An outstanding vintage California Tonalist Landscape Oil on Canvas Painting, circa 1920 signed Chas H. Harmon (lower left), colorfully and softly expressive and suggestive depiction of a wooded clearing at twilight, housed in its original stretcher and gilt wood frame this work would make an impressive addition any fine California or American fine art collection. - SIZE: 18" x 20" (artwork), 24" x 28" (framed). - CONDITION: Tiny pin hole to the canvas, minor normal wear to the frame, black lights perfectly, overall excellent condition. Tonalism had its origins in the works of the French Barbizon school and in the works of American painters who were influenced by them. California Tonalism was born when the emphasis in California landscape painting passed from the grand landscapes of works like those of Thomas Hill and William Keith's early career, to more intimate views of a domesticated landscape. Charles Henry Harmon (1859-1936) Aliases: Charles Harmon; Charles H. Harmon Professions: Landscape painter Biography: Born in Mansfield, Ohio, Charles Henry Harmon moved to San Jose, California as a youngster in 1874. At a young age, he was apprenticed to Louis Lussier, a local portrait painter. He also worked in a photography studio retouching negatives. He had no formal art training but loved to visit galleries in San Francisco and began painting in the Santa Clara Valley. He also went to many other remote areas along the Monterey Coast and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. By the turn of the century, Gumps department store of San Francisco handled his work exclusively, and his reputation was well established. In 1905, he settled a studio in Denver, and began commissions for the Santa Fe Railroad, Western Pacific and Colorado Midlands to paint scenes along their route. He spent his later years in San Jose, California where he died. Exhibition venues include Mark Hopkins Institute, 1897-98; Gump's (San Francisco), 1899; California State Fair, 1902; Berkeley League of Fine Art; California Artists, Golden Gate Park Museum, 1915; Stanford Art Gallery, 1923; Rosicrucian Art Gallery, 1949; and Triton Museum, 1971 (retrospectives). Collections: San Jose Civic Auditorium; Clarke Museum (Eureka); CSL; Denver Public Library; Santa Fe Railway. Source: Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940 Source: AskArt

Excellent