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Collections

Arthur Frank Mathews
Monterey Cypress, Californiacirca 1930

On view:
Geffen Galleries, Responses to Industrialization
Oil painting landscape of tall, spreading trees with pale trunks on a grassy hillside overlooking a calm bay, painted in soft greens, blues, and creamy whites

Arthur Frank Mathews, Monterey Cypress, California, circa 1930, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Nancy Daly, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Artist or Maker
Arthur Frank Mathews
United States, 1860-1945
Title
Monterey Cypress, California
Date Made
circa 1930
Medium
Oil on linen canvas
Dimensions
42 x 46 in. (106.68 x 116.84 cm); Framed: 57 3/4 x 61 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (146.69 x 156.21 x 11.43 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Nancy Daly
Accession Number
M.2008.221
Classification
Paintings
Collecting Area
American Art
Curatorial Notes
Like many Tonalist artists working at the turn of the twentieth century, Arthur Frank Mathews painted evocative, intimate views of nature in the face of increasing industrialization. He spent most of his life in Northern California, depicting the region’s unique topography and golden light. In this hazy view of Monterey’s coastline, jagged cypress trees are set against a cloud-filled sky and a rugged path leads the viewer’s eye to the bright blue waters of the Pacific Ocean below.
Selected Bibliography
  • Cleveland, David A. A History of American Tonalism: 1880-1920. New York: Winsted Press, 2017.

Related Unframed

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