71

VERSO
Provenance listed

According to Johnson biographer Harold McCracken, “He [Johnson] was very particular about everything he did. That is why his paintings are so consistently good. But he was especially particular when he painted a nocturne. At this period in his career these extraordinary scenes were already the most sought after, as they still are today; for they are unquestionably the ultimate in this artist’s work. He had spent a great deal of time in study and experimenting to accomplish the simulation of daylight colors under moonlight and starlight; and he was continually endeavoring to carry this to a higher state of perfection. In the effort to develop something that was strictly his own, he went beyond the mixing of the colors of the paints he used. He also had his own special preparation for processing the white underpainting of the canvas before starting the overpainting of a nocturne.”

PROVENANCE
The Artist, commissioned by
Ray Lester Skofield, Santa Barbara, CA
Hobart Oliver Skofield (his son), by descent
Ermanie Skofield Reynolds, by descent
Garth Hobart Reynolds, by descent
[The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction 2008, lot 211]
Private Collection, OR 2008

Condition ReportSurface condition is very good. Painting has been lined. Subtle craquelure throughout. Several spots of inpainting in sky. Several spots of inpainting in horse and below horse’s hooves. Several spots of inpainting in right side, below mountain.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders; such statements are educated opinions and should not be regarded as facts. The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction has no responsibility for any errors or omissions.