New England Boston Well-Listed EMIL CARLSEN 1853-1932 Start Price USD 9,999.00 Current Price USD 9,999.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, May 12, 2008 End Time Monday, May 19, 2008 Location Littleton, CO See more about 'New England Boston Well-Listed EMIL CARLSEN 1853-1932' Description Early oil painting on canvas by the legendary & Important American Artist Emil Carlsen (1853 - 1932) signed LL, date 1892 Bostonyou have a choice of either frame,the first frame though hides the signature and some of the painting on the top and bottom side--about 3" Oil on Canvas Image: 48” X 36”with Antique Frame 55" X 39"with Newer Frame: 52” X 40.25” See detailed description below the images Please allow images to serve as part of the description Description: This painting had been in the previous owners’ [husband & wife] possession for about 25 year and they did extensive research about the painting and the artist.  A rather large packet of materials in a large manila envelop holds several letters [and many photos] that the previous owners wrote and received in this regard.  One letter is also from Sotheby’s [dated September 1, 1982].  This letter talks about the painting’s condition and of course does not question the painting’s authenticity.  In the same letter, the owners are referred to a Mr. Rice of Rice Gallery in Houston, Texas who “has examined the painting first hand, [and is] in a better position to evaluate the work.”   In the content of this letter as well other letters in the file, neither Sotheby’s nor Mr. Rice [apparently an Emile Carlsen expert] question the authenticity of this work.  As a matter of fact, another letter by owners reveals that “Mr. Rice personally looked at this painting and stated the signature was valid”.   Since the acquisition of the painting we too have researched the painting extensively and arrived at these facts that point to the authenticity of this work: 1) the signature is good to the painting and it matches the artist’s signature 2)  the time and place of the painting 1892 Boston match the time that the artist was in Boston  3)  The style and brush stroke match the style and brush strokes of the painter’s wooded landscapes [note the narrow trees and light-handed fusion of light and trees in the texture of paint in this painting and many other wooded landscapes by Emile Carlsen].  In all honesty, in light of the above facts and the paiting's history we have no doubt that this is a painting by Emile Carlsen. Biography: Soren Emil Carlsen emigrated from Denmark and arrived in the United States in 1872, settling in Chicago. Although trained as an architect, he initially worked with Laurits Bernhard Holst, a Danish painter in Chicago, who gave over to Carlsen his studio when the instructor returned home. Carlsen remained mostly self-taught, and his early ventures to France included no formal instruction. Ironically, Carlsen began teaching art in Chicago, at a school that would later become part of the Art Institute of Chicago. CarlsenCarlsen his studio when the instructor returned home. Carlsen remained mostly self-taught, and his early ventures to France included no formal instruction. Ironically, Carlsen began teaching art in Chicago, at a school that would later become part of the Art Institute of Chicago. CarlsenCarlsen his studio when the instructor returned home. Carlsen remained mostly self-taught, and his early ventures to France included no formal instruction. Ironically, Carlsen began teaching art in Chicago, at a school that would later become part of the Art Institute of Chicago. Carlsen’s early career also included subsequent moves to New York and Boston. Although he established himself as a painter, economic misfortune led him to work as an engraver and designer. By the 1880s, Carlsen was exhibiting his paintings more consistently, and he received a significant commission from a New York dealer to paint still-life images. Art education played a role continuously throughout Carlsen’s career; he served as the Director of San Francisco Art Association’s school, and he taught at the National Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. (1) Although Carlsen’s oeuvre contains impressionistic landscapes and academic portraiture, his still-life paintings indicate his strongest and most successful painting explorations. During the artist’s lifetime one critic noted, “Emil Carlsen is unquestionably the most accomplished master of still-life painting in America today. …It is evident that Carlsen has lifted his art to a height it has never reached before.” (2) Carlsen’s first trip to Paris in 1875 fortuitously introduced him to the work of the eighteenth-century French artist Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin and Chardin’s incorporation of the seventeenth century Dutch still-life tradition. Compared to Carlsen’s contemporaries and considering his influence as a teacher, little has been written about Carlsen and his dedication to the still life. More than likely these biases results from the low esteem, which is relegated to still-life painting within the thematic hierarchy of painting. “Great art should be aesthetically demanding and it should be edifying and inspirational; still life is neither.” (3) In his position as a teacher of younger generations of artists, Carlsen postulated on the status of still-life painting in an article he published in 1908. “…still life painting is considered of small importance in the Art schools, both here and abroad, the usual course being drawn from the antique, the nude, and painting the draped figure and from the nude. …Then why should the earnest student overlook the simplest and most thorough way of acquiring all the knowledge of the craft of painting and drawing, the study of inanimate objects, still life painting, the very surest road to absolute mastery over all technical difficulties.” (4) Sources: For biographical information, see The Art of Emil Carlsen, 1853-1932 (San Francisco: Rubicon-Wortsman Rowe, 1975). Also, see Ulrich W. Hiesinger, Quiet Magic: The Still-Life Paintings of Emil Carlsen (New York: Vance Jordan Fine Art, 1999). Arthur Edwin Bye, Pots and Pans or Studies in Still Life Painting (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1921), 213-214. William H. Gerdts, Painters of the Humble Truth: Masterpieces of American Still Life, 1801-1939 (Columbia, Miss.: University of Missouri Press, 1981), 22. Ibid, 30. Quoted from Emil Carlsen, “On Still-Life Painting,” Palette and Bench (October 1908): 6-8. Submitted to askart by the staff, Columbus Museum, Georgia Below please see some comparable works of Emile Carlsen in recent auctions:  70 Emil Carlsen Title Trees in autumn Medium Oil on Board Size 19.8 x 24 in. / 50.2 x 61 cm. Misc. Signed Sale Of Sotheby's New York: Wednesday, December 1, 1999 [Lot 5] American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Estimate 15,000 - 25,000 US$ Sold For 34,500 US$ PREMIUM 78 Emil Carlsen Title Moonlight on the Kattegat Year 1910 Medium Oil on Canvas laid on masonite Size 44.5 x 39 in. / 113 x 99 cm. Misc. Signed Sale Of Christie's New York: Wednesday, May 26, 1999 [Lot 83] Important American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Estimate 20,000 - 30,000 US$ Sold For 110,300 US$ PREMIUM 40 Emil Carlsen Title Golden afternoon Year 1929 Medium Oil on Canvas Size 28.2 x 22 in. / 71.8 x 55.9 cm. Misc. Signed Sale Of Shannon's: Thursday, October 24, 2002 [Lot 20] Fine American and European Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture Estimate 12,000 - 18,000 US$ Sold For 13,800 US$ PREMIUM 31 Emil Carlsen Title Trees in full summer Year 1915 Medium Oil on Canvas Size 25 x 30.2 in. / 63.5 x 76.8 cm. Misc. Signed Sale Of Sotheby's New York: Wednesday, December 3, 2003 [Lot 13] American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture Estimate 60,000 - 80,000 US$ Sold For 96,000 US$ PREMIUM 8 Emil Carlsen Title Through the woods, Falls Village, CT Medium oil on canvas laid on masonite Size 44.5 x 39 in. / 113 x 99.1 cm. Misc. Signed Sale Of Heritage Auction Galleries: Wednesday, May 3, 2006 [Lot 23310] American and European Paintings, Sculpture, Photography and Illustration Art Estimate 120,000 - 150,000 US$ Sold For BOUGHT IN Title: Autumn in the Woods, 28" x 22.20", Created: not given, Auction House: Sotheby's New York Oil/Canvas, Signed, Lot: 137, Low Est.: $12,000, High Est.: $18,000, Sales Price**: $19,800 11/30/1989 Title: Beech Woods, 24" x 20", Created: not given, Auction House: Barridoff Galleries Oil/Canvasboard, Signed Lower Left, Lot: 59, Low Est.: $40,000, High Est.: $60,000 Sales Price**: $59,250, 08/04/2006 Condition: Good restored & relined antique condition. Restored by our museum-qualified art conservator. The painting has been through extensive restoration as the images can show.   Please allow the images to serve as part of description.   If the painting was in better condition it would be worth in excess of $100,000 Provenance: Acquired from an estate in Pleasanton, Texas This painting is offered with 100% satisfaction guaranteed -- if you don't like it for any reason, ship it back for a refund of your purchase price.  Please ask all questions before bidding.  Feel free to call us at 303-792-0900 or e-mail artsick@comcast.net.  A flat rate of $125.00 for professional packaging, shipping and insurance in the continental USA.   Thank you! Place a Bid!