E.E. Cummings
(American/New York/New Hampshire, 1894-1962)

"Mountain Road"

oil on canvas
unsigned, dated en verso "Sept. 6 '47".
Framed.
30" x 40", framed 31" x 41"

Provenance: Watson/deNagy Co., Houston, Texas; Meredith Long & Co., Houston, Texas; Corporate collection of Freeport-McMoRan, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Notes: While best known for his innovative avant garde poetry, Edward Estlin Cummings was also a passionate visual artist and considered painting his "twin obsession". The Armory Show that toured the U.S. in 1913 played a pivotal role in his artistic development. Of all the artists included in that exhibition, it was Cezanne who made the deepest impression on Cummings, not only stylistically but also with the subjects he chose to paint. As Cezanne lovingly painted his native Provence, Cummings did so with his studies of Mount Chocorua, near his parents' home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a poet and a painter, he was drawn to a multitude of subjects, though nature played the most prominent role in his work.

Light surface dirt. No signs of past restorations. Some darker colors fluoresce under UV light but all appear to be hand of the artist. "Meredith Long & Co." labels with artist and title en verso. Frame with surface marks, nicks and abrasions.