Julio Larraz "Dogwood" oil on canvas, 1975. Signed and dated lower right. Canvas: 60" H x 72"W; Frame: 61.25"H x 73.375"W. PROVENANCE: FAR Gallery, New York. The Layne Christensen Corporate Collection of American Art. Dirk Soulis Auctions: January 10, 2014 (Lot 00061). Private collection. LITERATURE: Edward J. Sullivan, "Julio Larraz," New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1989, pp. 26-27 (illustrated, p. 27). Julio Fernandez Larraz (Cuban, b. 1944) is a contemporary Latin American painter best known for his still life and figurative paintings. Of this work, Edward Sullivan says, "(Larraz) has penetrated the mysteries of the Spanish masters of still life, absorbed the complicated lessons of their art, and reinterpreted their aesthetic and poetic vision in late-twentieth-century terms. Larraz's paintings represent the essence of subtlety. Apart from its inherent simplicity, "Dogwood" exemplifies another characteristic of many of Larraz's scenes: his placement of the objects somewhat off center. Here the large glass vase with its branches of numerous white flowers is placed slightly to the right, dramatically set off by a deep black background. The flowers catch our attention and seem to suggest optimism or triumph against the blackness."