Fremont F. Ellis, In the Mountains
Fremont F. Ellis
1897 - 1985
In the Mountains
oil on canvas board
signed lower left: FREMONT F. ELLIS
inscribed verso: IN THE MOUNTAINS
18 x 23 7/8 in. (45.7 x 60.6 cm.), frame: 28 1/2 x 34 3/8 x 1 3/4 in. (72.4 x 87.3 x 4.4 cm.)
Private Collection, New Mexico
Fremont Ellis was among the most devoted painters of the Southwest landscape. Born in Virginia City, Montana, he arrived in Santa Fe in 1919 seeking a healthier climate and stayed for the rest of his life. In the early 1920s he became a founding member of Los Cinco Pintores, the group of five young artists (with Jozef Bakos, Walter Mruk, Willard Nash, and Will Shuster) who built adobe homes and studios along Camino del Monte Sol. Together they championed a modern, optimistic vision of the New Mexico landscape and helped establish Santa Fe as an art center.
Ellis remained committed to the mountains and high country around him. This landscape shows why. A stream tumbles over sunlit boulders in the foreground, while slender aspens, their leaves turning to russet, rose, and gold, rise against darker evergreens. Beyond them, a snow-dusted ridge sits under a bright, cloud-streaked sky. Ellis builds the scene from broad, confident strokes of saturated color, letting the warm foliage play against cool blues and violets in the shadows and distant peaks. The result feels observed rather than composed: the crisp air and shifting light of an autumn day in the Sangre de Cristos.
Ellis's work reflects his lasting engagement with Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, adapted to the intense light and color of the Southwest. Works like this one capture the exuberance that made him a favorite among collectors of early Santa Fe painting. Presented in a period-appropriate gilt frame, this canvas is a fine example of his mature landscape style.
Condition
A condition report for this lot is available upon request (please include the lot number in your request) and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.
Fremont F. Ellis
1897 - 1985
In the Mountains
oil on canvas board
signed lower left: FREMONT F. ELLIS
inscribed verso: IN THE MOUNTAINS
18 x 23 7/8 in. (45.7 x 60.6 cm.), frame: 28 1/2 x 34 3/8 x 1 3/4 in. (72.4 x 87.3 x 4.4 cm.)
Private Collection, New Mexico
Fremont Ellis was among the most devoted painters of the Southwest landscape. Born in Virginia City, Montana, he arrived in Santa Fe in 1919 seeking a healthier climate and stayed for the rest of his life. In the early 1920s he became a founding member of Los Cinco Pintores, the group of five young artists (with Jozef Bakos, Walter Mruk, Willard Nash, and Will Shuster) who built adobe homes and studios along Camino del Monte Sol. Together they championed a modern, optimistic vision of the New Mexico landscape and helped establish Santa Fe as an art center.
Ellis remained committed to the mountains and high country around him. This landscape shows why. A stream tumbles over sunlit boulders in the foreground, while slender aspens, their leaves turning to russet, rose, and gold, rise against darker evergreens. Beyond them, a snow-dusted ridge sits under a bright, cloud-streaked sky. Ellis builds the scene from broad, confident strokes of saturated color, letting the warm foliage play against cool blues and violets in the shadows and distant peaks. The result feels observed rather than composed: the crisp air and shifting light of an autumn day in the Sangre de Cristos.
Ellis's work reflects his lasting engagement with Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, adapted to the intense light and color of the Southwest. Works like this one capture the exuberance that made him a favorite among collectors of early Santa Fe painting. Presented in a period-appropriate gilt frame, this canvas is a fine example of his mature landscape style.
Condition
A condition report for this lot is available upon request (please include the lot number in your request) and is provided by Santa Fe Art Auction as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers.
