Attributed to Armin Hansen, no coa, private collection, medium:oil measurements: 25"wx33"h good condition Biography: Armin Hansen, a native of San Francisco, was a prominent American painter of the en plein air school, best known for his marine canvases. His father Herman Wendelborg Hansen was also a famous artist of the American West. Hansen arrived in San Francisco in the late fall of 1912 and during the following spring and summer he held very successful exhibitions of his European canvases at three of the most prestigious galleries: Helgesen's, Rabjohn & Morcom's, and Schussler Brothers.During his lifetime his paintings and prints appeared in over a hundred exhibitions in California and nationally.In 1913 he first visited Monterey, where he eventually settled to teach and to find inspiration in the small fishing community and in the art colonies on the Peninsula. He painted in oils and watercolors and perfected his skills in graphic arts, especially etchings. Hansen became enamored of creating marine scenes, particularly involving man's relationship with the sea. In 1914 he produced a Self Portrait. Hansen became extremely active in large Carmel-by-the-Sea art colony. He was not a founder of the Carmel Art Association in 1927, but eventually joined that organization and served as president and on the board of directors. He was the co-founder of the Carmel Art Institute in 1938.In the early 1920s Hansen lived near the Stevenson House, and he often entertained other artists, including members of the Society of Six. By this time Hansen was not only one of the most well known California artists, but arguably the best teacher of the era. A typical Painting of his early period in Monterey, Men of the Sea, illustrates his bond with his subjects. In 1920 he began outdoor lessons for both Clayton Sumner Price and August Francois Gay. E. Charlton Fortune also studied with Hansen. Hansen was also unique in that he had friends in among the avant-garde and conservative artists in Monterey and Carmel. An important work of this period is his The Salmon Trawlers (1923), which is in the permanent collection of the Monterey Museum of Art.In the 1930s Hansen's paintings become more intense and use of light more pronounced. One of his masterpieces of this era was Sardine Barge circa 1933, which appropriately is in the permanent collection of the Monterey Museum of Art. His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.Later in Monterey Hansen led a group of artists in opposing a plan to remove Fisherman's Wharf as part of a grandiose redevelopment scheme. The wharf was an important subject of their art, besides the fact that Hansen identified with the simple life of a fisherman. These artists were considered a bohemian group, living in the Peters Gate area of Monterey, but amazingly they prevailed against bigger business interests.