Landscape Paintings by Edgar Payne and William Wendt Highlight Bonhams Sale

Best known for his Western landscape paintings, Edgar Payne (1883 – 1947) was an American painter, muralist, and explorer. In 1916, when Payne was commissioned by the Santa Fe Railroad, he got the opportunity to visit Canyon de Chelly. The upcoming Bonhams sale features Canyon Walls by Edgar Payne, which details sunlight and shadows on the cliffs of Canyon de Chelly. The viewer’s eyes are drawn toward large rock formations beside a dark vanishing point. Near the bottom of the painting, Navajo figures ride through a parched riverbed.

Among the key highlights of the sale is Along the River Bed by William Wendt (1865 – 1946), a German-born American landscape painter. Known as the “Dean” of Southern California landscape painters, Wendt adopted the French Impressionist style. He found Southern California to be the perfect setting to translate his ideas about color and light. Another oil on canvas by Wendt, In the Shadow of the Grove, features vivid brush strokes and a multi-layered color scheme. In 1907, the Union League Club of Chicago purchased In the Shadow of the Grove. The Club displayed the piece for decades before it headed to auction. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Bonhams.