Robert Wadsworth Grafton (American, 1876-1936)

Robert Wadsworth Grafton (American, 1876-1936, active Louisiana, 1916-1920), "Reflections of Luggar's Landing, New Basin Canal", 1918, oil on canvas board, signed and dated lower right, artist name inscribed en verso, 16 in. x 20 in., framed, overall 23 3/4 in. x 27 7/8 in. x 3 1/4 in. Provenance: Neal Auction Company, Jan. 30, 2010, lot 324. Note: In the early twentieth century, American Impressionism started flourishing in the Midwest, centered in Indianapolis and South Indiana's Brown County art colony (which had ties to Chicago). Inspired and encouraged by the artists T.C. Steele, William Forsyth and John Ottis Adams—collectively known as the Hoosier Group—the next generation of artists were motivated to paint landscapes of the world around them. Robert Grafton and his friend and fellow Indiana artist, Louis Oscar Griffith, often visited New Orleans where they were captivated by the historic buildings and waterways that made up the city as well as the lively art community which was largely centered in the French Quarter. In the painting offered here, Grafton used thick, lush brushwork to beautifully render the reflections of the boats in the water of the New Basin Canal. Luggers were small single sail wooden boats used regionally to bring seafood (mainly oysters) from the coast to the city, and they were extremely important to the economy of New Orleans during the 1914 to 1920 period in which Grafton painted. As shipping and refrigeration technology evolved, the canal became less and less important, and by 1950 it was completely filled in to create the Lafitte Corridor, Pontchartrain Express Way and West End Boulevard. Grafton’s painting captures the vibrancy and color of a very particular time in the city’s history.
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