Pasquale (Patsy) Santo (American, 1893-1975)
Peaceful Valley (Viereck Farm, North Bennington, Vermont)
signed 'Patsy Santo' (lower right)
oil on canvas
22 x 30 1/4 in. (55.9 x 76.8 cm)
framed 30 x 38 in.
Footnotes:
Provenance
Family of the artist

N.B.
After emigrating from Italy in 1913 at age 20, Patsy Santo worked a variety of jobs, including for the railroad and as a housepainter, in Albany, Hoosick Falls, and Greenwich, New York, finally settling in Bennington, Vermont in 1917. While he had dabbled in art earlier, his first success occurred in 1937 when one of his paintings earned a blue ribbon at the state fair in Rutland, Vermont. Artist Walt Kuhn saw Santo's prize-winning painting and helped introduce him to the New York art world. Santo was invited to participate in the exhibition Unknown American Artists at the Museum of Modern Art alongside other self-taught artists including Grandma Moses. He painted his rural Vermont landscapes with a precision and attention to detail nearing photo-realism.

There is a canvas bulge near lower left. Surface grime is evident.