$29,375
Theodore Earl Butler (American, 1861-1936) Inondation a Giverny, alternatively titled Giverny par Vernon Signed "T. E. Butler '10" l.r., identified on a label affixed to the reverse, titled on the stretcher. Oil on canvas, 23 1/2 x 28 3/4 in. (59.7 x 73.0 cm), unframed. Condition: Retouch, minor loss u.c., extremely mild craquelure. N.B. American expatriate Thomas Earl Butler lived and painted in Giverny for the majority of his career. Born in New York, Butler first studied at the state¹s Art Students League, but by the 1880s he emigrated to France, where he studied at the Academie Julian and began showing his work at the Parisian Salons. Butler soon found a source of inspiration in the small town of Giverny, home of the Impressionist master Claude Monet. By the 1890s he had produced a number of landscapes depicting Giverny in the snow. Butler went on to marry two of Monet¹s step-daughters, first Suzanne Hoschede, and then after her death, Marthe. While Butler adopted aspects of Monet¹s Impressionism, he developed a unique style that consisted of vibrant colors, flattened space, and energized brushwork. His paintings, considered some of the earliest Post-Impressionist works, were exhibited widely in both France and America throughout his career. This piece will be included in Patrick Bertrand¹s upcoming catalogue raisonné of Butler¹s work.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2007-05-18
