EDGAR PAYNE (1883-1947)
31. Italian Boats, Chioggia, Italy
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left
24 x 36 inches
34 x 46 framed
Provenance:
Private Collection, San Diego, California
Edgar Payne was fascinated by the old fishing town of Chioggia, twenty miles south of Venice. Captivated by the colorful sailboats, Payne was to paint this scene numerous times throughout his career. It was after his first year in Europe that Payne exhibited some of these works in Paris, at the Galleries Jacques Seligmann.
Payne varies his color theme in the painting Italian Boats, Chioggia, Italy using soft yellow greens for the sky, salmon reds for the sails, and blue green for the reflections in the foreground. The tranquil waters are skillfully painted with bold, confident spontaneity. In this painting the composition is key. Here he uses the rhythm and curves of the sails and the shapes of the boats to lead the viewer's eye throughout the painting. Payne is known as a master of composition and later in his life wrote a book, The Composition of Outdoor Painting, which is still coveted by artists today.
By their second year of travel, the Paynes ventured to the coast of Brittany, France. Here he discovered more of these colorful fishing boats. The boats of France are of a different construction, but both enjoyed the colorful sails that so intrigued the artist. Today Edgar Payne's European boat paintings have become widely popular and highly sought after by collectors.
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