Gifford Beal

Kraushaar Galleries, New York
Elly and Jock Elliot, (acquired from the above and sold: Sotheby's New York, May 7, 2007, lot 9)
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

New York, Kraushaar Galleries, Gifford Beal, 1879-1956:  A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings, April - May 1975, no. 21, illustrated as frontispiece

Generally in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in Rockport, Massachusetts, circa 1925-1930. 

Throughout his career, Beal's preferred subjects were people enjoying life’s everyday activities—whether at garden parties or circuses, by the sea or in urban or country landscapes.  The locations varied—New York City, the Hudson River or the Massachusetts coast in Gloucester or Rockport or even the Caribbean were among his favorites.  In the early years, he portrayed, for the most part, the leisure activities of the privileged, painted in the sparkling, colorful, short and spontaneous brushstrokes of the impressionist style which he had learned from his early mentors, William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam.  Then, in the 1930s, his painterly style underwent a dramatic change. 

His colors remained rich and bold, but became more muted and he applied them in thicker, longer brushstrokes.  He flattened the picture plane, using form and line, more than color, to define and give substance to his compositions.  And, the subjects changed as well.  He had always been interested in the sea, but, more and more, his attention turned to the activities of the working man, particularly the fishermen of the Massachusetts coast.    

In Fish Houses, Winter Day, which exemplifies the best of this latter style, two heavily laden fishermen, trudge to the fish house to prepare their catch of the day.  Their dark, vertical forms against the stark white of the snow, along with the other contrasting lights and darks in the foreground and in the background horizon line and sky, brilliantly convey both the harsh sunlight and the deep shadows of late afternoon on a typical, cold, New England winter day.