95

VERSO
Label, Altermann & Morris Galleries, Dallas, Texas
Label, Jim Fowler’s Period Gallery West, Phoenix, Arizona

Writing about Siberian Christmas, Leon Gaspard biographer Carleen Milburn observed, “Leon Gaspard answered the call of adventure and distant places from an early age. His seventeenth summer, after winning a gold medal at an exhibition at the National Academy of Russia, he struck out for Siberia on a solo painting trip. It was 1899 and the young man paid twenty-five kopeks (about twelve cents) to ride in a horse-drawn wagon with a family who eventually dropped him off at an inn deep in Siberia. He painted the welcoming lodging tucked into a giant forest, a theme he returned to in later travels, memory and art.

“Earl Stendahl from the Stendahl Art Galleries in Los Angeles said, ‘Some of his most intriguing paintings are scenes of resting ports or shelters for travelers nestling under the protection of the great virgin forest. The variation of vivid colors of the peasant costumes against the dark green back-drop of the dense forest depicts strikingly the activities of life in deep Siberia.’

“Gaspard painted life as he saw it in full motion and color. In Siberian Christmas, a dark, foreboding forest and cold Siberian winter night contrast with warm light radiating from a home, smoke drifting from the chimney and the camaraderie of men tending their horses. His paintings often create a kinetic effect through the uneven lines of buildings, entanglement of trees, and the activity of people engaged in living. Gaspard portrayed glimpses of humanity with a deep sensitivity.”

PROVENANCE
Altermann & Morris Galleries, Dallas, Texas, 1993
Private collection, Janesville, Wisconsin
Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, Reno, Nevada, 2016
Private collection, Utah

LITERATURE
Forrest Fenn and Carleen Milburn, Leon Gaspard: The Call of Distant Places, The Tia Collection, 2015, pp. 82-83, illustrated

This lot will ship from Hayden, Idaho.

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Condition ReportSurface is in excellent condition. No signs of restoration.

Important Notice: Statements of condition are provided as a service to potential bidders and reflect educated opinions, not facts. All painting frames are sold “as is.” The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions.