Born on the cusp of the outbreak of the American Civil War and dying just before the end of World War II, Arthur Mathews witnessed profound change during his lifetime. Like many of the so-called Tonalist artists working at the turn of the twentieth century, Mathews painted in a style that looked to a classical past in the face of increasing industrialization. He spent most of his life in Northern California, painting the region’s unique topography and golden light. In Monterey Cypress, California, created late in his career, he adopted a muted but vibrant palette of yellows and greens to imbue the painting with a dreamy softness. Jagged cypress trees, characteristic of the region, are set against a cloud-filled sky, and a rugged path leads the viewer’s eye to the bright blue water of the Pacific Ocean below. Unlike the vast, often sublime views that characterized many American landscape paintings of the nineteenth century, the work captures a more intimate, personal view of Monterey’s hazy coastline.
Inspired by California’s luminosity, the graceful curves of Art Nouveau, and the populist ideology of the Arts & Crafts movement, Mathews and his wife, artist Lucia K. Mathews, helped to popularize what is known as the California Decorative Style. He also taught at several San Francisco−area art schools and, in addition to his easel work, painted murals for a variety of domestic and civic buildings. After the San Francisco earthquake and resulting fire of 1906 decimated much of the urban landscape, Mathews and partner John Zeile opened a studio called The Furniture Shop, where Mathews designed all manner of home furnishings in wood and where his wife worked on carving, design, and other facets of the business. The frame on this painting is a reproduction of an original Mathews design, harmoniously blending his adept skills in oil paint and woodwork.
Selected Bibliography
Cleveland, David A. A History of American Tonalism: 1880−1920, p. 513, fig. 8.92. Winsted Press, 2017.
Corn, Wanda M. The Color of Mood: American Tonalism, 1880−1910. M. H. De Young Memorial Museum, 1972.
Jones, Harvey. California as Muse: The Art of Arthur & Lucia Mathews. Akron Art Museum, 2008.
Jones, Harvey. Mathews: Masterpieces of the California Decorative Style. Peregrine Smith, 1985.
Selected Exhibition History
The Art and Craft of Arthur and Lucia Mathews: Recent Gifts to LACMA, LACMA, June–December 2009.
