44
Alson Skinner Clark
1876-1949
"Out To The Sea"
Oil on board
Signed lower right: Alson Clark; titled inscribed on ink stamp verso
18.5" H x 22" W
Additional Details
Notes: An artist biography from Zeitlin & Ver Brugge Booksellers is taped to the verso of the board.
Alson Skinner Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 25, 1876, and grew up as the son of a commodities trader. At age 14 Clark enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and continued in New York City under William Merritt Chase and the Art Students League. In 1898 he travelled to Europe for two years, studying under the venerable American ex-pat, James McNeill Whistler in Paris. Returning to the U.S. in 1901, Clark lived in Watertown, New York, and in Chicago, where he began exhibiting in the Art Institute of Chicago's annual shows.
In 1902, Alson married Atta Medora McMullin, who often appears in his oils as a model. Based in Paris at this time, he and Medora travelled throughout Europe painting extensively in Brittany and Italy. Under the spell of French influence, his paintings from 1907 onward show the broken brushwork and strong outdoor color and light of impressionism that Clark is most associated with today. In addition to seeing his work juried into the prestigious Paris Salon exhibitions, Clark found exposure and strong sales in American venues ranging from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (where he won a bronze medal), to the Society of American Artists' show, as well as the Art Institute's American art annuals. It was during 1913 that Alson Clark traveled to Panama to chronicle in a series of oils the massive undertaking of the Panama Canal construction.
In 1920, Alson and Medora moved to Pasadena, CA, where the couple quickly immersed themselves in the region's burgeoning art scene.  By 1921, Clark had joined the faculty of the Stickney School of Fine Arts in Pasadena and soon thereafter he became its Director. From his California studio, Clark traveled widely often painting plein air with his friends and colleagues including Guy Rose, Lawton Parker and Frederick Frieseke.
Condition: Visual: Overall good condition.
Blacklight: Occasional, scattered, rice-sized or smaller spots of touch-up primarily in the sky of the upper left quadrant and the water of the lower left quadrant.
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