EDGAR PAYNE (1883-1947)
30. The Matterhorn
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right
29 x 29 inches
39 x 39 framed
Provenance:
Private Collection, California
Redfern Gallery, 2001
Private Collection,
Rancho Santa Fe, until 2005
This work was painted during Edgar’s excursion to Europe between 1921 and 1924. He produced some of his finest works beginning in the early 1920’s. Payne was successful in selling his paintings and had the funds to travel and explore new locations that greatly inspired his artistic talents.
From 1922-1924 Edgar and his wife Elsie painted throughout Europe. The first year they painted through Eastern France, along the French and Italian Rivera to Rome. Matterhorn is one of the most popular mountains in the Alps. It can be reached from Zermatt, Switzerland or Breuil/Cervinia, Italy. The Matterhorn is a powerful mountain formation that expresses nature’s grander, a common theme throughout Edgar Payne’s body of work.
Payne combines delicate and bold brush strokes to effectively create the impression of a three dimensional mountain. Edgar is a master in his use of color, juxtaposing opposite colors to emphasize the reflection of light. The sky is not a solid blue; instead he allows the warmth of the salmon under painting so show through to produce a visually scintillating effect.
It was during this time spent in Europe that Edgar’s work became confident and stimulating. At the same time he was influenced by the dabbled techniques of the French Impressionists. Two similar paintings, Les Haut Sierra and The Great White Peak, which won Honorable Mention, were exhibited in the Paris Salon in 1923 and established Payne as an international artist.
Works held:
Chicago Art
Museum, John Herron Art Institute of Indianapolis, Laguna Art Museum, Los
Angeles Museum, The Irvine Museum, National Academy of Design Collection,
National Collection of Fine Arts, Senate Building, Washington, D.C., Pasadena
Art Institute, Pasadena Art Museum, Southwest Museum of Los Angeles, Springville
Museum of Art, Springville, Utah; University of Nebraska Galleries, The
Fleischer Collection, Arizona
The Redfern Gallery
1540 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 T: (949) 497-3356 F: (949) 497-1324 mail@redferngallery.com
at the Montage Resort and Spa
30801 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 T: (949) 715-6193