George Inness NA
(1825-1894)
"A Summer Landscape," c. 1880
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left: G. Inness; titled verso; titled secondarily on letter of authenticity
12" H x 16" W
Provenance: Sold: Susanin's Auctioneers & Appraisers, Chicago, IL, September 20, 2019, Lot 6247
Private Collection, Los Angeles, CA

Notes: This lot is accompanied by a letter from Michael Quick, dated, August 10, 2022, confirming the authenticity and the inclusion of the present work in the forthcoming supplemental catalogue raisonnE of the artist's works.

Excerpt from letter of authenticity:

" A Summer Landscape, c. 1880 can be described as follows. A stream may flow from the left middle ground to what may be a stream bed in the left and center foreground. Beyond it appears to be a grassy area at center. The rest of the foreground and middle ground are filled with lush vegetation of many small and large bushes. Just beyond the immediate foreground rises a tall tree in full leaf, with another tree behind it. Further back at the far right is a full, lower tree. In the middle ground at the left are two or more large trees. In the distance, left of center, three or four houses stand among tall trees. There is a suggestion of a far distant hill or ridge. Clouds tinged with color float in the slightly hazy sky.

"Having had the opportunity to carefully examine and study A Summer Landscape it is my expert opinion that it is the work of George Inness. I would date it to around 1880 or slightly later, a period when Inness was committed to painting from nature. Although the landscape has a strong composition, I recognize in it the attempt to record the random multiplicity of nature. Hence the many forms of vegetation, bushes, and small trees surrounding the large trees. It was painted in a range of greens and touches of unexpected colors. It gives the impression of having been painted quickly, but with the expert paint handling of Inness, who could represent forms with almost abstract stokes of shaped paint. An unexpected technique is the way that Inness pulled a very thin white or gray paint over some of the outer branches of the large trees, which must represent their actual appearance against the strong light of the sky.

"I plan to include A Summer Landscape in the supplement to my catalogue raisonnE of the works of George Inness."

A formal conservation report from The Conservation Center, dated March 19, 2020, is available upon request.

Frame: 18" H x 22" W x 2" D Condition reports are offered as a courtesy and are typically published in Moran's catalogue or can be made available upon request. The absence of a condition report does not imply that an item is free from defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of others. Buyers are responsible for determining to their own satisfaction the true nature and condition of any lot prior to bidding. Though buyers are not legally required to inspect lots prior to purchase, failure to do so may constitute a waiver of complaint that an item was not delivered in a condition equal to the existent condition at the auction.