York, 1923 William H. Bender Jr., Bronxville, NY, 1962 Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Spencer, 1977 Private collection Exhibited: New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Two-Hundred Years of Watercolor Painting in America: An Exhibition Commemorating the Centennial of the American Watercolor Society , Dec. 8, 1966-Jan. 29, 1967, no. 101 (lent by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Bender Jr.) New York, Spanierman Gallery, The Spencer Collection of American Art , Jun. 13-29, 1990, no. 21, pp. 44, 45 color illus. Baltimore, MD, Baltimore Museum of Art, In Monet's Light: Theodore Robinson at Giverny , Oct. 17, 2004-Jan. 9, 2005 (second and third venues only); traveled to: Phoenix Art Museum, Feb. 6-May 8, 2005; Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, CT, Jun. 4-Sep. 5, 2005 New York, Spanierman Gallery, Works on Paper , Nov. 20, 2008-Jan. 3, 2009, no. 21, color illus., pp. 46-7. Literature: John I. H. Baur, Theodore Robinson, 1852-1896 , exhi. cat., New York: Brooklyn Museum, 1946, 85, no. 315 as Peasant Girl by Tree ; also listed, 84, no. 299 as Girl in Orchard . Sona Johnston, entry in The Spencer Collection of American Art , exhi. cat., New York: Spanierman Gallery, 1990, pp. 44, 45 color illus. no. 21. Carol Lowrey and Lisa N. Peters, Works on Paper , exhi. cat. (New York: Spanierman Gallery, 2008), pp. 46-7 color illus. no. 21. This watercolor will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the work of Theodore Robinson by Sona Johnston and Ira Spanierman. S The Spanierman Gallery, LLC Collection of American Art Estimate $10,000-15,000 Toned. Hinged with two pieces of tape at the upper edge. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Doyle New York shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.

Lot Description Theodore Robinson (1852-1896) Old Horse Cab oil on canvas 18 x 11 in. (45.7 x 27.9 cm.) Painted circa 1894-95. Provenance Mary H. Tannahill, Warrenton, North Carolina. Gift to the present owner from the above, 1928. Pre-Lot Text PROPERTY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART, SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ACQUISITIONS FUND Literature J.I.H. Baur, Theodore Robinson, 1852-1896, Brooklyn, New York, 1946, p. 71, no. 164. North Carolina Museum of Art, American Paintings to 1900: Catalogue of Paintings, vol. 1, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1966, n.p., no. 48, illustrated. Asheville Art Museum, American Paintings from the Permanent Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art, exhibition catalogue, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1976, n.p., no. 26. San Jose Museum of Art, The United States and the Impressionist Era, exhibition catalogue, San Jose, California, 1980, n.p. Exhibited Asheville, North Carolina, Asheville Art Museum, American Paintings from the Permanent Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art, May 16-June 27, 1976, no. 26. San Jose, California, San Jose Museum of Art, The United States and the Impressionist Era, November 17, 1979-January 9, 1980. View Lot Notes › This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work being compiled by Ira Spanierman and Sona Johnston.